Power Electronics Europe February/March 2022

10 MARKET NEWS Issue 1 2022 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com Toshiba Invests in 300 Millimeter Wafer Fab for Power Semiconductors Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation announced in February that it will construct a new 300-mm wafer fabrication facility for power semiconductors at its main discrete semiconductor production base Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corporation. Construction will take place in two phases, with the production start of Phase 1 scheduled within fiscal year 2024. At full capacity, Toshiba’s power semiconductor production capacity will be 2.5 times that of fiscal year 2021. Current power semiconductor demand is expanding on vehicle electrification and the automation of industrial equipment, with very strong demand for low-voltage MOSFETs and IGBTs and other devices. To date, Toshiba has met this demand growth by increasing production capacity on 200-mm lines, and expediting the start of production on 300-mm production lines from the first half of fiscal 2023 to the second half of fiscal 2022. Decisions on the new fab’s overall capacity and equipment investment, the start of production, production capacity and production plan will reflect market trends. The new fab will have a quake absorbing structure; enhanced BCP systems, including dual power supply lines; and the latest energy saving manufacturing equipment to reduce environmental burdens. It will also aim to achieve the “RE100” goal of 100 % reliance on renewable energy. Product quality and production efficiency will be improved by introducing artificial intelligence and automated wafer transportation systems. The company also have established a new high- voltage laboratory in Germany. In line with the company’s shift in focus towards more power- related products, Toshiba invested this year in infrastructure and equipment such as high voltage power sources, loads and measuring equipment. The high-power facilities are compliant with German regulations such as VDE0100 and will have the capability to test and measure up to 1500V DC and 1000V AC. It will also enhance the already established engineering capabilities for ASSPs and MCUs, adding now SiC and GaN devices, digital isolators, gate drivers, optocouplers/relays while focusing on key applications in the automotive and industrial market. The high-voltage laboratory is in full operation since end December 2021. https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ Infineon Operates 300-Millimeter Power Semi Plus 200-Millimeter SiC/GaN Fab Infineon has made a successful start into the 2022 fiscal year. The company significantly increased both revenues and segment results. The new 300-mm power semiconductor fab should contribute to future groth. “Demand for our products and solutions remains very strong. Utilization of our manufacturing capacities is very high and we are expanding them step by step. This will help us improve the availability of products that we manufacture in-house over the course of the year. Overall, demand for semiconductors is outstripping supply by far. Electrification and digitalization continue to drive substantial growth in our target markets. We expect the supply situation in some application areas to remain tight well into the current calendar year,” said Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon. In September 2021 Infineon Technologies already opened its fab for power semiconductors on 300-mm wafers at its Villach site in Austria. At 1.6 billion Euros, this investment represents one of the largest projects in Europe in line with its Green Deal. Infineon set the stage for long-term, profitable growth based on energy efficiency and CO 2 reduction at an early stage and announced the construction of the chip factory for power electronics in 2018. “The new fab is a milestone, and the timing to create new capacity in Europe could not be better, given the growing global demand for power semiconductors,” the going CEO Ploss said. “We expect demand for power semiconductors to continue to grow in the coming years. The additional capacities opens up an additional revenue potential of around two billion Euros annually and will help us serve our customers worldwide better.” The Infineon site in Villach, Austria, with the new high-tech chip factory