News: Microelectronics
1 December 2021
Soitec and Mersen partner to develop poly-SiC substrates for EV market
Engineered substrate manufacturer Soitec of Bernin, near Grenoble, and Mersen of Courbevoie, France, which focuses on electrical specialties and advanced materials, have entered into a strategic technical partnership to develop a new family of polycrystalline silicon carbide (poly-SiC) substrates for the electric vehicle (EV) market.
Due to their respective experience in substrates and materials, the joint development by Soitec and Mersen of very low-electrical-resistivity poly-SiC substrates should optimize SiC power electronics components based on Soitec’s SmartSiC technology. The collaboration between the Mersen teams in Gennevilliers and the Soitec teams in Bernin and Grenoble will strengthen this development project. The teams will also be able to benefit from the expertise of the Soitec Substrate Innovation Center within CEA-Leti to validate the progress made in the industrialization process.
“By further pooling our materials and semiconductor expertise, we are able to produce substrates with very advanced performance,” reckons Soitec’s chief technology officer Christophe Maleville. “The results are compatible with our SmartSiC technology, and also exceed the specifications of our customers, which are the SiC power electronic circuit foundries. With its very low electrical resistivity, the poly-SiC substrate becomes a key element of our technology, and can vastly improve energy efficiency, thus making electric vehicles more efficient,” he adds.
“This partnership demonstrates Mersen’s polycrystalline SiC expertise and our ability to develop a custom-design product compatible with Soitec’s technology,” says Mersen’s CEO Luc Themelin. “Thanks to this strengthened partnership, we will be able to offer the electronics industry a high-performance, cost-effective substrate for the production of power semiconductors, especially for the electric vehicle market.”
Soitec acquires NOVASiC to aid industrialization of SmartSiC for automotive and industrial markets
