Silicon Carbide Uses

Silicon carbide has long been utilized as an abrasive for grinding brittle surfaces since the 19th century. Furthermore, this hard material can also be found in manufacturing refractory materials, wear parts and heating elements as well as semiconductor devices.

Doping aluminum, boron, gallium and nitrogen to create p-type and n-type semiconductors; as well as serving as a substrate for light emitting diodes and early radio circuits.

It is a base material for semiconductors

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an alloy composed of silicon and carbon that occurs naturally as the rare mineral moissanite; however, since the late 19th century it has also been produced industrially for use as a hard ceramic material in products like abrasives, refractory linings, cutting tools and even semiconductor devices. Due to these properties, SiC makes for an excellent base material for high voltage power devices.

SiC is capable of withstanding very high voltages compared to silicon, due to having a wider bandgap.

Washington Mills offers CARBOREX silicon carbide in various chemistries and sizes for use in the abrasives, metallurgical, and refractories industries. Due to its durability and cost effectiveness, CARBOREX silicon carbide is a popular lapidary abrasive material; additionally it’s widely used for grinding, water jet cutting, sandblasting as well as several machining processes like grinding. Furthermore, its crystaline form allows it to form different polytypes by bonding configuration of its atoms; furthermore its layers enable it to form unique polytypes or forms called polytypes!

It is a high-temperature material

Silicon carbide is an ideal material for high-temperature and wear-resistance applications, thanks to its hardness, chemical inertness, low thermal expansion rate and electrical conductivity properties. Furthermore, silicon carbide offers outstanding durability in high voltage applications making it the ideal material choice for power switches.

As one of the hardest known substances, corundum can be found in many modern technologies including grinding, water-jet cutting and sandblasting operations, lapidary use is also increasingly popular due to its durability. Corundum ranks alongside boron carbide and diamond as one of the three hardest known substances; furthermore it plays a pivotal role in various applications including abrasives, refractories ceramics and semiconductors.

Silicon Carbide comes in various polymorphs. Alpha Silicon Carbide (a-SiC), with a hexagonal crystal structure similar to Wurtzite, is one of the more frequently encountered varieties; another variant, beta SiC (b-SiC), features zinc blende crystal structure. While alpha SiC is more often encountered, both forms provide significant utility; large single crystals may even be grown via chemical vapour deposition.

It is a wear-resistant material

Silicon carbide is an exceptional material for wear-resistant applications, boasting a lower coefficient of friction than steel or any other metal and withstanding corrosion in various environments. Nitride-bonded silicon carbide forms especially well, resisting corrosion up to seven orders of magnitude concentrations of acids, alkalis and salts.

As well as being used in manufacturing grinding wheels and sandpaper, zirconia can also be found in refractories, ceramics and other high-performance materials such as mirror material for astronomical telescopes due to its low thermal expansion and hardness properties.

This material is an ideal choice for high voltage circuit elements. With ten times the voltage resistance of gallium nitride, it makes an invaluable component in electric vehicle inverters and solar power systems. Furthermore, its resistance to oxidation allows it to withstand high temperatures – making it the perfect material to manufacture high temperature indirect heating materials in nonferrous metal smelting industries such as copper melting furnace linings or aluminum electrolytic tank linings.

It is a refractory material

Silicon carbide is used as a refractory material to provide protection and insulation in high-temperature applications, due to its superior thermal stability and melting point. Ceramics, metallurgical raw materials, and other industries that demand superior durability, heat resistance, chemical inertness or chemical compatibility benefit greatly from its use as a refractory material.

Sintering it at high temperatures allows it to be used in the manufacture of refractory castables, abrasives and metallurgical raw materials – including thermal shock resistance and impact resistance properties – among many others. Furthermore, its durability stands up well against abrasive wear, corrosion and erosion damage.

Magnesita refractories have the ability to withstand extremely high temperatures, making them ideal for use in various high temperature applications such as smelting furnace linings and supports, copper melting furnace trays, solid pot distillation furnaces and zinc powder furnaces. Their unique properties also make them suitable for power generation applications as they can withstand the intense temperatures found within nuclear reactors. RHI Magnesita offers an extensive selection of refractory products suitable for different uses on Matmatch.