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Innoscience Technology has launched a new 100V bi-directional member of the company’s VGaN IC family. The first family of VGaN devices rated 40V with wide on-resistance range (1.2mOhm – 12mOhm) have been successfully deployed in the USB OVP of mobile phones such as OPPO, OnePlus etc.
The new 100V VGaN (INV100FQ030A) can be employed to achieve high efficiency in 48V or 60V battery management systems (BMS), as well as for high-side load switch applications in bidirectional converters, switching circuits in power systems, and other fields. Such device it is ideal in application such as home batteries, portable charging station, e-scooters, e-bikes etc.
One VGaN replaces two back-to-back Si MOSFETs; they are connected with a common drain to achieve bidirectional switching of battery charging and discharging, further reducing on-resistance and loss significantly with respect to traditional Silicon solution. BOM count, PCB space and costs are also reduced accordingly.
The INV100FQ030A 100V VGaN IC supports two-way pass-through, two-way cut-off and no-reverse-recovery modes of operation. Devices feature an extremely low gate charge of just 90nC, ultra-low dynamic on-resistance of 3.2mΩ and small, 4x6mm package size.
Dr. Denis Marcon, General Manager, Innoscience Europe comments: “Innoscience’s continuous innovation and development of our core technology plus our 8-inch wafer GaN IDM model will accelerate the miniaturization of systems, making them more efficient and energy-saving.”
Innoscience ‘s 100V GaN series products are in mass production in En-FCQFN (exposed top side cooling) and FCQFN packaging.
Original – Innoscience Technology
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Power Integrations announced financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. Net revenues for the fourth quarter were $89.5 million, down 29 percent compared to the prior quarter and down 28 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022. GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $14.3 million or $0.25 per diluted share compared to $0.34 per diluted share in the prior quarter and $0.40 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2022.
For the full year, net revenues were $444.5 million, compared to $651.1 million in the prior year. Full-year GAAP net income was $55.7 million or $0.97 per diluted share compared to $2.93 per diluted share in the prior year. Full-year cash flow from operations was $65.8 million.
In addition to its GAAP results, the company provided non-GAAP measures that for the fourth quarter of 2023 exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and the related tax effects. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $12.7 million or $0.22 per diluted share compared to $0.46 per diluted share in the prior quarter and $0.48 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2022. For the full year, non-GAAP net income was $74.5 million or $1.29 per diluted share compared to $3.29 per diluted share in the prior year. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial results is included with the tables accompanying this press release.
Commented Balu Balakrishnan, chairman and CEO of Power Integrations: “Fourth-quarter revenues declined as expected, and we project first-quarter sales to be about flat sequentially due to continued soft demand and elevated supply-chain inventories. However, channel inventory fell significantly in the fourth quarter, and we expect a further reduction in the first quarter. Based on lower inventories and seasonal patterns we expect sequential revenue growth beginning in the June quarter. We also expect gross margin to rise in the June quarter driven by the dollar/yen exchange rate, higher manufacturing utilization and end-market mix.”
During the fourth quarter Power Integrations repurchased 680 thousand shares of its common stock for $47.4 million. The company had $26.0 million remaining on its repurchase authorization as of December 31, 2023. Power Integrations paid a dividend of $0.20 per share on December 29, 2023, and will pay a dividend of $0.20 per share on March 29, 2024, to stockholders of record as of February 29, 2024.
Financial Outlook
The company issued the following forecast for the first quarter of 2024:
- Revenues are expected to be $90 million plus or minus $5 million.
- GAAP gross margin is expected to be approximately 51.5 percent; non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be approximately 52.5 percent. The difference between GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins is equally attributable to stock-based compensation and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
- GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $49 million; non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $42.5 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to exclude about $6.5 million of stock-based compensation.
Original – Power Integrations
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JCET Group announced that the company’s holding company, JCET Automotive Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., has successfully secured a RMB 4.4 billion capital increase. The agreement was ratified by the Fourth Meeting of the Eighth Board of Directors and the First Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders in 2024, being signed and taking effect on February 5, 2024.
The capital aims to support the construction of JCET’s first intelligent automotive-grade chip advanced packaging flagship factory.
Located in Shanghai’s cutting-edge Lingang industrial hub in eastern China, the JCET Automotive Chip Back-end Manufacturing Base spans over 130,000 square meters, with a dedicated factory area of approximately 200,000 square meters. Construction has accelerated since its commencement in August 2023. Equipment entry is anticipated in the first half of 2025.
Leveraging JCET’s industry-leading technology and resources, the project also includes a pilot line dedicated to manufacturing automotive chip products in China. It focuses on packaging automotive computing chips, power modules and more, optimizing packaging processes and materials while fully implementing automation solutions.
The completed facility will serve customers worldwide and has already garnered significant attention from major car manufacturers and chip suppliers. It caters to a broad spectrum of automotive applications, including ADAS sensors, high-performance computing, interconnectivity, and power modules – driving advancements in performance, reliability, and automation across the entire industry chain.
JCET has experienced rapid expansion within the automotive electronics sector in recent years. The company’s automotive electronics revenue achieved a CAGR exceeding 50% from 2019 to 2022. This momentum continued in the first three quarters of 2023, with revenue in this segment increasing by 88% year-on-year. JCET’s downstream applications not only cover power management, but also include areas such as autonomous driving, infotainment systems, various sensors, and vehicle networking involved in automotive intelligence.
Furthermore, JCET’s close collaboration with customers through the pilot line allows them to secure production capacity in the Lingang facility in advance. Doing so significantly streamlines the verification and introduction processes for future customer products. This fosters a seamless transition from early development to mass production, enabling both parties to capitalize on the vast upcoming opportunities in the automotive semiconductor market.
Original – JCET
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Renesas Electronics Corporation announced consolidated financial results in accordance with IFRS for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Summary of Consolidated Financial Results (Note 1, 4)
Year ended December 31, 2023 Billion Yen % of Revenue Revenue 1,469.4 100.0 Operating profit 390.8 26.6 Profit attributable to owners of parent 337.1 22.9 Capital expenditures (Note 2) 75.5 Depreciation and amortization 186.0 R&D expenses (Note 3) 233.5 Yen Exchange rate (USD) 140 Exchange rate (EUR) 151 As of December 31, 2023 Billion Yen Total assets 3,167.0 Total equity 2,005.6 Equity attributable to owners of parent 2,001.6 Equity ratio attributable to owners of parent (%) 63.2 Interest-bearing liabilities 667.7 - Note 1: All figures are rounded to the nearest 100 million yen.
- Note 2: Capital expenditures refer to the amount of capital for property, plant and equipment (manufacturing equipment) and intangible assets based on the amount of investment decisions made during the year ended December 31, 2023. However, the investments from Dialog Semiconductor Limited (hereinafter “Dialog”) and Celeno Communications Inc. (hereinafter “Celeno”) are listed as an input basis. It should be noted that as of September 29, 2023, Celeno changed its company name from Celeno Communications Inc. to Renesas Semiconductor Design US Inc.
- Note 3: R&D expenses include capitalized R&D expenses recorded as intangible assets.
- Note 4: The allocation of the acquisition costs for the business combination with Steradian Semiconductors Private Limited (hereinafter “Steradian”) and Panthronics AG (hereinafter “Panthronics”) has been revised at the end of three months ended March 31, 2023, and at the end of the three months ended December 31, 2023, respectively. These revisions have been reflected in the consolidated financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022 as well as the consolidated financial results for the three months ended June 30 and September 30, 2023. As of October 12, 2023, Panthronics changed its corporate name to Renesas Design Austria GmbH.
Original – Renesas Electronics
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Micro Commercial Components unveiled the latest components with advanced semiconductor technology — three super fast recovery rectifiers. With a low profile and 600V capacity, MURBF1660C, MURBF1660CT, and MURBF3060CT are game-changers that deliver superior power in a small design.
Housed in a sleek TO-263AC package, these advanced products boast a minimal height of only 1.7mm and are compatible with the in-demand D2PAK footprint. Available in single or dual common cathode configurations, these super fast recovery rectifiers feature low leakage and forward currents of 16A or 30A.
These rectifiers minimize losses and maximize efficiency, making them ideal for reliable power management in industrial, consumer, and telecommunications applications. No matter which super fast recovery rectifier you choose from this collection, you’ll utilize ultra-fast recovery and unquestionable performance.
Features & Benefits:
- Low forward voltage
- Low leakage current
- Reduced power losses and increased efficiency
- Low profile TO-263AC package
- 1.7mm typical height
- D2PAK footprint compatibility for maximum versatility
- 600V working voltage
- Forward currents of 16A and 30A per device
- Single or dual common cathode configuration options
Original – Micro Commercial Components
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Qorvo® will showcase its latest power management innovations at the upcoming Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) from Feb. 26-28, at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. Attendees are invited to visit the Qorvo booth #1857 to explore the latest advancements in SPICE simulation, silicon carbide (SiC) and battery management technologies.
Qorvo will feature the following highlights at APEC 2024:
QSPICE™ Simulation Software Showcase
APEC attendees can experience the next level of simulation with Qorvo’s advanced QSPICE tool during three insightful training sessions and engage in a Q&A with the tool’s creator, Mike Engelhardt. For those unable to attend APEC, the sessions will be available on the Qorvo YouTube channel in March.Training Session Schedule:
- Tuesday, Feb. 27, 10-10:20 a.m.: The QSPICE User-Interface
- Tuesday, Feb. 27, 3-3:20 p.m.: Importing 3rd Party Models
- Wednesday, Feb. 28, 10-10:20 a.m.: Anatomy of a Macro Model Done Right
Launch of Inaugural SiC Module Family
Qorvo will unveil its first SiC module family, featuring an innovative cascode JFET architecture. This highly integrated device family simplifies high-voltage designs and offers exceptional thermal and electrical performance due to low switching losses, low thermal resistance and RDS(on) as low as 9.4mΩ.Battery Management Demonstrations
Visitors to the booth can see Qorvo’s wireless battery management debut with a demonstration showcasing a remote battery pack monitoring and state of charge solution, created in combination with Qorvo’s IoT microcontroller.Original – Qorvo
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Soitec announced consolidated revenue of 240 million Euros for the third quarter of FY’24 (ended December 31st, 2023), down 13% on a reported basis compared with 274 million Euros achieved in the third quarter of FY’23. This reflects a 12% decline at constant exchange rates and perimeter and a negative currency impact of 1%.
Pierre Barnabé, Soitec’s CEO, commented: “After the very strong sequential rebound achieved in the second quarter, we maintained our third-quarter revenue at a similar level, in line with our expectations. As we indicated during our last communication, the correction of RF-SOI inventories by our customers continues to weigh on revenue, offsetting the continued strong performance of FD-SOI, POI and Power-SOI, strong growth in Automotive & Industrial, and a solid level of revenue in Smart Devices.
We anticipate to continue to face challenging market dynamics on RF-SOI for another couple of quarters. While confirming that we expect a solid Q4’24, we are adjusting our revenue guidance for the full-year, with an organic decline of around 10% year-on-year and an EBITDA margin forecast of around 34%. Expansion into new products remains a key pillar of our strategy, and we are very satisfied with the successes we have achieved.
In Mobile Communications, FD-SOI penetration continues to progress, with the latest flagship smartphones embedding increasingly more content. POI activity accelerates, with two new customers in production in the quarter and more than ten in the qualification phase.
On SmartSiCTM, our roadmap is on track on all aspects: technology, industrial, supply and commercial. We have secured a second customer, with production scheduled to start in the second part of calendar year 2024.
The ongoing deployment of our strong megatrends across our three strategic end markets and our expanding product portfolio support our sustainable growth story. We now expect our $2.1bn revenue outlook to be postponed by around a year.”
FY’24 revenue guidance is revised: revenue is expected to be down around 10% year-on-year at constant exchange rates and perimeter as opposed to a mid-single digit decrease previously expected, and EBITDA margin at around 34% as opposed to around 35%.
Original – Soitec
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Micro Commercial Components announced two-in-one IGBT module, MIF400R065C2TL-BP. Available in the C2 package, this new cutting-edge module combines dual IGBT devices and sets the standard for rugged performance. With 650V capability and an ultra-fast and soft recovery anti-parallel rectifier, this module delivers exceptional reliability in high-power applications.
MCC’s IGBT module is a no-brainer for motor controls, uninterruptible power supplies, welding equipment, and other power-intensive applications, thanks to its ability to withstand junction temperatures up to 175°C and a high short-circuit capability of 6us.
Designed with low VCE(sat), IGBT trench technology, and a 400A current rating, this component ensures low switching losses and low inductance while maximizing efficiency.
Features & Benefits:
- Low VCE(sat) with positive temperature coefficient
- Trench IGBT technology
- Low switching losses
- High short-circuit capability (6us)
- Ultra-fast and soft recovery anti-parallel forward diode (FWD)
- Low inductance
- Maximum junction temperature of 175°C
- C2 package
Original – Micro Commercial Components
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Axcelis Technologies, Inc. announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.
Highlights include:
- Record full year revenue, operating profit and EPS, enabling the Company to surpass its $1.1 billion revenue model.
- Continued strong growth from the Purion Power Series™ product line.
- Significant increase in Purion™ installed base drove record CS&I revenue.
- Year-end systems backlog of $1.2 billion.
For the full year 2023, the Company reported revenue of $1.13 billion, compared with $920 million for the full year 2022, an increase of 23% and a company record. Systems revenue for the year was $883.6 million, compared to $692.1 million in 2022, an increase of 28%, also a company record.
Operating profit was $265.8 million in 2023, compared to $212.4 million in 2022, a 25% increase and a company record. Net income for the year was $246.3 million with diluted earnings per share of $7.43, compared to net income of $183.1 million and diluted earnings per share of $5.46 in 2022, resulting in a 35% net income year over year increase. Gross margin for the year was 43.5%, compared to 43.7% in 2022.
The Company reported fourth quarter revenue of $310.3 million, compared to $292.3 million for the third quarter of 2023. Operating profit for the quarter was $79.1 million, compared to $71.7 million for the third quarter. Net income for the quarter was $71.1 million, or $2.15 per diluted share, compared to $65.9 million, or $1.99 per diluted share in the third quarter. Gross margin for the quarter was 44.4%, unchanged from the third quarter. The fourth quarter ended with bookings of $235.5 million and a systems backlog of $1.2 billion.
President and CEO Russell Low commented, “2023 was another outstanding year for Axcelis. As a result of strong execution by the Axcelis team and robust demand for the Purion Power Series product family, we achieved 23% year-over-year revenue growth during an industry downturn. We have developed a large and diverse customer base in the power market, and we continue to win business from new customers as well as expand our product footprint with existing customers. We believe that the mature process technology and memory segments, two markets in which Axcelis is well-positioned, will recover in the second half of the year, enabling strong growth in 2025.”
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Coogan said, “We are extremely pleased with our 2023 results, and excited about our future growth. Our revenue and earnings per share finished above our revised guidance, and we ended the quarter with robust cash flow and a strong balance sheet. As we look to 2024, we will continue to make investments in R&D while managing expenses, setting us up to achieve our $1.3 billion revenue model in 2025.”
For the first quarter ending March 31, 2024, Axcelis expects revenues of approximately $242 million. First quarter operating profit is forecast to be approximately $45 million with earnings per diluted share of around $1.22. Gross margin in the first quarter is expected to be approximately 43.5%, and for the full year we expect it to improve year over year but could fluctuate quarter to quarter. We expect full year 2024 revenue to be similar to 2023, with revenue weighted toward the second half.
Original – Axcelis Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG announced a collaboration with Worksport. Worksport Ltd. will use Infineon’s GaN power semiconductors GS-065-060-5-B-A in the converters for its portable power stations to increase efficiency and power density. Enabled by Infineon’s GaN transistors, the power converters will be lighter and smaller in size with reduced system costs. In addition, Infineon will support Worksport in the optimization of circuits and layout design to further reduce size and increase power density.
“Infineon’s high-quality standard and solid supply chain provide us with the best components to ensure power-dense converters for our COR system product line and contribute to a first-class end product performance,” said Worksport CEO Steven Rossi.
The company’s COR battery system can be integrated into a pickup truck or recharged by any solar panel or wall outlet. By replacing the former silicon switch in the power converter with Infineon’s GaN power semiconductors and operating the transistors at higher switching frequency, Worksport will be able to reduce the battery system weight by 33 percent and system costs by up to 25 percent.
The working relationship with Infineon will also help Worksport to reduce CO2 in the manufacturing process. GaN is proving itself as a game-changing technology across many markets and applications. For example, in data centers, GaN solutions have a global energy savings potential of 21 TWh annually, 10 million tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) equivalent.
“In order to further drive electrification and decarbonization, the industry’s power designs require innovation,” said Johannes Schoiswohl, Business Line Head GaN Systems of Infineon’s Power & Sensor Systems Division. “With our GaN power semiconductors we enable Worksport to create the next generation portable power stations that users require.”
Infineon’s GS-065-060-5-B-A is an Automotive-grade 650 V enhancement mode GaN-on-Silicon power transistor. It offers very low junction-to-case thermal resistance for demanding high power applications such as on-board chargers, industrial motor drives and solar inverters. Furthermore, it features simple gate drive requirements (0 V to 6 V) and a transient tolerant gate drive (-20 / +10 V).
Original – Infineon Technologies
