More powerful semiconductors and smarter light
Modern life is unthinkable without semiconductors. Computers, automobiles, LEDs, the Internet, solar cells – they all rely on semiconductors, including those based on silicon and silicon carbide (SiC).
Components made of specialty graphite are indispensable in semiconductor manufacturing. This applies to crystal growing and subsequent wafer processing such as epitaxy or ion implantation. These processes take place at very high temperatures and in extremely corrosive environments. At the same time, maximum cleanliness and absolute precision are required. We provide graphite components for several steps in the semiconductor manufacturing process and are a leading supplier of silicon carbide coatings to the industry. Our specialty graphites also support the growing adoption of silicon carbide-based semiconductors in the rapidly growing power electronics market, which enables a more efficient control and conversion of electrical energy.
Outstanding material properties and advanced solutions give our customers an edge
Exceptional resistance to heat and corrosion, high purity and mechanical strength are just a few of the outstanding properties which our materials offer. Not only our customers from the glass and refractory industry, the metal industry or mechanical engineering, whose developments we support with innovative and high-performance materials and products, rely on these properties.
With innovative specialty graphite products and solutions, especially for small production runs and one-off custom products, or optimized machine components and high-performance materials, we are a sought-after partner of leading companies in a wide range of industries.
A small component with a big impact on plant operation
Gaskets are rather inconspicuous at first glance, yet they have a significant impact on the function and service life of industrial plants: gaskets are crucial for reliable operation and the safety of humans and the environment.
Our sealing materials made of flexible graphite ensure greater process reliability, significantly extended plant service life, minimization of fugitive emissions and downtime, and thus lower operating costs.
Our customers benefit from the excellent material properties and quality of our materials for a wide range of sealing applications.
More boost for the fuel cell
Alongside battery-powered electromobility, fuel cell technology is becoming increasingly important, especially as fuel cells are regarded as one of the most important and sustainable technologies of the future.
SGL Carbon entered the gas diffusion layer business in the late 1990s, when the fuel cell was experiencing its first heyday. Today, our carbon fiber paper-based components for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are permeable to gases, water-repellent, are easily compressible and conduct both heat and electricity. These are all important properties for gas diffusion layers.
Our expertise in small and large energy storage systems
Energy storage is a key issue for sustainable mobility and energy supply.
Our synthetic graphite, used in anodes, is already making an important contribution to more powerful lithium-ion batteries, and therefore to electric vehicles, while our battery felts and bipolar plates used in stationary energy storage systems (known as redox-flow batteries) enable efficient charging and discharging.
Our specialty graphite solutions also help to improve the fast-charging capabilities of lead-acid batteries.
Self-lubricating specialty graphite for the automotive industry
Our high-performance specialty graphites are self-lubricating, highly heat-resistant, corrosion-proof, and can withstand heavy loads. They are used, for example, in cooling water pumps and vacuum pumps in the automotive industry, for example.
Customers also benefit from our application technology expertise, as we advise them on optimizing their processes and work with them to find solutions for their specific requirements.
Heat resistance and high purity for the solar industry
We develop key components for the highly sensitive crystal growing process used in the production of polycrystalline and monocrystalline silicon, the most important raw material in the manufacture of solar cells.
These components include heaters, crucibles, and heat shields made of high-purity fine grain graphite or carbon fiber-reinforced carbon, as well as insulation components made of graphite felt. Our specialty graphites are indispensable to fulfill the tight specifications of the photovoltaic industry.
Solutions along the entire value chain
SGL Carbon's Graphite Solutions business unit covers the entire value chain of specialty graphite production, including raw material processing, semi-finished product manufacture, precision machining, purification, and coating.
