Coherent begins sampling 300mm SiC substrates for AI thermal management
Coherent has begun sampling its 300mm high thermal conductivity silicon carbide substrates to AI semiconductor partners. The milestone moves the platform from internal development to customer evaluation.
As AI processors push toward higher power densities, heat removal is becoming a primary constraint on system performance and data centre efficiency. Coherent's SiC substrates are designed to improve heat spreading by up to 25% compared to current solutions while maintaining compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing platforms, according to a press release from the company.
Silicon carbide combines high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength and thermal stability — properties suited to next-generation heat spreaders and advanced packaging. Coherent describes its vertically integrated capabilities across SiC crystal growth, wafering, polishing and characterisation as central to its ability to scale the platform toward high-volume manufacturing.
"AI performance is increasingly constrained by the industry's ability to remove heat from next-generation processors. Advanced SiC thermal management materials can play an important role in addressing that challenge," said Craig Mullaney, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Coherent.
