News: Suppliers
16 December 2020
EpiWorld qualifies Aixtron AIX G5 WW C system for production ramp-up
Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany says that its new SiC platform AIX G5 WW C has been qualified by pure-play silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial wafer foundry EpiWorld International Co Ltd (a privately owned joint venture with investors in the USA, Japan and China) for high-volume manufacturing of SiC epitaxy products at its new production side in Xiamen, China. The vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) tool is the latest 8x150mm SiC Planetary Reactor platform from Aixtron.
EpiWorld aims to further expand its production capacity to meet increasing demand from customers. The firm has already completed 4- and 6-inch SiC epiwafer production lines for making 650V, 1200V and 1700V power devices. A recently completed manufacturing center provides space for rapid expansion to 400,000 6-inch epiwafers per year. EpiWorld currently has an annual capacity of over 60,000.
“In recent years, we have been qualified as a leading supplier of SiC epiwafers for power devices by various players in the automotive sector and therefore have a strong footprint in one of the most challenging industries,” says EpiWorld’s general manager Dr Gan Feng. “We rely on Aixtron’s proven system technology and are ready to move into high-volume production of our SiC epitaxial components with the AIX G5 WW C,” he adds.
“The SiC epi reactor in the AIX G5 WW C system of Aixtron combines the performance of a single-wafer system with the cost advantages of a multi-wafer reactor,” comments Feng. “The system guarantees EpiWorld highest throughput in the industry at lowest production cost, while enabling excellent production quality.”
“We are delighted to achieve the important production qualification milestone with one of the leading epi foundries with our new SiC platform to accelerate the further commercialization of silicon carbide,” says Dr Frank Wischmeyer, Aixtron’s VP marketing, Power Electronics. “Our customer EpiWorld is well positioned to address the fast-growing market of SiC power devices in the Chinese automotive industry and beyond,” he believes. “The enlarged production capabilities at EpiWorld will support the development of numerous high-end power electronics applications serving megatrends such as e-mobility or renewable energy.”
China’s EpiWorld expands SiC epi foundry with new Aixtron AIX G5 WW C high-volume deposition system
Aixtron presents next-gen AIX G5 WW C SiC epi production system