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EPC announced the publication of its Phase-16 Reliability Report, documenting continued work using test-to-fail methodology and adding specific guidelines for overvoltage specifications and improving thermo-mechanical reliability.
Compared to the Phase 15 Reliability Report, this version presents expanded data and analysis. It now includes a general overview of the wear-out mechanisms of primary concerns for a given application. New to this version of the report, is a description of how to forecast the reliability of a system in a realistic mission profile that combines periods of substantial and minor stress.
Adding to the existing knowledge base, this report includes significant new material on the thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms and overvoltage guidelines. Thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms include a study of the impact of die size and bump shape on temperature cycling (TC) reliability. This report also includes a study of overvoltage robustness for both the gate and the drain of GaN transistors.
This report is divided into the following sections:
- Section 1: Determining wear-out mechanisms using test-to-fail methodology.
- Section 2: Using test-to-fail results to predict device lifetime in a system.
- Section 3: Wear-out mechanisms
- Section 4: Mission-specific reliability predictions including solar, DC-DC, and lidar applications.
- Section 5: Summary and conclusions
- Appendix: Solder stencil design rules for reliable assembly of PQFN packaged devices
According to Dr. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC, “The release of our Phase-16 report satisfies a critical need for ongoing research into GaN device reliability. This report provides valuable insights on mission robustness, ensuring devices meet the demands of diverse applications.”
Original – Efficient Power Conversion
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Siltronic AG closed the 2023 financial year with a solid performance despite difficult conditions, confirming the preliminary figures announced at the beginning of February. The company achieved sales of EUR 1,513.8 million (2022: EUR 1,805.3 million) and EBITDA of EUR 433.9 million (2022: adjusted EUR 621.6 million).
Thanks to stable sales prices, the EBITDA margin remained at a healthy level of 28.7 percent (2022: adjusted 34.4 percent). The declines are due to significantly weaker demand, mainly as a result of increased inventories in the value chain.
These will also characterize the financial year 2024. As a result, wafer demand is expected to remain weak, particularly in the first half of the year. Under these conditions, sales and EBITDA margin, before ramp cost, are expected to be in the region of the previous year. The ramp of the new 300 mm fab in Singapore will burden the margin by up to three percentage points compared to 2023.
“We continue to see strong growth for our wafer sales in the mid-term, driven by megatrends. However, 2023 and to some extent 2024 will be impacted by increased inventories in the value chain. The dynamic development of Artificial Intelligence will lead to significantly higher demand for wafers. Thanks to our new 300 mm fab in Singapore, we are prepared for this and expect sales to increase to more than EUR 2.2 billion and the EBITDA margin to rise to the high 30’s by 2028,” comments Dr. Michael Heckmeier, CEO of Siltronic AG.
Business development in 2023 – solid in a difficult environment
Group sales decreased by 16.1 percent to EUR 1,513.8 million in 2023 – the guidance was minus 15 to 17 percent. This was due to the lower wafer area sold. Average selling prices in euro remained stable compared to 2022.
Cost of sales decreased by 4.1 percent to EUR 1,141.6 million and therefore less than the decrease in sales. This was due to increased depreciation and amortization, higher cost, in particular for raw materials and supplies, and lower fixed cost dilution as a result of the lower wafer area sold. As a result, the gross margin declined from 34.1 percent to 24.6 percent.
In order to mitigate risks from exchange rate developments, Siltronic performs currency hedging measures, which resulted in a net income from exchange rate effects of EUR 16.5 million in 2023, after expenses of EUR 21.0 million in 2022.
In the reporting year, Siltronic generated an EBITDA of EUR 433.9 million (2022: EUR 671.6 million, adjusted EUR 621.6 million) and an EBITDA margin of 28.7 percent (2022: 37.2 percent, adjusted 34.4 percent) – the guidance was 28 to 30 percent. As with the gross margin, lower fix cost dilution and cost increases were the main reasons for the lower EBITDA margin. EBIT of EUR 231.3 million was also well below the previous year’s level (EUR 495.6 million, adjusted EUR 445.6 million) due to higher depreciation as a result of significantly higher investment activity.
The Group’s tax rate was 13 percent in the reporting year (2022: 11 percent), resulting in a net profit of EUR 201.3 million in 2023 (2022: EUR 434.4 million). Of this, EUR 184.4 million (previous year: EUR 390.6 million) are attributable to the shareholders of Siltronic AG. Earnings per share were EUR 6.15 compared to EUR 13.02 in 2022.
Net cash flow development characterized by high investments
In the past financial year, Siltronic made net payments of EUR 1,112.1 million for capex including intangible assets. These were primarily related to the construction of the new 300 mm fab in Singapore and the expansion of the crystal pulling hall in Freiberg. High payments could not be fully financed from cash flow from operating activities like in 2022. As a result, free cash flow decreased to EUR -624.2 million and net cash flow to EUR 663.5 million.
Statement of financial position remains healthy
As of December 31, 2023, total assets amounted to EUR 4,504.9 million (previous year: EUR 4,050.7 million) with a significant increase in property, plant and equipment. As planned, the high level of capex led to a significant decrease in cash and cash equivalents and financial investments.
Due to the negative free cash flow and the dividend of EUR 90.0 million paid in 2023, Siltronic had net financial debt of EUR 355.7 million as of December 31, 2023 (2022: net financial assets of EUR 373.6 million). As equity increased only slightly year-on-year, the equity ratio decreased to 46.6 percent, compared to 51.0 percent at the end of 2022.
Dividend proposal of EUR 1.20 per share for the financial year 2023
In view of the persistently difficult market situation, the Executive Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting on May 13, 2024, to pay a dividend of EUR 1.20 per share for the financial year 2023, corresponding to a payout ratio of approximately 20 percent of the consolidated net profit attributable to Siltronic shareholders.
This corresponds to a dividend payment of EUR 36.0 million. At the same time Siltronic confirms its dividend policy for the future, according to which approximately 40 percent of the consolidated net profit attributable to the shareholders of Siltronic AG, as determined in accordance with IFRS, will be distributed. The upper limit remains unchanged at EUR 3.00 per dividend-bearing share.
Outlook for 2024 characterized by weak demand, especially in the first half of the year
As a result of the continued weak demand for silicon wafers, the Executive Board expects sales in 2024 to be the region of the previous year. The first six months of 2024 are expected to be the most affected by delivery postponements, so that sales for this reporting period are expected to be at the level of the second half of 2023. The EBITDA margin, before ramp cost, will also be in the region of the previous year. Due to the ramp of the new 300 mm fab in Singapore the margin will be reduced by up to three percentage points compared to 2023. Ramp cost mainly comprise energy, material and labor costs.
The guidance is based on a EUR/US dollar exchange rate of 1.10. On a positive note, average selling prices are expected to remain stable. The Executive Board expects energy and material cost (before ramp cost) to be lower in 2024 than in the previous year. However, the positive effect will be compensated by rising labor tariffs and a lower result from currency hedging compared to the previous year. Due to the high level of capex in recent years, depreciation and amortization will almost double compared to 2023. As a result, EBIT will be significantly lower than last year.
Capex will decrease to below EUR 600 million compared to the record level of EUR 1,316 million in the previous year. As a result, the company expects a significant improvement in net cash flow, which will nevertheless remain significantly negative.
Growth targets until 2028 confirmed
The Executive Board confirms the mid-term targets for the period up to financial year 2028, as communicated in November 2023, which include a significant increase in sales to more than EUR 2.2 billion and an improvement in the EBITDA margin to the high 30’s. The targets are driven by the increasing relevance of global megatrends with a strong increase in demand for semiconductors and thus for wafers. The improvement in the Group’s profitability will primarily be driven by the expected volume growth and a higher cost efficiency.
Siltronic will use its expected future cash flows primarily for further organic growth, to strengthen its innovative strength and to reduce debt.
Original – Siltronic
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onsemi announced the formation of the Analog and Mixed-Signal Group (AMG) which will be led by newly appointed group president, Sudhir Gopalswamy. The group will be focused on expanding onsemi’s portfolio of industry-leading power management and sensor interface devices to unlock an additional $19.3 billion total addressable market and accelerate the company’s growth in the automotive, industrial and cloud end markets.
Additionally, Simon Keeton has been promoted to group president of the Power Solutions Group (PSG). His leadership has been instrumental in delivering more than $4 billion in total revenue last year, while ramping a profitable silicon carbide business that achieved over $800 million in revenue in 2023.
“This organizational alignment builds on our strength in delivering highly differentiated and optimized solutions focused on customer needs,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and chief executive officer of onsemi. “With Simon and Sudhir’s industry expertise and proven track records, we are setting the foundation for further growth and leadership in intelligent power and sensing technologies.”
AMG specializes in the development of a range of power management ICs and high precision, low power sensor interfaces and communications products. It positions onsemi to become a full suite provider of high efficiency power tree solutions with an expanded portfolio of gate drivers, DC-DC converters, multi-phase controllers, eFuses and more.
The group will continue to extend its leadership in automotive- and industrial-focused sensor interface and communication solutions such as inductive, ultrasonic and medical sensing, as well as single-pair Ethernet and Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) solutions.
AMG combines the former Advanced Solutions Group (ASG) and Integrated Circuits Division (ICD), previously a part of PSG. Gopalswamy will oversee both AMG and Intelligent Sensing Group (ISG), which together drove nearly $4 billion in revenue for the company last year.
This strategic move accelerates onsemi’s position and will add even more system value for customers by powering every architecture with analog and mixed-signal technologies that enable advanced functionality, higher performance and faster time to market.
onsemi will publish its first quarter 2024 earnings based on the reorganized business segments and provide comparable historical data.
Original – onsemi
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Effective August 1, 2024, the Supervisory Board has appointed Klaus Buchwald to the Executive Board of Siltronic AG. The 55-year-old will assume the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO).
In his role, Mr. Buchwald will be primarily responsible for Operations and Supply Chain, Engineering and IT. Siltronic’s Executive Board will thus be expanded to three members. Furthermore, the existing division of responsibilities between CEO Dr. Michael Heckmeier and CFO Claudia Schmitt will remain unchanged. Klaus Buchwald has initially been appointed for three years.
“We are convinced that Mr. Buchwald’s expertise, particularily in the areas of production, logistics and supply chain, as well as his in-depth knowledge of the semiconductor industry and its value chain, make him the ideal candidate for the new COO position on the Siltronic Executive Board,” says Dr. Tobias Ohler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siltronic AG. “Together with Mr. Heckmeier and Ms. Schmitt, Mr. Buchwald will contribute to the realisation of the ambitions and to the further profitable growth of Siltronic,” Dr. Ohler continued.
The company aims to achieve sales of more than EUR 2.2 billion and an EBITDA margin in the high 30 percent range by 2028. These targets are to be achieved by expanding production capacities with the new fab in Singapore, a stronger focus on technology leadership, the Power segment as well as increasing cost efficiency, among other things.
Klaus Buchwald
Klaus Buchwald, who studied mechanical and industrial engineering, was born in 1968. He worked for Infineon for more than 21 years, most recently as Senior Vice President Operations of the “Green Industrial Power” division and as Executive Vice President Corporate Supply Chain. Prior to this, he held various management positions at the DAX listed company and spent four years as Head of Supply Chain at the technology group Rohde & Schwarz. He started his career at a renowned management consultancy firm.
Original – Siltronic
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STMicroelectronics released automotive-grade 600V/650V super-junction MOSFETs in STPOWER MDmesh DM9 AG series which deliver superior efficiency and ruggedness for on-board chargers (OBCs) and DC/DC converter applications in both hard- and soft-switching topologies.
With outstanding RDS(on) per die area and minimal gate charge, the silicon-based devices combine low energy losses with outstanding switching performance, setting a new benchmark figure of merit. Compared to the previous generation, the latest MDmesh DM9 technology ensures a tighter gate-source threshold voltage (VGS(th)) spread that results in sharper switching for lower turn-on and turn-off losses.
In addition, body-diode reverse recovery is improved, leveraging a new optimized process that also increases the MOSFETs’ overall ruggedness. The diode’s low reverse-recovery charge (Qrr) and fast recovery time (trr) make the MDmesh DM9 AG series ideal for phase-shift zero-voltage switching topologies that demand the utmost efficiency.
The family offers a selection of through-hole and surface-mount packages that help designers achieve a compact form factor with high power density and system reliability. The TO-247 LL (long-lead) is a popular through-hole option that eases design-in and leverages proven assembly processes. Among the surface-mount packages, the H2PAK-2 (2 leads) and H2PAK-7(7 leads) are optimized for bottom-side cooling with thermal substrates or PCBs featuring thermal vias or other enhancement. HU3PAK and ACEPACK™ SMIT topside-cooled surface-mount packages are also available.
The first device in the new STPOWER MDmesh DM9 AG series is the STH60N099DM9-2AG, a 27A AEC-Q101 qualified N-channel 600V device in H2PAK-2, with 76mΩ typical RDS(on). ST will expand the family to provide a full range of devices, covering a broad range of current ratings and RDS(on) from 23mΩ to 150mΩ.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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Navitas Semiconductor announced their AI data center technology roadmap for up to 3x power increase to support similar exponential growth in AI power demands expected in just the next 12-18 months.
Traditional CPUs require typically only 300W and the data center ac/dc power supplies would typically power the equivalent of 10 of these or 3,000W (3kW). High-performance AI processors like NVIDIA’s ‘Grace Hopper’ H100 are already demanding 700W each today, with next-gen ‘Blackwell’ B100 & B200 chips anticipated to increase to 1,000W or more by next year.
To meet this exponential power increase, Navitas is developing server power platforms which rapidly increase from 3kW to up to 10kW. In August 2023, Navitas introduced a 3.2kW data center power platform utilizing latest GaN technology enabling over 100W/in3 and over 96.5% efficiency. Now, Navitas is releasing a 4.5kW platform enabled by a combination of GaN and SiC to push densities over 130W/in3 and efficiencies over 97%. These two platforms have already generated significant market interest with over 20 data center customer projects in development expected to drive millions in GaN or SiC revenues starting this year.
Today, Navitas also announces its plans to introduce an 8-10kW power platform by the end of 2024 to support 2025 AI power requirements. The platform will utilize newer GaN and SiC technologies and further advances in architecture to set all-new industry standards in power density, efficiency and time-to-market. Navitas is already engaged with major data-center customers, with full platform launch anticipated in Q4 ’24, completing this 3x increase in power demands in only 12-18 months.
Navitas’ unique data-center design center is creating these system designs to address the dramatic increases in AI data center power requirements, and assist customers to deploy platforms quickly and effectively to meet the accelerated time-to-market demands of rapid AI advances. System designs include complete design collateral with fully-tested hardware, schematics, bill-of-materials, layout, simulation and hardware test results to maximize first-time-right designs and fast revenue generation.
“The rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) into global data centers has created a dramatic and unexpected power challenge for our entire industry,” noted Gene Sheridan, Navitas’ CEO and Co-Founder. “Our investment in leading-edge GaN and SiC technologies, combined with our unique data-center design center capabilities, have positioned us well. Our team has really stepped up to the challenge, with a 3x power increase in less than 18 months.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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LATEST NEWS / PROJECTS / SiC / WBGTianjin Economic-Technological Development Area Inked Investment Agreement with Vitesco Technologies
March 8, 2024
1 Min ReadTianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) inked an investment agreement with Vitesco Technologies for a new project for NEV intelligent manufacturing and automotive electronic products. With the new project, Vitesco aims to strengthen its presence in TEDA by introducing new products such as silicon carbide power modules, 800V motor stators and rotors, EMR3 three-in-one axle drive systems, high-voltage inverters, battery control units, and gearbox controllers.
Vitesco Technologies is a global leader in automotive technology development and manufacturing, dedicated to providing advanced driving technology for sustainable mobility. Vitesco Technologies has been cooperating with TEDA for many years.
The establishment of its R&D center in TEDA in 2019 marks a major step forward in the NEV market, upgrading the Vitesco Tianjin Base into a super factory integrating R&D, testing, and production. Thomas Stierle, member of the Executive Board and head of Electrification Solutions Division of Vitesco Technologies, expressed confidence in China, Tianjin, and TBNA. He stated that Vitesco Technologies will continue to increase its investment in TBNA and deepen cooperation in manufacturing R&D and technological innovation.
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Resonac Corporation conducted a tour of its Packaging Solution Center (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture), an R&D facility of backend process of semiconductor manufacturing, for 20 people, who were executives of semiconductor companies and leaders of academic societies and research institutions coming from US and European countries and taking part in the International Semiconductor Executive Summit (ISES) Japan Summit 2024 held in Tokyo from March 5th to 6th.
There were 150 participants in the ISES in total. PSC is an open innovation base for materials used in backend process, packaging and evaluation technologies, equipped with a full lineup of manufacturing equipment for advanced semiconductor packages. It is rare for a semiconductor material company to have such a base.
ISES is a summit meeting attended by executives and leaders of major semiconductor companies, equipment and material manufacturers, and academic societies and research institutions. Since 2010, it has been holding events in major regions such as the United States, Europe and Taiwan, and occupies an important position that influences industry trends and decisions as a platform for information exchange, strategy, and discussions on the direction of the semiconductor industry.
This time, it was held in Japan for the first time, and executives of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and leading semiconductor manufacturers including Intel, TSMC, Samsung and AMD gave lectures in the event.
In recent years, with the rapid expansion of generative AI, further evolution of AI semiconductors is required, and semiconductor backend process technologies including 2.xD and 3D package technologies, materials and manufacturing equipment are attracting attention of semiconductor industry stakeholders all over the world. In addition, the cutting-edge backend process materials and manufacturing equipment are areas where Japanese manufacturers lead the world.
This time, the participants of the ISES Japan Summit considered it a valuable opportunity to visit the PSC, which is equipped with Japan’s cutting-edge backend process materials and manufacturing equipment, and see 2.xD, 3D packages and their manufacturing equipment, and took part in the tour after the end of the second day of the summit meeting.
Resonac will continue to actively utilize the PSC to work on research and development of next-generation semiconductor package materials and evaluation/implementation technologies, and accelerate co-creation with other companies.
Original – Resonac
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Bourns, Inc. continues to broaden its sales channel partnerships in EMEA by signing that Cabcongroup as a new full line distributor partner. Effective immediately, the Cabcongroup was selected for their excellent customer relationships and strong technical and engineering experience.
“Bourns is seeing growing product demand across many regions in EMEA, and Cabcongroup gives us the opportunity to increase our customer base with their proven sales team expertise. This is a win-win for both organizations, and we are elated to find such an experienced and professional business partner for Northern Europe,” said Beverley McKnight, Distribution Sales Manager Northern Europe.
“We are thrilled to be selected to represent Bourns’ advanced components. As a well-established distributor, Cabcongroup has built an excellent reputation for superior customer support in the Nordic electronics market. We are confident in helping Bourns reach its sales goals due to our strengths in demand creation coupled with our close long-term customer relationships,” said Brian Dehlsen, Managing Director at Cabcongroup.
Original – Bourns
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Texas Instruments announced new environmental sustainability targets that expand the company’s use of renewable electricity over the next six years, with key milestones to reach 100% in its 300mm manufacturing operations by 2025, 100% in its U.S. operations by 2027, and 100% in its worldwide operations by 2030.
As the company expands its internal manufacturing capacity to support customer demand, these goals will ensure that TI’s industry-leading 300mm wafer fabs, as well as its newest assembly and test sites, will be entirely powered by renewable electricity.
“Our semiconductors play a critcal role in helping our customers developer smaller, more efficient and affordable technology that makes electrification, renewable energy and energy storage systems possible,” said Heidi Means, TI’s vice president of Worldwide Environmental, Safety and Health. “These short- and medium-term energy goals will continue TI’s positive trajectory to reduce our environmental impact while we continue to expand our manufacturing capacity to support our customers.”
TI has steadily grown its use of renewable electricity from a combination of sources including onsite solar and power purchase agreements (PPAs). Since 2020, the company has:
- Continued to increase its absolute use of renewable electricity annually.
- Shifted its operations in the Philippines, which includes two assembly and test sites, to 100% renewable electricity.
- Invested in the company’s first onsite, rooftop solar installation at its Bangalore, India, site.
- Started receiving more than 65MW of renewable electricity from its long-term PPA investments in wind and solar energy projects in North Texas.
Original – Texas Instruments
