silicon carbide

noun

: a very hard dark crystalline compound SiC of silicon and carbon that is used as an abrasive and as a refractory and in electric resistors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Wolfspeed, which specializes in producing wafers and finished chip products using silicon carbide, reported fiscal first-quarter revenue on Wednesday afternoon that barely exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. —

Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 27 Oct. 2022 In this latest research, a team of researchers, led by the cosmochemist Philipp Heck of the Field Museum in Chicago, analyzed 50 presolar grains containing a mineral called silicon carbide. —

Erika K. Carlson, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2020 Notably, Porsche has moved to silicon carbide for the power electronics, which reduces switching losses and allows for higher switching frequencies. —

Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 13 Nov. 2022 Chips made with silicon carbide are superior to those made with regular silicon for certain applications that involve large amounts of power conversion, such as inverters and drivetrains in electric cars. —

Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2022 For example, the microfactories can break down old smartphones and computer monitors and extract silica (from the glass) and carbon (from the plastic casing), and then combine them into silicon carbide nanowires. —

Allison Whitten, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2021 The grains comprised of aluminum, silver iodine, phosphide, and silicon carbide, as well as a compound of nickel and phosphorus, with very little iron. —

Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 June 2022 Lee creates the volcanic effect by mixing her custom glazes with silicon carbide, which causes tiny explosions in the kiln. —

Aileen Kwun David Chow, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022 That should serve as a humbling reminder to investors about how challenging silicon carbide is to scale; Wolfspeed has been working with the material for its entire 35-year existence. —

Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'silicon carbide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of silicon carbide was in 1893

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near silicon carbide

silicon bronze

silicon carbide

silicon chloride

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Silicon carbide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silicon%20carbide. Accessed 30 Jan. 2023.

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