New CD lab: Economical use of valuable semiconductors

Georg Pfusterschmied Silicon carbide is expensive and its production is extremely energy-intensive, but it is indispensable for many applications. A new CD laboratory at TU Wien aims to revolutionise the use of silicon carbide. Most electronic semiconductor components are made of silicon - a relatively inexpensive material. However, silicon can only be used in the range of relatively low electrical voltages. Wherever high voltages occur, it is easily destroyed. Other materials - such as silicon carbide - have significant advantages at higher voltages: they are more stable and they result in more energy-efficient electronic components. But the production of silicon carbide requires an extremely large amount of energy and is therefore also very expensive.