Coherent has announced a new milestone in silicon carbide (SiC) substrate technology with its next-generation 300 mm platform, aimed at addressing increasing thermal efficiency requirements in artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure. Coherent reports that this development builds on its 200 mm expertise and is engineered to meet the demands for higher power density, faster switching, and improved thermal management in modern data centers.

The company notes that the transition to larger-diameter 300 mm SiC wafers can unlock significant improvements in energy efficiency and thermal performance for hyperscale and colocation data center operators. Coherent highlights that its conductive SiC substrates are designed to provide low resistivity, low defect density, and high homogeneity, enabling low-dissipation, high-frequency, and strong thermal stability properties in data center hardware.

Coherent states that this 300 mm platform supports applications beyond data centers, including augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices—enabling thinner, more efficient waveguides—and power electronics. The platform allows for more devices per wafer, which the company claims should also reduce cost per chip for applications such as electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and industrial automation.

Gary Ruland, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Coherent, said, “AI is transforming the thermal-management landscape in datacenters, and silicon carbide is emerging as one of the foundational materials enabling this scalability,” adding, “Our 300mm platform, which we plan to ramp in high volumes, delivers new levels of thermal efficiency that translate directly into faster, more power-efficient AI datacenters.”

Coherent indicates that the launch of the 300 mm SiC platform reinforces its position in wide-bandgap semiconductor materials and technology for data centers and other power applications.

Source: Coherent