SiC Manufacturing on Larger Wafers Functional Power Semiconductors on 300-mm SiC

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Infineon has manufactured power devices on 300-mm (12-inch) SiC wafers in Villach (Austria). This achievement opens up prospects for more cost-effective production. The manufacturer now has the capability to produce 300-mm-diameter Si, GaN, and SiC wafers.

The production of SiC power semiconductors on 300-mm-diameter wafers has reached a new stage of development: Infineon reports that it has produced functional devices using this wafer size at its Villach, Austria, facility. Existing silicon manufacturing equipment was used for this process. According to the company, this marks the first time worldwide that such a process has been demonstrated under real-world semiconductor manufacturing conditions.

The larger diameter is expected to allow for more chips per production run in the future. Infineon estimates that the number of chips per wafer will be 2.3 times that of the 200-mm (8-inch) format. From a purely geometric perspective, the wafer area increases by a factor of 2.25 when switching from 200 to 300 mm. The actual number of usable devices produced depends, among other things, on chip size, edge utilization, and manufacturing yield.

A Larger Area Alone does not Guarantee Lower Costs

For economic evaluation, therefore, the key factor is how reliably the processes work on the larger format. More potential chips per wafer do not automatically lead to correspondingly lower unit costs. To determine this, the costs of substrates and processing, as well as the yield of functional devices, must also be taken into account.

The announcement does not yet provide any specific details on this. Infineon also does not specify the device types, voltage classes, or electrical characteristics of the manufactured chips. The demonstration thus confirms progress in manufacturing technology; however, it is not yet possible to draw conclusions about the performance of future mass-produced products.

The fact that existing silicon production facilities were used is nonetheless significant: it demonstrates an approach to utilizing existing manufacturing infrastructure for the larger SiC format as well. The information provided does not indicate what adjustments are still needed for cost-effective mass production.

Wafer Manufacturing Must also Keep Pace

Meanwhile, Infineon in Dresden has announced a proof of concept for its cold-split technology using 300-mm SiC. The process is used to separate wafers from a SiC crystal. According to the company, compared to wire sawing, it is said to consume less material and reduce processing time. Infineon does not provide quantitative comparative data.

In doing so, the company is addressing two steps on the path to future 300-mm SiC production: the extraction of wafers from the crystal and their subsequent processing into power devices.

No date has been set yet for the production ramp-up. Infineon plans to coordinate this with customers and partners; the planned expansion of 200-mm SiC manufacturing will continue in parallel. For applications such as traction inverters, charging infrastructure, and industrial drives, the larger wafer diameter thus opens up long-term prospects for higher production capacities and lower costs. However, the proof of concept alone does not guarantee a short-term improvement in prices or availability.