More powerful semiconductors and more intelligent 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 production. This applies to crystal growing and subsequent wafer processing steps like 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 offer graphite components for several steps of the semiconductor production process and are one of the leading suppliers of silicon carbide coatings to this 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.
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.
Back in the late 1990s, when the fuel cell was experiencing its first heyday, SGL Carbon entered the gas diffusion layer business. 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. All of these are important properties for gas diffusion layers.
Our expertise in small and large energy storage systems
Energy storage is a key topic for sustainable mobility and energy supply.
Thanks to our synthetic graphite, which is used in anodes, we are already making an important contribution to higher-performance 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) make efficient charging and discharging possible. Our specialty graphite solutions also help to improve the fast charging ability 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 able to withstand heavy loads. They are used 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 the optimization of their processes and work with them to find solutions for their specific requirements.
Heat resistance and high purity for the solar industry
We develop essential components for the highly sensitive process of crystal growing as 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.
