3 September 2018

X-FAB doubles 6-inch SiC foundry capacity at Lubbock fab

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In response to increased customer demand for high-efficiency power semiconductor devices, analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE of Erfurt, Germany plans to double the 6-inch silicon carbide (SiC) process capacity at its fab in Lubbock, TX, USA.

In preparation for manufacturing 6-inch SiC wafers, X-FAB Texas has purchased a second heated ion implanter, for delivery by the end of 2018 and production release in first-quarter 2019 (in time to meet projected near-term demand).

Claiming to have been the first wafer foundry to offer SiC manufacturing on 6-inch wafers, X-FAB says that its doubling in SiC process capacity demonstrates its commitment to SiC technology and the SiC foundry business model.

X-FAB says that advantages of its 6-inch SiC process capabilities for power semiconductors include superior high-voltage operation, significantly lower transistor on-resistance, much lower transmission and switching losses, extended high-temperature operation (as high as 400°F/204°C), higher thermal conductivity, very high-frequency operation, and lower parasitic capacitance. The firm’s SiC process capabilities allow customers to realize high-efficiency power semiconductor devices including high-power MOSFETs, JFETs and Schottky diodes.

Systems with SiC power devices benefit from reduced system size and weight, notes X-FAB. Also, because they dissipate less heat, they are significantly more efficient compared with similar power semiconductor technologies. These features are important for switching power supplies and power converters found in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines and solar converters. High-temperature operation improves reliability, especially in hot industrial applications such as aircraft, EV racecars, and train locomotives. Reduced system size and weight is important in portable medical equipment and hybrid EVs (PHEVs).

“With the rising popularity of SiC we understood, early on, that increasing our ion implant capability would be critical to our continued manufacturing success in the SiC marketplace,” says X-FAB Texas’ CEO Lloyd Whetzel. “This is just the first step in our overall capital plan for SiC-specific manufacturing process improvements. This step also enables X-FAB to demonstrate our commitment to the SiC industry.”

X-FAB's 6-inch SiC process capabilities are available at its Lubbock, Texas manufacturing site, which is certified for automotive manufacturing according to the new IATF-16949:2016 International Automotive Quality Management System (QMS).

The firm is exhibiting in booth C8 at the European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ECSCRM 2018) in Birmingham, UK (2-6 September).

See related items:

Monolith relocates from New York to Texas following X-FAB partnership

Monolith and X-FAB partner on SiC power diode and MOSFET production

Tags: SiC MOSFET SiC Schottky barrier diodes SiC power devices

Visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/ecscrm2018

Visit: www.xfab.com