Electromobility New SiC Chips from Bosch: Is the Promised Efficiency Leap Coming?

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Bosch has introduced the third generation of its silicon carbide chips. The manufacturer promises that the new components offer 20 percent higher performance and more compact dimensions than the previous models. This means that the supplier can also supply more chips per wafer.

To make electric vehicles more efficient, silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors come into play. Bosch has now started to introduce the third generation of its silicon carbide chips. The automotive supplier is currently supplying car manufacturers with samples.

The aim is to position Bosch well in a rapidly growing future market. Analyses by market research and consulting firm Yole Intelligence predict that the global market for SiC power semiconductors will increase to around 9.2 billion US dollars by 2029 - driven primarily by electromobility.

Focus on Miniaturization

Silicon carbide semiconductors switch significantly faster and more efficiently than conventional silicon chips. They reduce energy losses and enable a higher power density in electronics. The new generation of semiconductors from Bosch not only offers a technological advantage, but also an economic one. "Our new generation of chips delivers 20 percent higher performance while being significantly smaller than the previous generation," explains Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Bosch Mobility business sector. "This miniaturization is the key to greater cost efficiency, as we can produce significantly more chips per wafer. We are thus making a decisive contribution to making high-performance electronics more widely available." Since the launch of the first generation in 2021, Bosch has already delivered more than 60 million SiC chips worldwide.

Bosch has increased its production and cleanroom capacities in recent years. The company has invested around three billion euros in semiconductors as part of the European IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) funding programs for microelectronics and communication technology. Development and production of the third generation of SiC chips takes place at the semiconductor plant in Reutlingen on 200-millimeter wafers. In September 2023, Bosch took over a second plant for SiC chip production in Roseville, California, and is currently equipping it with production facilities. The company is investing an additional 1.9 billion euros in the US plant. The first SiC chips are to be manufactured and delivered here this year - initially as samples for customer trials. "In future, the innovative SiC semiconductors will be supplied from two Bosch plants in Germany and the USA," says Heyn. In particular, this will ensure more robust and resilient supply chains in the rapidly growing electrification of the automotive industry. In the medium term, Bosch intends to increase its production capacity for SiC power semiconductors to a volume in the mid three-digit million range.

Manufacturing Process Is the Key to Success

To make the chips smaller and more powerful at the same time, Bosch uses its etching process, which has been known throughout the industry since 1994 and is known as the "Bosch process". Originally developed for sensors, this process enables the production of high-precision vertical structures in silicon carbide. This design significantly increases the power density of the chips - a decisive factor for the superior performance of the third generation. (se)