Coherent has started customer sampling of its 300mm high-thermal-conductivity silicon carbide (SiC) substrates with major semiconductor companies working on artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies. The move takes the company’s 300mm SiC technology beyond internal development and into customer testing, supporting its goal of scaling SiC materials for advanced thermal-management applications.
As AI processors become increasingly powerful, their higher power densities are creating new challenges for heat management. Removing heat efficiently is essential for maintaining processor performance and reliability while also helping data centers control energy use. Coherent’s 300mm SiC platform is designed to improve heat spreading in advanced semiconductor packages and thermal-management structures.
Silicon carbide is well suited to demanding thermal applications because it offers high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and strong thermal stability. Coherent controls several stages of the manufacturing process, including SiC crystal growth, wafering, polishing, and material characterization. This vertically integrated approach is intended to improve process consistency and support future high-volume production.
The company says its high-thermal-conductivity SiC substrates can deliver up to 25% more heat spreading than existing solutions while remaining compatible with established semiconductor manufacturing processes. The conductive substrates also offer low resistivity, low defect density, and high material uniformity. Together, these characteristics can help reduce electrical losses, support high-frequency operation, and maintain thermal stability in advanced semiconductor and packaging applications.
The potential uses of the 300mm platform extend beyond AI and HPC. In AR smart glasses and VR headsets, SiC could enable thinner and more efficient waveguides while improving the reliability of compact optical systems. Larger SiC wafers can also increase device output per wafer and potentially lower chip costs in power electronics, supporting markets such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and industrial automation.
Customer sampling is an important step in Coherent’s 300mm SiC development roadmap. By combining vertically integrated materials manufacturing with customer validation and a scalable production strategy, the company is positioning its SiC technology to meet growing thermal-management and semiconductor demands across AI, HPC, and power-electronics applications.
