News: Suppliers
18 September 2023
GlobiTech selects Aixtron’s G10-SiC CVD system for expansion into silicon carbide market
Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany says that it is supporting GlobiTech Inc of Sherman, TX, USA, one of the world’s largest silicon-epitaxy foundries, to expand its business into silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxy.
The new G10-SiC chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system has enabled GlobiTech to quickly ramp its SiC epitaxy production into high volume to address the increasing demand for power epiwafers. Aixtron says that selection of the G10-SiC means a future-proof investment based on dual wafer-size configuration of 9x150mm and 6x200mm and what is claimed to be the highest throughput per fab space available in the SiC industry.
Picture: The G10-SiC offers a dual wafer-size configuration of 9x150mm and 6x200mm.
Officially introduced in September 2022, Aixtron claims that the G10-SiC has become the tool of record for both 150mm and 200mm SiC device makers as well as foundries like GlobiTech, the subsidiary of GlobalWafers Co Ltd, which manufactures silicon carbide and silicon epiwafers focused on power and electric vehicle (EV) market segments. GlobalWafers has 17 manufacturing and operation sites in nine countries, including a 200mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer factory in St. Peters, Missouri, and is in the process of a 300mm SOI expansion to address burgeoning radio-frequency (RF) applications.
“When one of the largest manufacturers and foundries like GlobiTech diversifies its business, it is a clear signal of a long-lasting trend in the semiconductor industry: conventional silicon is being replaced by silicon carbide in an ever-increasing number of applications,” says Aixtron’s CEO & president Dr Felix Grawert. GlobiTech choice of the G10-SiC as an enabler of its transition into the emerging SiC market “confirms our overall strategy and the prospects for further growth,” he believes.
GlobiTech is already in high-volume production using both the G5WW C and G10-SiC Aixtron systems, with continued installation capacity over the next years. Modeled after the silicon business, GlobiTech supplies both SiC substrates and SiC epitaxy to the market.
“In Aixtron, we have found a strong partner supporting us in our vision and plans to expand our business into the SiC epitaxy market – an important step as SiC technology is one of the fastest-growing semiconductor sectors,” comments GlobalWafers’ president Mark England. “Aixtron tools allow us to get the most wafers out of our current fab. And Aixtron’s team understands what it takes to compete against silicon to grow this market while offering great customer support and service,” he adds.
The G10-SiC is claimed to be the first SiC epitaxy tool on the market that enables high-volume production of SiC epiwafers. Since the G10-SiC offers both 9x150mm and 6x200mm batch configurations, it is reckoned to be instrumental for a market rapidly transitioning from 6-inch (150mm) to 8-inch (200 mm) wafer diameters. The new platform is built around Aixtron’s proven automated wafer cassette-to-cassette loading solution with high-temperature wafer transfer. Combined with high-growth-rate process capabilities, the G10-SiC provides what is claimed to be best-in-class wafer throughput, excellent epiwafer performance in terms of quality and uniformity, and the best throughput per square meter of fab space, yielding the lowest cost of ownership in the market. It is estimated that in 2023 the new G10-SiC will become Aixtron’s top-selling product.
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