Silicon carbide (SiC), owing to its outstanding mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, plays a critical role in advanced industrial applications such as semiconductors, high-temperature devices, and wear-resistant coatings. However, its extreme hardness, high chemical stability, and wide bandgap make conventional machining methods inefficient and costly. Laser processing, characterized by high precision, high efficiency, and non-contact operation, has therefore emerged as a key enabling technology for SiC fabrication. In particular, recent advances in ultrafast laser technologies have significantly expanded the processing capabilities of SiC, driving rapidly growing demand from high-tech industries, especially semiconductor manufacturing.
This review systematically examines the state of the art in laser processing of SiC, covering laser systems, fundamental interaction mechanisms, emerging techniques, applications, and current challenges. Surface processing technologies—including cutting, drilling, microstructuring, polishing, as well as laser stealth dicing and slicing—are discussed in detail. Finally, the applications of SiC across various sectors are summarized, and a critical analysis of existing challenges, future research directions, and emerging opportunities that may shape this rapidly evolving field is presented.

1. Introduction

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material that has attracted considerable attention due to its exceptional hardness, high thermal conductivity, superior chemical inertness, and excellent electrical performance at high temperatures and high voltages. These properties make SiC indispensable in power electronics, optoelectronics, aerospace systems, high-temperature equipment, and wear-resistant components. Despite its advantages, the intrinsic material properties of SiC pose significant challenges to traditional mechanical and chemical machining processes, particularly in terms of tool wear, low efficiency, and limited achievable precision.

Laser processing has emerged as a powerful alternative, offering non-contact operation, high spatial resolution, and the ability to process complex geometries. The rapid development of ultrafast laser technologies—especially femtosecond and picosecond lasers—has further enhanced the controllability and quality of SiC processing by reducing thermal damage and improving dimensional accuracy. Consequently, laser-based SiC processing has become a research hotspot and an enabling technology for next-generation semiconductor and high-performance devices.

2. Properties of SiC and Laser Processing Technologies

The diversity of laser processing applications for SiC mirrors the diversity of its crystal structures and properties (Figure 1 and Figure 3). Different SiC polytypes, such as 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC, exhibit distinct lattice arrangements, anisotropic properties, and optical absorption behaviors, all of which strongly influence laser–material interactions.

Modern laser processing systems for SiC encompass a wide range of configurations (Figure 4), including objective-based focusing systems, galvanometer scanning systems, dual-pulse irradiation setups, femtosecond lasers with square flat-top beams, vector-polarized lasers, hybrid vector beam systems, asynchronous dual-beam cutting configurations, laser–water jet hybrid systems, water-guided lasers, and underwater laser processing platforms. These systems are designed to tailor energy delivery, improve debris removal, suppress thermal effects, and enhance processing quality.

3. Laser–SiC Interaction Mechanisms

Understanding laser–material interaction mechanisms is essential for optimizing SiC laser processing. As illustrated in Figures 5–7, laser irradiation induces a series of complex physical processes, including photon absorption, carrier excitation, electron–phonon coupling, heat diffusion, phase transitions, and material removal.

In long-pulse laser processing, thermal effects dominate, often resulting in melting, resolidification, recast layers, and residual stress accumulation. These effects can lead to crack initiation and propagation, particularly in brittle SiC. In contrast, ultrafast laser pulses deposit energy on timescales shorter than thermal diffusion, enabling non-thermal or weakly thermal ablation mechanisms that significantly reduce the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Single-pulse irradiation may cause localized lattice distortion and melt pool formation, while multi-pulse irradiation can induce laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) and subsurface voids.

Advanced diagnostic and characterization techniques (Figure 8), such as acoustic emission monitoring, plasma plume imaging, time-resolved ICCD photography, X-ray computed tomography (XCT), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), provide valuable insights into defect formation, internal modifications, and ablation dynamics during laser processing.

4. Laser Processing Techniques for SiC

4.1 Cutting, Drilling, and Microstructuring

Laser cutting and drilling are widely used for shaping SiC components and fabricating micro- and nano-scale features. The influence of laser parameters—such as wavelength, pulse duration, repetition rate, pulse energy, beam profile, and processing environment—on hole morphology and surface quality has been extensively studied (Figures 11 and 12). Combining laser irradiation with chemical etching further improves feature quality and aspect ratio, enabling the fabrication of high-precision microholes and channels.

4.2 Surface Modification and Polishing

Laser surface texturing enhances tribological performance, thermal stability, and functional properties of SiC surfaces, which is particularly valuable for aerospace and defense applications. Ultrafast laser polishing has also demonstrated the potential to improve surface finish while minimizing subsurface damage.

4.3 Internal Modification and Waveguide Fabrication

Femtosecond laser direct writing (FSLDW) enables three-dimensional modification of SiC bulk materials, allowing the fabrication of embedded waveguides and photonic structures (Figure 15). Such capabilities open new avenues for integrated photonics and optoelectronic devices based on SiC.

4.4 Laser Stealth Dicing and Slicing

Laser stealth dicing (LSD) and hybrid laser slicing techniques represent advanced approaches for wafer-level processing of SiC (Figures 16 and 18). By inducing controlled internal modification layers and subsequent crack propagation or selective etching, these methods enable high-quality separation with minimal surface damage, which is crucial for semiconductor substrate manufacturing.

5. Applications of Laser-Processed SiC

Laser-processed SiC has found extensive applications across multiple fields (Figure 19). In the semiconductor industry, laser technologies are integral to the fabrication of high-performance power devices, MEMS, and optoelectronic components (Figures 21). Aerospace and defense applications benefit from enhanced wear resistance and thermal stability achieved through laser surface engineering. In biomedical engineering, the biocompatibility and chemical stability of SiC make it an attractive material for advanced sensors and implantable devices.

6. Challenges and Future Perspectives

Despite significant progress, several challenges continue to limit the large-scale industrial adoption of laser processing for SiC. Thermal stress-induced cracking, particularly under long-pulse laser irradiation, remains a major concern. Furthermore, achieving an optimal balance between material removal rate (MRR) and surface quality, as well as the complexity of laser parameter optimization, poses substantial obstacles to process scalability and cost efficiency.

From a scientific perspective, deeper investigation into laser–SiC interaction mechanisms is required. Advanced numerical simulations, combined with data-driven and artificial intelligence–assisted optimization strategies, are expected to play a crucial role in enhancing process controllability and repeatability. Additionally, further research into three-dimensional micro- and bulk processing of SiC is essential to meet the stringent demands of aerospace, semiconductor, and biomedical applications.

From an industrial standpoint, the development of high-performance laser sources with higher power, higher repetition rates, and tunable pulse durations is critical, given the wide bandgap and high melting point of SiC. Integrating laser processing systems with robotics and intelligent control platforms will enable fully automated manufacturing workflows, improving efficiency while reducing environmental impact.

7. Conclusions

SiC is a versatile and strategically important material whose exceptional properties underpin its widespread use in semiconductors, high-temperature devices, and advanced engineering applications. Laser processing has emerged as the most promising approach for overcoming the inherent machining challenges of SiC, offering unmatched precision, flexibility, and scalability. This review has comprehensively summarized recent advances in SiC laser processing, encompassing laser systems, interaction mechanisms, advanced techniques, and application domains.

Although challenges such as thermal cracking, process optimization complexity, and scalability remain, continued advances in ultrafast laser technologies, hybrid processing methods, and intelligent control systems are expected to drive further breakthroughs. Through sustained multidisciplinary innovation, laser processing will continue to strengthen the role of SiC in advanced materials manufacturing and cutting-edge engineering solutions, providing robust theoretical and technological support for future scientific research and industrial applications.