STMicroelectronics and Soitec Slice SiC Wafers for Energy Efficiency
December 07, 2022
News
Geneva (Switzerland) and Bernin (France). “The automotive industry is facing major disruption with the advent of electric vehicles,” said Bernard Aspar, Chief Operating Officer of Soitec. Having deciding on a path toward the inevitable, STMicroelectronics, along with Soitec, are ramping up their cooperation on Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrates by way of STMicroelectronics utilizing Soitec’s SmartSiC technology for a transition to 200mm SiC wafers. “The transition to 200mm SiC wafers will bring substantial advantages to our automotive and industrial customers as they accelerate the transition toward electrification of their systems and products. It is important in driving economies of scale as product volumes ramp,” said Marco Monti, President Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics.
SmartSiC is an IP designed by Soitec using its SmartCut IP to divide a wafer-thin stratum of a high-quality SiC ‘donor’ wafer, and adhere the layer over a low resistivity ‘handle’ polySiC wafer. The ‘donor’ wafer is efficient and can be used multiple instances to enhance device performance, manufacturing yields, and a reduction of energy used. Aspar continues, “. Our cutting-edge SmartSiC technology, which adapts our unique SmartCut process to silicon carbide semiconductors, will play a key role in accelerating their adoption. The combination of Soitec’s SmartSiC substrates with STMicroelectronics’ industry-leading silicon carbide technology and expertise is a game-changer for automotive chip manufacturing that will set new standards.”
Monti concludes with, “. “We have chosen a vertically integrated model to maximize our know-how across the full manufacturing chain, from high-quality substrates to large-scale front- and back-end production. The goal of the technology cooperation with Soitec is to continue to improve our manufacturing yields and quality.”
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Chad Cox. Production Editor, Embedded Computing Design, has responsibilities that include handling the news cycle, newsletters, social media, and advertising. Chad graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Cultural and Analytical Literature.
