News: Microelectronics
3 January 2024
South Korea’s Key Foundry changes name to SK keyfoundry
Following shareholder approval, Key Foundry of Cheongju, South Korea — which provides specialty analog and mixed-signal foundry services on 8-inch wafers for consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial applications — has changed its corporate name to SK keyfoundry.
Spun off from Magnachip Semiconductor in September 2020, Key Foundry became a subsidiary of SK hynix in August 2022. As part of the post-merger integration, the new name aims for business continuity with existing customers.
With a capacity of about 100,000 wafers per month, SK keyfoundry mostly produces mixed-signal & analog chips, including display driver ICs (DDI), micro-controller units (MCU) and 8-inch wafer-based power ICs, suitable for small-quantity production of diverse products. In particular, there has recently been growing demand for 100V-or-higher BCD (bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) in the power IC market to achieve high-speed electric power delivery and high power efficiency. As a provider of HV BCD foundry processes, SK keyfoundry has therefore been positioning itself in the global power IC market for automotive and industrial applications. In addition, for continuity in supplying next-generation power semiconductor devices, the firm has begun process development for gallium nitride (GaN), and is also reviewing the development of silicon carbide (SiC).
SK keyfoundry will work hard to gain more ground in the 8-inch foundry market by actively engaging in the market of power ICs for automotive,” says CEO Derek D. Lee.
SK keyfoundry also recently reorganized its internal structure, aiming to secure new customers by improving its sales networks in the USA and China and by providing differentiated foundry process development.
