Tag Archive for: Wafer

Ascatron raising founds & partnering with Pilegrowth Tech

Ascatron signed an investment agreement with the Italian investors Quadrivio (through its venture capital fund TTVenture) and Como Venture, which now has been executed.

Quadrivio and Como Venture together received 16.7% share in Ascatron. Their aim is to continue to actively support Ascatron in order to create a leading industrial group for next generation power semiconductors based on wide bandgap material such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). The market is growing rapidly with an annual growth rate of 54% to reach US$ 2.0B in 2020.

“This is a first investment from international investors in Ascatron and we are very pleased to having Quadrivio and Como Venture taking lead on our current A-round fund raising”, says Christian Vieider, CEO of Ascatron.

“The money will be used to bring the Buried Grid technology for next generation high performance SiC Power electronic devices to the market”.

As part of the agreement Ascatron aquired 28.8 % of the shares in PileGrowth Tech, an Italian start-up company based in Milan. Pilegrowth has developed an innovative process for growing different semiconductor materials such as SiC on silicon. The material technology enable Ascatron to also address volume consumer markets with very competitive devices.

“The development of MOSFET transistors based on cubic SiC grown on silicon is an exciting challenge with potential to compete in the 300-1000V market with other semiconductors such as GaN”, according to Adolf Schöner, CTO of Ascatron.

About Ascatron

Ascatron develops next generation Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors radically reducing electrical conversion losses. With the 3DSiC® technology Ascatron provides the active doping structure based on epitaxy, enabling material quality and device performance unattainable through current methods. Ascatron fabricates the epitaxial material in-house and outsources processing of device wafers and chip packaging. Prototype fabrication is done in the Electrum Laboratory in Kista-Stockholm. Target applications range from high temperature for harsh environment to high voltage for wind, traction and data centers mass, as well as volume markets for solar and automotive. Ascatron started the operation in 2011 as a spin-out from the research institute Acreo, and has 10 employees in Sweden.

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Alpha & Omega moving to 12 inch manufacturing capacity

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited, a designer, developer and global supplier of a broad range of power semiconductors and power ICs, today announced that it has entered into a preliminary agreement with the state authority of Chongqing, China, to form a joint venture for a new state-of-the-art power semiconductor manufacturing facility in the Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing.

Under the proposed agreement, the initial capitalization of the joint venture is expected to be approximately $300 million. The Chongqing authority would own 49% of the venture’s equity and invest in cash. AOS would own 51% of the equity and contribute primarily its existing assembly and testing equipment as well as certain intellectual property related to the operation of the facility.

“We are excited that this joint venture with the authority of Chongqing offers the prospect of creating new competitive advantages that can fuel growth for both Chongqing and AOS,” said Dr. Mike Chang, chairman and CEO of AOS.

“We expect the venture to deliver significant cost savings for AOS and allow us to reduce our tangible assets as well as drive meaningful improvements in working capital and capital expenditures. We believe this partnership will open doors to new customers and expand our sales in China, and particularly in the Chongqing area. The venture represents an important step in our continuing strategy to improve long-term profitability by accelerating growth, reducing costs, and diversifying our offerings of power semiconductor products.”

The joint venture is expected to begin manufacturing operations in 2017. AOS will gradually move its assembly and testing equipment from the company’s existing facility in Shanghai to the lower-cost Chongqing region. We expect our AOS Shanghai will continue as a company’s supply chain management center and technology center for high-value products. At a later date, the joint venture expects to construct a 12-inch fabrication facility that is suited for the production of power semiconductors.

The parties are negotiating a definitive joint venture agreement setting forth in more detail the financial and business terms, as well as the timeline, of the proposed project, which is expected to be a multi-year commitment divided into several stages. The execution of the joint venture agreement will be subject to various conditions, including the relevant government agency review and approval.

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Dynex opening 8 inch IGBT wafer fab in China

Dynex headquarter

Dynex headquarter

Dynex Semiconductor today announced that its parent company, Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric Co Ltd. held a ceremony at its facility in China to mark the opening of a new $240 million IGBT production base in Zhuzhou. The new production base, the first of its kind in China, and the second worldwide, will produce high-power IGBT chips and modules using 8-inch silicon. Annual output of the first phase of this new production line is expected to reach 120,000 wafers and 1 million pieces of IGBT modules. This IGBT line is being operated by the newly formed Semiconductor Business Unit of CSR Times Electric, of which Dynex is the European subsidiary.

 The technology being used in the new facility has been developed at Lincoln in the UK by the multinational CSR Zhuzhou R&D Center based at Dynex Semiconductor Ltd. The UK R&D centre was established in 2010 to focus on leading edge power semiconductor technology and specifically the next generation of IGBT products. CSR began construction of the new 8-inch production line in May 2012. Throughout the build, equipment installation and commissioning Dynex has played a leading role in providing technical advice, support and staff training both in Lincoln and in China.

 The IGBT is the key component in today’s energy efficient electric energy conversion systems used in electric locomotives, metros, electric and hybrid electric vehicles, electric power grids and renewable energy plants. Using the latest silicon wafer fabrication equipment and the latest process technologies, the new line will initially produce high power modules using the latest soft punch through field stop and trench technologies.

 Dr Paul Taylor, President and CEO of Dynex Commented:

“Since the acquisition of Dynex by CSR Times Electric in 2008 there has been a rapid development in our IGBT capability. We began with 4-inch wafers, then up graded to 6-inch at our plant in Lincoln. We then extended our technology to support the design of this new facility. It complements our base in the UK by giving us access to a world leading 8-inch IGBT wafer fabrication facility and a high volume module assembly line”

 “Our rapid development does not stop there “continued Dr Taylor “the new line has been kitted out with the latest equipment, and the next phase of expansion is already being planned. This targets key markets such as electric automotive and renewable energy. So at our UK R&D Center we are already working on designing the next generation of advanced silicon and silicon carbide power devices, and are busy recruiting new staff to expand our multinational research, design and development teams to meet this exciting new challenge”

Source: http://www.powerpulse.net/story.php?storyID=30347

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Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron merge to form Eteris

Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson, left, and Tokyo Electron Chairman and CEO Tetsuro (Terry) Higashi, right, unveil ‘Eteris™,’ the new name of their combined company once the merger is approved, at an event on Monday, July 7, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif.​

Applied Materials, Inc. and Tokyo Electron Limited today unveiled the new name and logo of their combined company which will be used once the merger closes. Derived from the concept of eternal innovation for society, Eteris(TM) [pronounced: eh-TAIR-iss] embodies the spirit of what will drive the new company and speaks to what makes the combination unique.

“The new name for our combined company builds on the strong legacies of Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron, creating something even greater than the sum of the two,” said Tetsuro Higashi, chairman, president and CEO of Tokyo Electron. “At the time we announced our plans to merge, we said this was a bold step forward for our industry. The name Eteris demonstrates our commitment to a new and exciting future for our company to create and enable technology innovations that improve the way people live.”

“Eteris is innovative and forward-looking and our logo symbolizes expanding future opportunities driving a new era of innovation and growth,” said Gary Dickerson, president and CEO of Applied Materials. “With a new name, mission and vision, we are bringing our new company into focus so that we can move quickly, execute our combined strategy and begin to create value as soon as the merger closes.”

Eteris captures the company’s focus on innovations that will enable its customers and move the industry forward. Core to Eteris is the promise to leave a positive and lasting impact on the world. Paired with the name is a bold logo that celebrates Eteris‘ role in realizing the incredible possibility of technology. At the heart of the mark, the bright green square symbolizes the energy of the new company, the power of its technology and the foundation of innovation it provides to enable customer success. From the green foundation, bright colors and new dimensions expand, representing the many innovations Eteris will make possible every day. The logo represents expanding future opportunities that drive new innovation and growth.

 The unveiling of the new company’s name and logo are the latest milestones in the merger’s progress. Last month the stockholders of Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron declared strong support for the combination. Approximately 99% of the shares voting at the Applied Materials stockholder meeting and 95% of the shares voting at the Tokyo Electron stockholder meeting voted to adopt the proposed business combination. These results underscore the value the combination brings to stockholders.

 The closing of the business combination remains subject to customary conditions set forth in the parties’ Business Combination Agreement, including review by regulators in various countries. Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2014.

 Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those regarding the proposed business combination between Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron (the “Business Combination”) and the future performance of their combined businesses. Forward-looking statements may contain words such as “expect,” “believe,” “may,” “can,” “should,” “will,” “forecast,” “anticipate” or similar expressions, and include the assumptions that underlie such statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the ability of the parties to consummate the Business Combination in a timely manner or at all; satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the Business Combination, including the ability to secure regulatory approvals in a timely manner or at all; Applied Materials’ and Tokyo Electron’s ability to successfully integrate their operations, product lines, corporate structures, transfer pricing policies, technology and employees and realize expected synergies, savings and growth; the level of demand for the combined companies’ products, which is subject to many factors, including uncertain global economic and industry conditions, demand for electronic products and semiconductors, and customers’ new technology and capacity requirements; Applied Materials‘ and Tokyo Electron’s ability to (i) develop, deliver and support a broad range of products, expand their markets and develop new markets, (ii) timely align their cost structures with business conditions, and (iii) attract, motivate and retain key employees; and other risks described in  Applied Materials’ filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission, Tokyo Electron’s filings with the Financial Services Agency of Japan, and the registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC by TEL-Applied Holdings B.V. and declared effective on May 13, 2014. All forward-looking statements are based on management’s estimates, projections and assumptions as of the date hereof. Except as required under applicable law, none of Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron or TEL-Applied Holdings undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

 About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in precision materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic industries. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

 About Tokyo Electron

Tokyo Electron Limited (TSE: 8035), established in 1963, is a global supplier of semiconductor and flat panel display production equipment, and a provider of technical support and services for semiconductor, flat panel display and photovoltaic panel production equipment worldwide. TEL has located research & development, manufacturing, sales, and service locations all over the world. http://www.tel.com

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BASiC 3C awarded 250k$ to develop low cost 3C SiC wafers

Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced the Advanced Industry Accelerator Grant Program grantees.

 BASiC 3C is developing cost effective cubic Silicon Carbide (3C-SiC) wafers produced in Colorado for power device manufacturers. While SiC is becoming the material of choice over Silicon (Si) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) for middle to high-end power device development, the traditional “4H” SiC material continues to experience issues in defects, stress, wafer diameter scaling and costs.

The “HFCVD” from BASiC 3C process for manufacturing 3C Silicon Carbide wafers is a breakthrough technology that enables a new generation of power devices for existing and new markets.The patented technology delivers 3C-SiC substrates which enable price/performance leading devices operating at higher voltage, higher power, faster switching speeds and elevated temperatures.

It allows scalable “3C” SiC wafers (4”, 6”, 8” & 12”) with less defects, improved electron mobility that yields lower cost devices with greater performance.

The result is smaller, lighter, efficient electric vehicle power trains and more efficient components in the SmartGrid.

BASiC 3C is backed by Innosphere Rocky mountain incubator.

Sources:

http://www.advancecolorado.com/news/advanced-industries-accelerator-program-awards-almost-2-million-colorado-organizations

http://www.innosphere.org/page.asp?NavID=7

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Enkris Semiconductor shows 1600V breakdown GaN HEMT on 200mm Si wafer

Chinese semiconductor specialist Enkris Semiconductor, Inc. has successfully demonstrated the manufacture of high voltage Gallium Nitride HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) structures on 200mm Silicon (GaN-on-Si) by using an AIXTRON CRIUS® II Close Coupled Showerhead® Reactor.
GaN-on-Si power devices have attracted much attention from both academics and industry recently because of their potential applications in power electronics. Due to the defective nature of heteroepitaxial GaN layers grown on silicon, GaN-on-Si power devices have suffered from high buffer leakage. Most recently, Enkris Semiconductor has produced high voltage GaN HEMT materials on 200mm silicon with excellent uniformity and low buffer leakage combined with excellent thickness uniformity of <0.5% without edge exclusion. Under special conditions the uniformity value can be improved even further.

Enkris-wafer-image

Figure 1 Thickness mapping of 200mm GaN-on-Si wafers

“It has been well accepted that GaN on large size silicon substrates is the most cost-effective way to achieve high volume production of GaN power devices. However, a large wafer bow combined with a high buffer leakage has hindered the further development of the GaN-on-Si technology so far. Our process on 200mm silicon substrates shows that high breakdown voltage (>1600V) GaN power devices with low leakage currently can be achieved with relatively thin buffer layers of 4 µm. They simplify the growth process, minimize the wafer bow and reduce the epi-cost significantly. Based on our processes which were applied on AIXTRON’s CRIUS® system, GaN-on-Si power devices may reach even higher voltages in the near future,” comments Dr. Cheng Kai, co-founder of Enkris.

Enkris-wafer-graphDr. Frank Wischmeyer, Vice President Power Electronics at AIXTRON, says “Enkris‘ remarkable success in achieving excellent layer quality and material properties show the capability of the Closed Coupled Showerhead® technology for high voltage GaN HEMT applications. The MOCVD technology is enabling the integration of wide band-semiconductors on large diameter silicon substrates. AIXTRON is committed to support the power electronics industry advancing toward high volume 200mm GaN-on-Si device manufacturing.”

About Enkris Semiconductor
Enkris Semiconductor, Inc. is located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The company’s main products are GaN epi-wafers for electronics applications including both wireless communications and high voltage power switching devices.

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Infineon: From R&D to production on 300mm power devices

Infineon Technologies AG is expanding its Austrian site in Villach. Core emphasis is the on the expansion of expertise for the manufacturing of the future as well as research and development (R&D). “Pilot Space Industry 4.0” will realize and put to the test an innovative concept for networked and knowledge-intensive production. Research on new materials and technologies will also be intensified. Infineon’s expansion plans foresee investments and research costs amounting to a total of € 290 million, creating approximately 200 new jobs in the period from 2014 to 2017, primarily in R&D.

Peter Schiefer, President of Operations at Infineon Technologies and responsible for the worldwide production sites, explains:

“The continuing development of Villach is a part of our group-wide manufacturing strategy. At the site, important developments will be advanced and production-ready innovative technologies will be transferred by Infineon to other sites. At the same time our strategy will include expansion of our volume manufacturing on 300 millimeter thin wafers in Dresden and on 200 millimeter wafers in Kulim, Malaysia.”

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG, says:

“With the expansion concept Villach is reinforcing its important role as a factory of innovation and a competence center for power electronics within the corporate group. We’re making an important contribution to the success of the company by coupling the innovation factory in Villach with volume production in Dresden using the example of 300 millimeter thin wafer production for power semiconductors.”

Herlitschka added that this move will also develop a unique production cluster in Austria and Germany that is prominently visible throughout Europe.

Industry 4.0 Pilot Space

Infineon will construct a leading-edge building complex for research, production and measurement technology workstations. Logistics, miscellaneous infrastructures and the plant equipment will also be expanded to meet future demand. This will let Infineon mobilize the productivity and automation called for in international competition, while at the same time increasing flexibility.

Infineon has been actively engaged in the Industry 4.0 initiative from the very beginning; its pilot space in Villach is another step towards realizing this vision. Industry 4.0 embodies a paradigm shift in value creation and brings enormous opportunities to European industry. The Infineon Austria project is an important contribution towards increasing European competitive strength. The pilot operation in Villach will feature production based on a cyber-physical system with highly modern production control and automation systems. Under the prerequisite of the highest possible data security and data integrity levels, the interaction of man and machine will attain a new dimension in the pilot facility. At the same time, Infineon will continue to pursue its goal of increased energy efficiency in production.

New Materials and Technologies

A wide-scale research program with innovations in materials, processes, technologies and system expertise is the second pillar of the Villach site expansion, supporting development of the next generation of energy-efficient products. Here the program focuses on the integration of innovative substrates such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide, on MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and sensor technologies as well as on the continuing development of 300 millimeter thin wafer technology.

Regional Expertise

The many years of growth at Infineon Technologies Austria AG have been supported by a tightly knit collaborative network connecting the company, the city of Villach, the Austrian province of Carinthia, the Republic of Austria and European institutions. As a result it has been possible to turn southern Austria into a high-tech region and to contribute to raising the region’s profile and increasing its competitive strength in the sense of “Smart Specialization”. With the “Pilot Space Industry 4.0” project Infineon is taking the next step in development, meaning it will also collaborate even more intensively with research partners, universities, technical institutes and SMEs in the innovation system. Peter Kaiser, Governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, comments: “Carinthia and Infineon are an excellent fit, in terms of Innovation, Investment and Internationality. This Triple-I is the spirit of Carinthia in international competition and also stands exactly for Infineon as one of the internationally successful corporate leaders of our province. Together we’ll write many success stories like ‘Pilot Space Industry 4.0’. Such investments are proof of confidence in reforms and continuing development plans for our attractive, future-oriented business location Austria.”

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