News: Microelectronics
25 October 2023
onsemi completes expansion of silicon carbide fab in South Korea
Power semiconductor IC supplier onsemi of Phoenix, AZ, USA has completed expansion of its silicon carbide (SiC) fabrication facility in Bucheon, South Korea (claimed to be the world’s largest SiC wafer fabrication plant). At full capacity, the plant will be able to manufacture more than 1 million 200mm SiC wafers per year. To support the ramp in SiC manufacturing capacity, onsemi plans to hire up to 1000 local employees over the next three years to fill the mostly highly technical positions – a more than 40% increase over the present workforce of about 2300.
Silicon carbide devices are a critical component for power conversion in electric vehicles (EVs), energy infrastructure and high-power EV chargers. The rapidly growing demand for these products has created a surge in demand for SiC chips, with demand outpacing supply for the foreseeable future. The expansion of the Bucheon fab addresses the pressing need for additional production capacity, allowing onsemi to continue to provide supply assurance for its customers and strengthen its position in intelligent power solutions.
Construction of the new 150mm/200mm SiC fab line along with the utility building and adjacent parking garage began in mid-2022 and was completed this September. Expansion of the 150mm/200mm SiC epi and wafer fab emphasizes onsemi’s focus on building out its vertically integrated silicon carbide manufacturing supply chain at brownfield locations. The Bucheon SiC line is starting with the production of 150mm wafers and will be converted to 200mm in 2025 upon qualification of the 200mm SiC process.
onsemi’s leadership was joined by a delegation of dignitaries led by Vice Governor for Economy of the Gyeonggi-Do Taeyoung Yeom; followed by Bucheon City Mayor YongEek Cho; National Assembly delegates; and Bucheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman JongHuem Kim. Also in attendance were representatives from and the semiconductor industry.
“The 150mm/200mm SiC wafer fab in Bucheon is critical to the continued success of our fully integrated SiC supply chain, enabling us to support the acceleration of electrification globally,” says onsemi’s CEO Hassane El-Khoury. “The last five years have shown what extraordinary performance our Bucheon team is capable of, and what we can achieve when we work together with governmental agencies,” he adds.
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