The government will prioritise proposals for silicon carbide (SiC)-based wafer manufacturing under the second version of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), officials said. In semiconductor manufacturing, a wafer is a thin, circular slice of a crystalline semiconductor material, most commonly silicon, upon which integrated circuits are fabricated.“These chips are expected to have major, next-generation applications for the telecom, electric vehicles, defence, aerospace and industrial sectors. Chennai-based SicSem Private Limited is collaborating with Scotland-based Clas-SiC Wafer Fab, to establish a Rs 2,066 crore facility of SiC-based compound semiconductors in Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar. Traditional silicon wafer production is well-established with mature, high-throughput processes, resulting in lower costs and availability of large wafer diameters. Silicon wafers are dominant in general electronics—integrated circuits, microchips, solar cells and low-to-medium voltage applications—the official said.
