News: Microelectronics
31 May 2024
ST to build fully integrated 200mm silicon carbide power device and module plant in Catania
STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland has announced a new high-volume 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing facility for power devices and modules, as well as test & packaging, to be built in Catania, Italy. Combined with the SiC substrate manufacturing facility being readied on the same site, these facilities will form ST’s Silicon Carbide Campus, realizing the firm’s vision of a fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility for the mass production of SiC on one site.
The creation of the new Silicon Carbide Campus is said to be a key milestone to support customers for SiC devices across automotive, industrial and cloud infrastructure applications as they transition to electrification and seek higher efficiency.
“The fully integrated capabilities unlocked by the Silicon Carbide Campus in Catania will contribute significantly to ST’s SiC technology leadership for automotive and industrial customers through the next decades,” reckons president & CEO Jean-Marc Chery. “The scale and synergies offered by this project will enable us to better innovate with high-volume manufacturing capacity, to the benefit of our European and global customers as they transition to electrification and seek more energy-efficient solutions to meet their decarbonization goals.”
The Silicon Carbide Campus will serve as the center of ST’s global SiC ecosystem, integrating all steps in the production flow, including SiC substrate development, epitaxial growth processes, 200mm front-end wafer fabrication and module back-end assembly, as well as process R&D, product design, advanced R&D labs for dies, power systems and modules, and full packaging capabilities. This will achieve what is claimed to be a first of a kind in Europe for the mass production of 200mm SiC wafers, with each step of the process — substrate, epitaxy & front-end, and back-end — using 200mm technologies for enhanced yields and performances.
The new facility is targeted to start production in 2026 and to ramp to full capacity by 2033, with up to 15,000 wafers per week at full build-out. The total investment is expected to be about €5bn, with a support of €2bn provided by the State of Italy within the framework of the EU Chips Act. Sustainable practices are said to be integral to the design, development and operation of the Silicon Carbide Campus to ensure the responsible consumption of resources including water and power.
Catania has long been a key site for innovation for ST as the home of SiC R&D and manufacturing operations. With an established ecosystem for power electronics — including a long-term collaboration between ST and the University of Catania and the CNR (Italian National Research Council), as well as a large network of suppliers — this investment is expected to strengthen Catania’s role as a global competence center for SiC technology and for further growth opportunities.
ST manufactures its flagship high-volume SiC products on two 150mm wafer lines in Catania (Italy) and Ang Mo Kio (Singapore). A third hub is a joint venture with Sanan Optoelectronics, with a 200mm facility under construction in Chongqing (China), dedicated to ST to serve the Chinese market. ST’s wafer production facilities are supported by automotive-qualified, high-volume assembly & test operations in Bouskoura (Morocco) and Shenzhen (China). SiC substrate R&D and industrialization is undertaken in Norrköping (Sweden) and Catania, where ST’s SiC substrate manufacturing facility is ramping up production and most of ST’s SiC product R&D and design staff are based.
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