For the first time, Infineon can produce certain semiconductors on 300-millimeter-wide disks. This should make the components, which are used in chargers, among other things, cheaper.
A breakthrough in the production of gallium nitride-based semiconductors is expected to bring Infineon enormous cost advantages in the production of components in the coming years. Specifically, the company from Neubiberg near Munich has succeeded in producing the material on 300-millimeter wafers – according to its own statements, it is the first company in the world to do so. Infineon is now hoping for solid growth in these components, which are important for chargers, among other things, but also play a role in AI servers, solar systems and electromobility.
“This technological breakthrough will change the industry,” says Infineon CEO Jochen Hanebeck. “So far, we are the only ones who can produce gallium nitride (GaN) on 300-millimeter wafers.” Some competitors are still producing on 150 millimeters “and want to go to 200 millimeters, where we already are,” he says. The difference is greater than it seems at first glance: 2.3 times as many semiconductors can be produced from a 300-millimeter wafer than from a 200-millimeter wafer.
Potential for cost reductions
“300-millimeter production opens up new dimensions in productivity and therefore in costs,” emphasizes Hanebeck. “We also benefit from the fact that we can run the larger GaN wafers on the existing silicon systems after a few specific steps. This means we benefit from the productivity that has been built up there over decades.”
GaN market prices will converge with silicon prices in the coming years, says Hanebeck. The larger wafers will accelerate this trend and encourage the use of GaN. “This will help to increase the market for this material, and we expect to have a decent share of it.”
The production, which will be ramped up in the coming years, will be based at the Austrian site in Villach, where the development also took place. Hanebeck also explains why the new development was not easy: “The gallium nitride grows on a classic silicon wafer. The difficulty is that the two materials do not actually fit together in terms of their crystal structure – and the larger the wafer, the higher the voltage. For a 300 millimeter wafer, that corresponds to four elephants on a one-cent coin.”
Source: Stern
