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DISCO CORPORATION has made a decision to build a new manufacturing plant (Hiroshima Works Gohara Plant, hereinafter “Gohara Plant”) in the Kure City Sports Center (Gohara-cho, Kure City) that the company purchased from Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Precision processing tool production is planned at the Gohara Plant, and construction of the plant is planned in three phases. This press release is a notice regarding the construction plans for phase 1.
Purpose of the New Plant
- Improved production capability
- Improved BCM capability and production efficiency
Outline of Gohara Plant’s Construction Phase 1
Address Inside Warahino mountain region, Gohara-cho, Kure-shi, Hiroshima Building area 13,179 m² Building structure Steel + Reinforced concrete, eleven stories, seismically isolated structure Total floor space 133,570 m² Building investment 33 billion yen Construction start date February 1, 2026 Construction completion date April 30, 2028 This information is regarding the building that will be constructed during phase 1 of construction. The total land area of the Gohara Plant (Kure City Sports Center) is 218,539 m²
Construction plans for phases 2 and 3 will be decided appropriately based on the situation.
Timeline of Acquiring the Kure City Sports Center
- Feb. 2023: Acquired preferential rights to negotiate with Kure City
- Nov. 2023: Officially concluded the sales contract
- Apr. 2025: Ownership transferred from Kure City to DISCO
- Acquisition amount: 2.5 billion yen
Original – DISCO
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Polar Semiconductor announced the finalization of a strategic agreement with Renesas Electronics Corporation to license their Gallium Nitride on Silicon D-Mode (GaN-on-Si) technology. As part of this agreement, Polar will fabricate High Voltage 650V Class GaN-on-Si devices for Renesas and other customers in its 200mm automotive quality high-volume manufacturing facility in Minnesota. This facility, recently expanded with state-of-the-art processing and automation equipment, is poised to meet growing demand for next-generation semiconductor solutions.
Polar and Renesas will work together to scale commercial production of GaN devices, expanding its use across critical industries, including automotive, data center, consumer, industrial, and aerospace & defense markets. The agreement ensures the U.S. has a reliable, domestic source for this cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
Market adoption of GaN technology will be accelerated through cost efficiency and innovative device architectures enabled by scaling to 200mm fabrication. By leveraging Polar’s manufacturing expertise and Renesas’ proven power semiconductor technology and commercial leadership, this strategic collaboration ensures customers a secure supply of cost-competitive, superior quality, and high-performance GaN device wafers.
Surya Iyer, President and COO of Polar Semiconductor, said, “This licensing and commercial production agreement underscores our commitment to strengthening the domestic semiconductor ecosystem. GaN is a game-changing technology for Power and RF, and with Renesas as our partner, we are well-positioned to ramp commercial production, secure key defense programs, and drive the next wave of semiconductor innovation.”
“We are excited to partner with Polar to scale our proven GaN technology to 200mm wafers and leverage our know-how across broad power conversion markets ranging from Infrastructure & AI to Energy & Industrial to e-Mobility & xEVs to high-value IoT,” said Chris Allexandre, SVP & GM, Power Products Group, at Renesas. “This collaboration ensures a strong, U.S.-based manufacturing capability for GaN products, provides multi-sourcing to our customers, and meets the growing demand for high-performance power solutions.”
Original – Polar Semiconductor
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Applied Materials, Inc. announced it has purchased 9% of the outstanding shares of the common stock of BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Besi), a leading manufacturer of assembly equipment for the semiconductor industry.
Applied and Besi have been successfully collaborating since 2020, and recently extended their agreement, to co-develop the industry’s first fully integrated equipment solution for die-based hybrid bonding. Hybrid bonding is becoming a critical technology for advanced packaging of semiconductors as designers and manufacturers race to develop more energy-efficient chips. Hybrid bonding connects chips using direct copper-to-copper bonds, which increases density and shortens the lengths of interconnect wiring between chiplets, resulting in improved overall performance, power consumption and cost.
“We view this as a strategic, long-term investment that demonstrates Applied Materials’ commitment to co-developing the industry’s most capable hybrid bonding solution, a technology that is becoming increasingly important to the advanced logic and memory chips at the foundation of AI,” said Terry Lee, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Heterogeneous Integration and Packaging at Applied Materials. “We look forward to furthering our collaboration with Besi and delivering innovative technology to our customers.”
Applied Materials and Besi have co-developed an integrated hybrid bonding system, which has the full capabilities chipmakers need to take the technology to very high-volume manufacturing over the next several years. The system brings together Applied’s expertise in front-end wafer and chip processing with high levels of bonding accuracy and speed from Besi’s leading die placement, interconnect and assembly solutions.
The investment was made through market-based transactions and is not subject to regulatory approvals. Applied does not intend to seek board representation at Besi, nor does it have plans to purchase additional shares of Besi common stock.
Original – Applied Materials
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LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / PROJECTS / SiC / TOP STORIES / WBGFebruary 27, 2025
4 Min ReadSilicon carbide (SiC) provides considerable technical advantages for power electronics – however, the costs are still a drawback. In the »ThinSiCPower« research project, a consortium of Fraunhofer Institutes is developing key technologies to reduce material losses and device thickness while increasing the thermomechanical stability of the assembled SiC chips. The savings achieved are expected to help further accelerate the market development of efficient SiC power electronics.
Power electronics based on the wide-bandgap semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC) are a key enabler for energy-efficient, sustainable and high-performance applications in electromobility – from cars and commercial vehicles to trains, ships and airplanes, in the generation, transportation and storage of renewable energies, as well as for IT and industrial infrastructures. It is therefore an important and competitively relevant factor for the current global transformation processes in the areas of mobility, energy and digitalization. The market for SiC power devices is expected to grow at an annual rate of over 30 percent. Compared to conventional silicon technology, the use of SiC power electronics in a standard drive converter saves more energy than is required to manufacture the SiC power electronics themselves.
While the technological advantages of SiC are obvious due to its physical properties, the higher costs compared to the established silicon are still an obstacle to faster market penetration. Chip costs are more than three times higher than for silicon. The initially required SiC wafer is the biggest cost driver here. In the case of a SiC-based metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), this accounts for more than 40 percent of the manufacturing costs. In addition, due to the unfavorable mechanical material properties and large thickness of the monocrystalline SiC wafer, electronics processed from it only achieve approx. 30 percent of the thermomechanical service life compared to silicon. This disadvantage leads to an approx. 25 percent larger chip area and, in the case of an inverter for example, to around 25 percent higher costs in the application.
In the three-year ThinSiCPower project (2024-2027), funded by the Fraunhofer PREPARE program, researchers are developing an alternative way to produce cost-effective SiC substrates and significantly thinner SiC chips using more resource-efficient processing technologies. Rather than first sawing the expensive, high-quality SiC wafers with the usual material loss and later back-grinding them in device processing, the SiC crystal is separated directly into thinner wafers using a special laser process without any major loss of material, which are then bonded onto an inexpensive carrier substrate based on polycrystalline SiC.
Fraunhofer ISE, ENAS and IWM with the Fraunhofer IISB as project coordinator are pooling their individual competencies in ThinSiCPower. A SiC coating technology developed by Fraunhofer IISB is being adapted for the manufacturing of the poly-SiC carrier substrates, which is more cost- and resource-efficient than the conventional manufacturing method using chemical vapor deposition. The low-loss separation of the thin SiC wafers is carried out using a laser for defined mechanical pre-damage (Fraunhofer ISE) and subsequent separation under well-defined mechanical conditions for controlled crack propagation (Fraunhofer IWM).
The wafer bonding process for the poly-SiC substrate with the split SiC, including the necessary surface preparation before and after the bonding process, will be developed at Fraunhofer ENAS, while the subsequent device processing and qualification will take place at Fraunhofer IISB. The partners are also developing adapted electrical test methods at thin wafer level as well as physics-of-failure simulation models to maximize the market acceptance of this new class of low-cost SiC substrates. With this, a broad applicability in the relevant industries could be achieved.
The aim is to reduce SiC device costs by 25 percent by developing technology for the production of costeffective thin SiC wafers and poly-SiC substrates. In addition, SiC design costs are to be reduced by further 25 percent by increasing the load cycle stability by 300 percent. The target markets are semiconductor and power module manufacturers as well as their process and equipment suppliers through to test equipment suppliers. With this project, the participating partner institutes are also combining their expertise to set up a complete, highly innovative and future-oriented SiC processing line within the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD). The consortium is receiving consultancy support directly from partners in industry.
The ThinSiCPower project not only accelerates the market penetration of silicon carbide through the targeted cost reduction and conceptual advantages, but also serves to secure an innovative, resilient and industry relevant SiC technology value chain in Germany and Europe.
Original – Fraunhofer IISB
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The European Commission approved funding under the European Chips Act for the Infineon Technologies AG Smart Power Fab in Dresden. The official funding approval from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), which is responsible for the disbursement of EU Chips Act funding, is still pending and is expected within the next few months.
Additionally, the Smart Power Fab is already receiving support under the European Commission’s IPCEI ME/CT (“Important Project of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies”) innovation program. The total funding for the Dresden site amounts to around one billion euros. Construction began in March 2023 and is progressing successfully. The Fab opening is planned for 2026.
“This government-supported investment by Infineon strengthens the position of Dresden, Germany and Europe as a semiconductor hub and promotes a state-of-the-art innovation and production ecosystem for microelectronics,” says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. “We are increasing semiconductor capacity in Europe and thus helping secure stable supply chains in automotive, security and industrial fields.”
Infineon is investing a total of five billion euros in the expansion of its Dresden site. The German federal government previously approved the early start of the project. The new development will create up to 1,000 new jobs, not including the additional jobs created in the ecosystem of the investment. Experts assume a positive job effect of 1:6. The core of the Smart Power Fab will focus on technologies that further accelerate decarbonization and digitalization for example by driving energy-efficient power solutions for Artificial Intelligence.
In addition to the funding for the expansion of manufacturing in Dresden, Infineon is also leveraging the IPCEI ME/CT innovation program to drive investments in research and development at other corporate locations. Between 2022 and 2027 Infineon will have invested 2.3 billion euros in innovation projects at its sites in Germany and Austria, concentrated in the fields of power electronics, analog/mixed-signal technologies, sensor technologies and radio frequency applications.
As part of the EU funding programs, Infineon is furthermore planning comprehensive measures to promote partnership between science and industry. A central element is close collaboration with European universities, research institutions and start-ups. Infineon offers talented young individuals a platform for developing and advancing sustainable innovations. These activities promote the hands-on application of scientific knowledge and strengthen Europe’s position as an innovation hub.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation will begin developing a prototype to demonstrate a junction-temperature estimation technology for power modules, which it is pursuing as a partner in the European Union’s Horizon Europe project aimed at developing advanced power modules and improving cost efficiency of renewable-energy power-generation.
The company is participating through its European subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe B.V., which has joined the project, called Flagship Advanced Solutions for Condition and Health Monitoring in Power Electronics (FLAGCHIP).
In the global effort to expand the introduction of renewable energy to support carbon neutrality, the need to upgrade the reliability and maintenance of electronic devices for power conversion has become increasingly important. In particular, attention is being focused on technological innovations aimed at strengthening power module reliability and improving data acquisition and analysis methods to accurately determine degradation conditions in order to carry facilitate more timely maintenance.
The FLAGCHIP project currently involves 11 companies and academic institutions from nine European countries engaged in developing advanced power modules, condition and health monitoring technologies, and devising methods for calculating cost efficiency of renewable-energy power-generation systems and reducing associated costs. Demonstrations of wind-power and solar-power generation systems using these technologies and methods will be conducted at test facilities owned by project partners in Norway and France.
Mitsubishi Electric will be in charge of demonstrating a technology that estimates the junction temperature of silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC-MOSFET) semiconductor chips inside the power module, which will provide necessary data for accurately estimating module degradation.
Starting in October 2026, the demonstration will use the newly developed prototype at a test facility in France where direct current (DC) voltage is converted to a specific DC voltage for a wind-power generation system.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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onsemi has unveiled plans to acquire Qorvo’s Silicon Carbide (SiC) JFET business, a strategic move that enhances its portfolio in high- and mid-voltage power semiconductors. The $115 million deal includes Qorvo’s United Silicon Carbide subsidiary and is expected to close in Q1 2025. This acquisition is projected to expand onsemi’s market opportunity by $1.3 billion by 2030, focusing on AI, data centers, EVs, and industrial markets. By leveraging its vertically integrated SiC supply chain, onsemi aims to boost efficiency, profitability, and innovation across key technology areas.
SiC JFET technology offers superior power efficiency, reduced costs, and versatility in advanced applications, including EV battery systems, AI-driven data centers, and renewable energy solutions. It promises to disrupt traditional silicon-based and GaN technologies, with its superior switching speed, lower on-resistance, and smaller die size. This acquisition positions onsemi to capitalize on the growing demand for sustainable, high-performance power solutions in a wide range of industries.
Moreover, SiC JFETs are designed to enable transformative advancements in industrial applications such as power supplies, solar power converters, and energy storage systems. These innovations align with market trends emphasizing higher efficiency and reliability. The technology also offers critical advantages in EV battery safety, ensuring quicker response and long-term dependability through solid-state switches that surpass conventional electromechanical solutions.
By integrating Qorvo’s business, onsemi also strengthens its presence in the competitive AI and data center markets. The shift to higher voltages and power capacities in these areas provides a unique opportunity for SiC JFETs to reduce costs and improve performance, establishing onsemi as a leader in next-generation semiconductor solutions.
Original – onsemi
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ROHM and TSMC have entered a strategic partnership on development and volume production of gallium nitride (GaN) power devices for electric vehicle applications.
The partnership will integrate ROHM’s device development technology with TSMC’s industry-leading GaN-on-silicon process technology to meet the growing demand for superior high-voltage and high-frequency properties over silicon for power devices.
GaN power devices are currently used in consumer and industrial applications such as AC adapters and server power supplies. TSMC, a leader in sustainability and green manufacturing, supports GaN technology for its potential environmental benefits in automotive applications, such as on-board chargers and inverters for electric vehicles (EVs).
The partnership builds on ROHM and TSMC’s history of collaboration in GaN power devices. In 2023, ROHM adopted TSMC’s 650V GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMT), whose process is increasingly being used in consumer and industrial devices as part of ROHM’s EcoGaN™ series, including the 45W AC adapter (fast charger) “C4 Duo” produced by Innergie, a brand of Delta Electronics, Inc.
“GaN devices, capable of high-frequency operation, are highly anticipated for their contribution to miniaturization and energy savings, which can help achieve a decarbonized society. Reliable partners are crucial for implementing these innovations in society, and we are pleased to collaborate with TSMC, which possesses world-leading advanced manufacturing technology” said Katsumi Azuma, Member of the Board and Senior Managing Executive Officer at ROHM. “In addition to this partnership, by providing user-friendly GaN solutions that include control ICs to maximize GaN performance, we aim to promote the adoption of GaN in the automotive industry.”
“As we move forward with the next generations of our GaN process technology, TSMC and ROHM are extending our partnership to the development and production of GaN power devices for automotive applications,” said Chien-Hsin Lee, Senior Director of Specialty Technology Business Development at TSMC. “By combining TSMC’s expertise in semiconductor manufacturing with ROHM’s proficiency in power device design, we strive to push the boundaries of GaN technology and its implementation for EVs.”
Original – ROHM
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VisIC Technologies announced a new partnership aimed at advancing high-efficiency GaN inverter technology for the EV market. This collaboration will provide automotive OEMs with power semiconductors that exceed silicon carbide (SiC) performance, while offering lower costs at device and system level.
In a recent test conducted at AVL’s state-of-the-art facilities in Germany, an inverter based on VisIC’s GaN-on-Silicon D³GaN components proved an outstanding performance. Mounted on AVL’s e-motor test bench and controlled by AVLs SOP eDrive controls algorithm, the system achieved a benchmark efficiency level of 99.67% at 10kHz, stunningly climbing to over 99.8% efficiency at 5kHz — which outperforms comparable SiC inverters by up to 0.5% and is cutting energy losses by more than 60%.
This breakthrough positions the AVL and VisIC partnership as a compelling option for automakers striving to balance high efficiency with affordability in EV design. It is worth noting that VisIC’s GaN-on-Silicon power devices require significantly less energy and therefore CO2 during the chip production process compared to SiC. They can be produced in widespread 200mm and 300mm silicon foundries, which makes scaling production a straightforward process.
“With AVL, we’re making cutting-edge GaN inverter technology accessible for even more electric vehicles, establishing a new benchmark for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the industry,” said Gregory Bunin, CTO of VisIC Technologies. “Our partnership reflects a shared commitment to driving EV innovation that’s both impactful and accessible, bringing GaN’s unparalleled performance to a broader market.”
“Working with VisICs new GaN power module for high-power systems enables us to offer our customers cutting-edge solutions that are optimally aligned with the requirements of next-generation drive systems. These include, among other things, high power density combined with reduced overall system costs,” added Dr. Thomas Frey, Head of Segment E-Mobility & E-Drive System at AVL Software and Functions GmbH. “Together, we can significantly advance e-mobility and help reduce the carbon footprint.”
Looking ahead, AVL and VisIC plan to expand their GaN-on-Si platform to include 800V GaN power modules, ensuring that their technology remains scalable and adaptable to the needs of the growing BEV market. This collaboration places AVL and VisIC Technologies at the forefront of GaN inverter technology, establishing new standards for energy efficiency and performance across the EV industry.
Original – VisIC Technologies
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GlobalFoundries has received an additional $9.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to advance the manufacturing of GF’s essential gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont.
The funding moves GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips. With the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures, GaN chip technology is essential for enabling higher performance and greater energy efficiency across a range of RF and high-power control applications including automobiles, datacenter, IoT, aerospace and defense.
With the award, GF will continue to add new tools, equipment and prototyping capabilities to its market-leading GaN IP portfolio and reliability testing as the company moves closer to full-scale manufacturing of its 200mm GaN chips in Vermont. GF is committed to creating a fast and efficient path for customers to realize new innovative designs and products that leverage the unique efficiency and power management benefits of GaN chip technology.
“GF is proud of its leadership in GaN chip technology, which is positioned to make game-changing advances across multiple end-markets and enable new generations of devices with more energy-efficient RF performance and faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of IoT and aerospace and defense at GF. “We appreciate the U.S. government’s partnership and ongoing support of our GaN program. Realizing full-scale GaN chip manufacturing will be a catalyst for innovation, for both our commercial and government partners, and will add resilience and strengthen the semiconductor supply chain.”
The new funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), represents the latest federal investment to support GF’s GaN program in Vermont.
“This strategic investment in critical technologies strengthens our domestic ecosystem and national security, and ensures these assets are readily available and secure for DoD utilization. In concert with key partners, this approach fortifies defense systems, empowering resilience and responsiveness,” said Dr. Nicholas Martin, Director at Defense Microelectronics Activity.
In total, including the new award, GF has received more than $80 million since 2020 from the U.S. government to support research, development and advancements to pave the way to full-scale GaN chip manufacturing.
Vermont is a U.S.-accredited Trusted Foundry and the global hub of GF’s GaN program, with longstanding leadership in 200mm semiconductor manufacturing. In July 2024, GF acquired Tagore Technology’s Gallium Nitride Power portfolio and created the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India. The center is closely aligned with and supports GF’s facility in Vermont, and is helping advance GF’s research, development and leadership in GaN chip manufacturing.
Original – GlobalFoundries
