Wafers

Silicon wafers are the foundation of the semiconductor industry, being used to create the chips that power our computers, phones, and other electronic devices.

‍PI-KEM offers a wide range of silicon wafers with standard wafers available from stock or manufactured to customer specifications.

Options include:

Grade: Prime, test, reclaim and mechanical

Diameter & Thickness

‍Custom thicknesses available on request

Type & Dopant

Resistivity

Orientation

Surface

Silicon carbide wafers offer advantages over pure silicon wafers including:

• Wider band gap allowing SiC devices to operate at higher voltage and frequency. This reduces heat generated and increases the efficiency of power conversion
• Higher thermal conductivity giving better heat dissipation and so higher working temperatures
• Chemical inertness so can operate in harsher environments
• Radiation hardness so it is less susceptible to radiation damage than silicon

We offer a wide range of Silicon Carbide (SiC) wafers, produced to exact customer requirements or as standard wafer specifications. Below are our most requested lines, however we welcome any enquiry for other specifcations:

Options include:

Grades: Production / Prime, Research, Dummy
Polytypes: 4H, 6H, 3C
Diameters: 1", 2", 3", 4", 6", 8", plus 5 mm × 5 mm and 10 mm × 10 mm
Thickness: Standard thicknesses from 250 µm to 725 µm depending on diameter; custom diameters and thicknesses available
Type & Dopant: HPSI, semi-insulating, intrinsic, n-type and p-type options
Dopants: Vanadium, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Aluminium and Boron depending on type
Notch: Standard or custom
Packaging: Single wafer or packs of 25
Surface Finish: Single-side polished or double-side polished
Surface Roughness: Front surface Ra <0.5 nm; back surface Ra <1.0 nm
Particles: ≥0.3 µm (≤100 particles/wafer) / ≥5.0 µm (0 particles/wafer)

Other specifications are available depending on wafer type and requirement:

• Orientation
• Resistivity
• TTV / Bow / Warp
• Thermal Conductivity
• Micropipe Density

Semiconductor wafers are used in the fabrication of integrated circuits (ICs), acting as a foundation for the building of devices. Specific properties of semiconductor wafers include:

• High purity giving more precise control of their electrical properties and essential for the manufacture of high-performance transistors
• Monocrystalline giving consistent electrical properties
• High surface flatness crucial for the precise patterning of circuits and the fabrication of electronic devices
• Tight dimensional tolerances critical for the maintenance of electrical performance across the whole wafer

Options include:

III-V Wafers

• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
• Gallium Nitride (GaN)
• Gallium Phosphide (GaP)
• Indium Phosphide (InP)
• Indium Antimonide (InSb)
• Indium Arsenide (InAs)
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‍II-VI Wafers‍

• ‍Zinc Telluride (ZnTe)
• Zinc Selenide (ZnSe)
• Zinc Sulphide (ZnS)
• Cadmium Sulphide (CdS)
• Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)
• Cadmium Telluride doped with Zinc (Cd-Zn-Te)
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Other Group Wafers

• Silicon Germanium (SiGe)

Specifications:

‍Grades: Prime, Test, Mechanical
Type: n-type, p-type and semi-insulating
Diameters: 1", 2", 3", 4", 6", 8", plus 5 mm × 5 mm and 10 mm × 10 mm
Thickness: Standard thicknesses from 250 µm to 725 µm depending on diameter
‍Custom Options: Resistivity, surface finish, orientation, thickness and dopants
Custom Diameters & Thicknesses: Available on request

PI-KEM platinised silicon wafers provide a robust and versatile substrate platform for advanced research and device development. Platinised silicon wafers combine high-quality silicon substrates with a thin platinum layer, offering high conductivity, catalytic properties, and thermal and mechanical stability, while retaining the ability to be fabricated using the same processes as silicon wafers.  

Applications include:

• Gas sensors
• Photovoltaic cells
• Fuel cells

PI-KEM offer platinised silicon, manufactured to customer specifications

• ‍Diameter: 4” standard, other sizes available
• ‍Standard Layers: Thermal SiO₂, TiO₂ or Ti Adhesion, Platinum E-Beam

Product Overview

Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafers are semiconductor wafers that have a thin layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) insulating material between a top silicon layer and a silicon substrate. This structure provides advantages over silicon wafers, including:

• Reduced parasitic capacitance: Improving speed and power efficiency of transistors
• Improved isolation of transistors
• Increased radiation hardness, protecting transistors from damage

PI-KEM supplies a range of SOI wafers, manufactured to customer specifications.

Product Overview

Silicon is a widely used substrate material in various fields, including electronics, photonics, and biomedicine. Its unique properties, such as its high electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and biocompatibility, make it an ideal material for a wide range of applications.

PI-KEM can offer silicon in forms for use as a substrate. All parts are manufactured to customer specifications.

Form:

• Windows
• Custom components
• Blocks

Germanium single crystal components also available

Whether you require a standard specification or a fully bespoke solution, we offer a comprehensive range of custom geometries, thicknesses, machining and finishing options to ensure your silicon wafers meet the exact requirements of your application.

Ultra-Thin Silicon Wafers

Ultra-thin wafers offer improved thermal, electrical and mechanical performance for advanced R&D applications. These wafers provide:

• Reduced mass
• Lower resistance
• Increased flexibility
• Improved thermal management

These wafers are widely used in:

• Semiconductor manufacturing
• MEMS devices
• Photonics
• Flexible electronics

‍Thickness

Typical thickness below 100 µm, however thickness as low as 30–40 µm are also available, with tolerances as tight as ±10 µm.

Alongside their extremely low thickness, every wafer is manufactured to demanding flatness and quality standards to ensure reliable downstream processing.

Diameter

Available in diameters up to 300mm, but custom specifications can also be requested.

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Ultra-Thick Silicon Wafers

Ultra-thick wafers provide the rigidity, strength, and stability required for demanding mechanical and specialist engineering applications.

• Defence technologies
• Aerospace systems
• Thermal management systems
• Photolithography & etching
• Power electronics

‍Thickness

Up to 30 mm thick, with tolerances of ± 25–50 µm.

PI-KEM supplies a range of wafers to support semiconductor, electronics, energy, and photonics research. Working in partnership with leading suppliers like D&X, SurfaceNet and MTI Corporation, we offer silicon, silicon carbide, semiconductor (III-V and II-VI), platinised silicon, SOI wafers, and more. Each wafer can be manufactured to your exact specifications.

Whether you need standard sizes, ultrathin® wafers, or custom-engineered substrates, our materials are carefully sourced to ensure purity, consistency, and performance. Our technical team can guide you in selecting the most suitable wafer type, dopant, thickness, or orientation for your project. We also provide access to processing services through our trusted partners.

Ready to order your Wafers?

📞 Call our technical team on  01827 259250

📧 Email  sales@pi-kem.co.uk

📝 Complete our online enquiry form

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