Silicon wafer manufacturers aggressively expand the production of third-generation semiconductors to compete for tickets to the next generation of electric vehicles.

According to Taiwanese media reports, the semiconductor silicon wafer factory announced on the 22nd that it will start expanding the production of third-generation semiconductors, GaN (gallium nitride) and SiC (silicon carbide) next year.

Specifically, for SiC, the company will further extend the SiC production process next year; at the same time, it plans to expand the production capacity of SiC wafers in the United States, and plans to introduce equipment in January, and the new production capacity has been snapped up by customers.

Global Crystal revealed that if the future market demand is clear and the company's mass production is smooth, it plans to shift the current Hsinchu 6-inch silicon wafer plant to the production of third-generation semiconductors, when the plant's annual production capacity of SiC wafers can reach 1 million.

On the other hand, the wafer foundry also did not miss the opportunity of the third generation semiconductors.

Leading TSMC has invested in GaN for many years and has provided 6-inch wafer foundry services in small quantities. At the same time, for the automotive field, the company has also cooperated with Italian Semiconductor to develop the GaN process, while Navitas (GaN consumer market leader), GaN Systems and other manufacturers have also invested in TSMC to produce high-voltage power semiconductor devices.

In the world's advanced 8-inch GaN on Si research and development, more than 10 customers have carried out product design. Taiwan Electronic Times pointed out that the reliability and yield of this technology are close to the stage of mass production.

The vast space brought by new energy will become a "ticket".

Behind the competition among all parties to enter the bureau is the vast incremental space brought by new energy vehicles.

One is the new energy vehicle itself. Chen Dongpo, deputy general manager of San'an Optoelectronics, predicts that in 2023-2024, 80-90% or even 100% of long-range models will be imported into SiC devices (see Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily for details: EMU drivers call for a stronger device SiC is expected to be fully introduced into IGBT or replaced? );

The second is the high voltage fast charging platform. SiC can meet the requirements of 800V voltage platform and has the potential to further expand to 1200V voltage platform. At present, automobile companies start to build 800V high-voltage platforms from IGBT, replacing silicon-based IGBT with SiC devices (see Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily for details: the important development path of electric vehicles: high-voltage fast charging national standards to speed up the development of this part may become the "biggest winner").

It is precisely because of the vigorous demand brought by new energy and the low base of superimposed third-generation semiconductors, Global Crystal believes that with the increase of multi-parties and a substantial increase in industry production capacity, market supply and demand will remain healthy in the future. And the overall growth of semiconductors next year will be greater than this year, including the third generation semiconductors.

It is worth noting that from the actions of large manufacturers such as Roma, on Somei, and TSMC, they are trying their best to extend upstream, into the epitaxial wafer, the substrate (the material used for the epitaxial wafer), and so on.

Why?

As the ring spherulite stressed on the 22nd, the main bottleneck of the third generation semiconductors is the epitaxial wafer. Gong Ruijiao, an analyst at Jibang Consulting compound Semiconductor, also pointed out a few days ago that due to the high value ratio, supply chain, technology and patent barriers, the substrate is the key constraint point for SiC wafer production capacity, and the acquisition of SiC substrate resources in the future will become an entry ticket into the next generation of electric vehicle power devices.