The only compound of silicon and carbon is silicon carbide (SiC), commonly known as diamond.


SiC exists in the form of mineral carbon silica in nature, but it is very rare.


However, since 1893, powdered silicon carbide has been widely produced as an abrasive. Silicon carbide has been used as an abrasive for over a hundred years, mainly for grinding wheels and many other grinding applications.

Using contemporary technology, people have developed high-quality industrial grade ceramics using SiC. These ceramics exhibit advantageous mechanical properties, such as high hardness, high strength, low density, high elastic modulus, high thermal shock resistance, superior chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. These high-strength, durable ceramics are widely used in various applications, such as automobile brakes and clutches, and ceramic plates embedded in Bulletproof vest. Silicon carbide is also used in semiconductor electronic devices that operate in high-temperature and/or high-pressure environments, such as flame igniters, resistance heating elements, and electronic components in harsh environments.


Early applications of SiC:


The phenomenon of LED electroluminescence was first discovered in 1907 using silicon carbide light emitting diodes (LEDs). Soon, the first batch of commercial SiC based LEDs were produced. In the 1970s, the former Soviet Union produced yellow SiC LEDs, while in the 1980s, blue LEDs were widely produced worldwide. Later, gallium nitride (GaN) LEDs were introduced, which emit light tens to hundreds of times brighter than SiC LEDs, and SiC LEDs were almost discontinued as a result. However, SiC is still commonly used as a substrate for GaN devices and is also used as a high-power LED heat sink.


The production of silicon carbide has a history of over a hundred years, but it was only recently used in the power electronics industry. Due to its unique physical and electrical characteristics, it is very useful in high-voltage and high-temperature applications.