Performance Comparison and Future Prospects of Silicon-Based and Compound Semiconductor Substrates

Silicon-based substrates have long dominated the IC industry with their mature manufacturing processes and low costs, but are limited by narrower bandgaps and lower thermal conductivity, high-temperature and high-frequency scenarios that are becoming more common today.Compound semiconductor substrates represented by Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) show significant advantages in new energy, 5G communications and high power fields due to their wide bandgap, high breakdown field strength, high thermal conductivity and other characteristics.This paper systematically compares the material properties of silicon-based substrates with those of compound semiconductor substrates and analyses their impact on device performance.Research shows that: silicon-based substrates will still dominate in low and medium frequency, low voltage scenarios with the advantages of cost and integration density; GaN has become an ideal choice for high frequency RF devices with its high electron mobility and polarization effect; and SiC has achieved energy-efficiency breakthroughs in high-voltage high-temperature scenarios, such as electric vehicle inverters, due to its ultra-high thermal conductivity and high-temperature stability.Future technologies need to focus on compound semiconductor mass production and silicon-based III-V heterogeneous integration technology to drive the development of emerging fields such as high-performance computing and 5G radio frequency.