STMicroelectronics finalizes European 6-inch SiC epitaxy production base
Recently, STMicroelectronics announced that it will invest 730 million euros over five years to build an integrated silicon carbide substrate manufacturing plant in Italy to support ST's customers' increasing demand for automotive and industrial silicon carbide components, helping them move towards electrification and achieve. higher efficiency.
The project will be the first silicon carbide epitaxial substrate manufacturing plant in Europe. The new silicon carbide substrate plant is adjacent to ST's existing silicon carbide component manufacturing plant in Catania, Italy, and will be the first in Europe in the future6 inch silicon carbide epitaxial substrate mass production base, the new plant is expected to start production in 2023, and about 700 direct employment opportunities will be created after full completion.
At present, the rapid development of new energy vehicles, renewable energy, and industrial fields has led to a substantial increase in the size of the silicon carbide market.
Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics, said that STMicroelectronics is driving the transformation and upgrading of its global manufacturing business, supporting our breakthrough by increasing 8-inch wafer manufacturing capacity and strengthening the focus on wide-bandgap semiconductor business. The ambitious goal of $20 billion in revenue. We will expand our operations in Catania, which is not only the center of our power semiconductor expertise, but also integrates research, development and manufacturing of silicon carbide through close cooperation with Italian research institutes, universities and suppliers. This new facility will be the key to our vertical integration of silicon carbide, strengthening our supply of silicon carbide substrates and helping us increase production capacity to support automotive and industrial customers in their electrification and pursuit of greater efficiency.
It is reported that semiconductor materials have been developed to the third generation, from traditional Si (silicon) power devices IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor), MOSFET (metal oxide semi-field effect transistor), to SiC (silicon carbide) and GaN ( gallium nitride) is the third-generation semiconductor. The third generation of semiconductors is emerging in many fields. The third-generation compound semiconductors dominated by silicon carbide and gallium nitride have become the darling of the industry and investment circles. Compared with the previous two generations of semiconductor materials, the biggest advantage of the third-generation semiconductor materials is the wider band gap. , more suitable for making high-temperature, high-frequency, radiation-resistant and high-power electronic devices.
In the downstream market of silicon carbide power components, automobiles are the largest application. In addition, renewable energy and industrial markets are also very important. It is estimated that the market size of silicon carbide power components will reach US$1.59 billion this year, and will climb to US$5.30 billion by 2026. The downstream market of GaN power components is dominated by consumer electronics. Data centers, communications and subsequent automotive applications also have potential. It is estimated that the market size of GaN power components this year is expected to reach 260 million US dollars, and it will grow to 1.77 billion by 2026. Dollar.
According to Yole data, it is expected that by 2023, the global penetration rate of silicon carbide materials is expected to reach 3.75%. It is estimated that by 2025, the market size of silicon carbide devices will reach 3.2 billion US dollars, with an average annual compound growth rate of over 30%.
Taking new energy vehicles as an example, according to research conducted by TrendForce, in order to further improve the power performance of electric vehicles, the world's major car companies have focused on the new generation of silicon carbide power components, and have successively launched a variety of high-end products equipped with corresponding products. Performance models. As more and more car companies begin to introduce silicon carbide technology into electric drive systems, it is estimated that the market size of silicon carbide power components for vehicles will reach US$1.07 billion in 2022, and will climb to US$3.94 billion by 2026. Under the high demand, recently, many third-generation semiconductor international giants such as Wolfspeed and ON Semiconductor have competed to announce plans for new factories.
ST's pioneering position in silicon carbide is the result of 25 years of dedicated research and development efforts, coupled with a large and key patent portfolio. Over the years, Catania has been an important innovation base for STMicroelectronics and the largest base for its silicon carbide R&D and manufacturing business. It has successfully developed many new solutions and produced more and better silicon carbide components. By building a power electronics ecosystem, including long-term and successful partnerships between STMicroelectronics and different stakeholders (universities, manufacturers of equipment and products associated with the Italian National Research Council), a large network of suppliers, this project The investment will consolidate Catania's position as a global center of silicon carbide technology innovation and bring more opportunities for future growth.
ST's advanced mass-produced silicon carbide products, STPOWER SiC, are currently produced by wafer fabs located in Catania and Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. Bouskoura) completed.
Based on the above-mentioned manufacturing capabilities, the investment in the new silicon carbide substrate plant is undoubtedly a major milestone for STMicroelectronics to achieve 40% of its substrates from internal procurement by 2024.
