June/July 2021

MARKET NEWS 7 www.power-mag.com Issue 3 2021 Power Electronics Europe choice for a whole range of operating voltages from 20 V to 1200 V. Being processable on larger wafers in high-throughput CMOS fabs, power technology based on GaN offers a significant cost advantage compared to the intrinsically expensive SiC-based technology,” commented Denis Marcon, Senior Business Development Manager at imec. Key to achieving the high breakdown voltage is the careful engineering of the complex epitaxial material stack in combination with the use of 200 mm QST® substrates, executed in scope of the IIAP program The CMOS-fab friendly substrates from Qromis have a thermal expansion that closely matches the thermal expansion of the GaN/AlGaN epitaxial layers, paving the way for thicker buffer layers – and hence higher voltage operation. “The successful development of imec’s 1200V GaN-on-QST epi-technology into our MOCVD reactor is a next step in our collaboration with imec. Earlier, after having installed AIXTRON G5+C, imec’s proprietary 200 mm GaN-on-Si materials technology was qualified on our high-volume manufacturing platform, targeting for example high-voltage power switching and RF applications and enabling a rapid production ramp-up by pre-validated available epi-recipes. With this new achievement, we will be able to jointly tap into new markets. Currently, lateral e-mode devices are being processed to prove device performance at 1200 V, and efforts are ongoing to extend the technology towards even higher voltage applications. Next to this, imec is also exploring 8-inch GaN-on-QST vertical GaN devices to further extend the voltage and current range of GaN-based technology,” added AIXTRON’s CEO Felix Grawert. www.imec-int.com Infineon Expands SiC Supplier Base Nexperia Invests To Boost Production Capacity Infineon Technologies AG has concluded a supply contract with the Japanese wafer manufacturer Showa Denko K.K. for an extensive range of SiC including epitaxy. The German semiconductor manufacturer has thus secured more base material for the growing demand for SiC-based products. The contract between Infineon and Showa Denko K.K. has a two-year term with an extension option. Infineon has a large portfolio of SiC semiconductors (CoolSiC MOSFETs and diodes) for industrial applications. “Our broad and fast growing portfolio demonstrates our leading role in supporting and shaping the market for SiC-based semiconductors which is expected to grow 30 to 40 percent annually over the next five years”, says Peter Wawer, President of the Industrial Power Control Division at Infineon. “The expansion of our supplier base with Showa Denko for wafers in this growth market marks an important step in our multisourcing strategy. It will support us to reliably meet the growing demand mid to long-term. Furthermore, we plan to collaborate with Showa Denko on the strategic development of the material to improve the quality while cutting costs at the same time.” Regarding the semiconductor market in general Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon, commented: “Demand greatly exceeds supply for the majority of applications. Infineon’s manufacturing facilities are running at full speed and we continue to invest in additional capacity. We see bottlenecks in those segments where we depend on chips supplied by foundries, especially in the case of automotive microcontrollers and IoT products. We are doing everything we can to provide our customers with the best possible support in this situation.” For the second quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, Infineon generated income from continuing operations totaling € 209 million, down on € 256 million reported for the first quarter. The Automotive segment revenue rose from € 1,150 million in the first quarter to € 1,219 million in the second quarter, with almost all lines of business contributing to the 6 percent growth. In particular, demand for components for electric vehicles continued to develop very positively. The Industrial segment revenue totaled € 361 million in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, compared to € 362 million in the preceding three-month period. A significant decline in revenue recorded for transportation was offset by growth in other areas, particularly power infrastructure and home appliances, but also renewable energy and industrial drives. The company expects to generate revenue of between € 2.6 billion and € 2.9 billion in the third quarter. Revenue growth will continue to be held down by supply constraints, including the temporary shutdown of manufacturing facilities in Austin, Texas, in February, as well as capacity limitations at foundries. Based on its good performance in the first two quarters, and continuously strong momentum of the semiconductor market, Infineon again slightly raises its guidance for revenue for the fiscal year as a whole, despite tight capacities at foundries. Revenue is now forecast at around € 11.0 billion (plus or minus 3 percent). All segments are expected to benefit from an improving supply situation and continued growth in demand during second half FY 2021. www.infineon.com “Demand greatly exceeds supply for the majority of applications. Our manufacturing facilities are running at full speed and we continue to invest in additional capacity”, commented Infineon’s CEO Reinhard Ploss the current chip shortage Nexperia has announced the next stage of its global growth strategy, confirming a $700 million investment over the next 12-15 months at its European wafer fabs, assembly factories in Asia and global R&D sites. This investment will boost manufacturing capacity at all sites while supporting research and development into areas such as GaN and power management ICs. It will also underpin recruitment activities, with Nexperia looking to attract new chip designers and engineers. As a result, the capacity of the Hamburg fab in Germany – which currently produces more than 35,000 wafers (8-inch-equivalent) per month (70 billion semiconductors per year) – will further increase by 20 percent from mid-2022. While in the UK, at Nexperia’s dedicated TrenchMOS fabrication facility in Manchester, the capacity will rise by 10 percent by mid-2022 from the current 24,000 wafers (8-inch- equivalent) per month. There will also be a significant expansion of research and development activities, with new laboratories and other facilities across all sites. This includes Nexperia’s headquarters in Nijmegen, where the Analog & Logic business group is located. Recruitment activities will be stepped up, as Nexperia looks to fill over 200 global vacancies primarily across various technical roles. “This is an exciting time in the global semiconductor market, which has mounted a resurgence since the challenges of the first half of last year,” says Achim