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Stellantis N.V. and Infineon Technologies AG will work jointly on the power architecture for Stellantis’ electric vehicles to support Stellantis’ ambition of offering clean, safe and affordable mobility to all.
To support this, the companies have signed major supply and capacity agreements that will serve as the foundation for the planned collaboration to develop the next generation of power architecture, including:
- Infineon’s PROFET™ smart power switches, which will replace traditional fuses, reduce wiring and enable Stellantis to become one of the first automakers to implement intelligent power network management.
- Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, which will support Stellantis in its efforts to standardize its power modules, improve the performance and efficiency of EVs while also reducing costs.
- AURIX TM microcontrollers, which target the first generation of the STLA Brain zonal architecture.
Stellantis and Infineon are also in the process of extending their cooperation with the implementation of a Joint Power Lab to define the next-generation scalable and intelligent power architecture enabling Stellantis’ software-defined vehicle.
“As outlined in our strategic plan, Dare Forward 2030, we are securing the supply of crucial semiconductor solutions required to continue our transition to an electrified future leveraging innovative E/E architectures for our next-generation platforms,” said Maxime Picat, Stellantis Chief Purchasing and Supplier Quality Officer.
“Infineon is now entering a collaboration and innovation partnership with Stellantis,” said Peter Schiefer, President of Infineon’s Automotive Division. “As the world’s leading automotive semiconductor vendor, we bring our product-to-system expertise and dependable electronics to the table. Our semiconductors drive the decarbonization and digitalization of mobility. They increase the efficiency of cars and enable software-defined architectures that will significantly improve the user experience.”
With the world`s most cost-competitive SiC fab in Kulim, Malaysia, the upcoming 300-millimeter ”Smart Power Fab” in Dresden, Germany, and the joint venture with TSMC and partners (ESMC) as well as accompanying supply agreements with foundry partners, Infineon is ready to fully meet market demand for automotive semiconductor solutions. According to the market research company TechInsights, Infineon is the global number one supplier of automotive microcontrollers with a market share of about 29 percent of the global automotive microcontroller market.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / SiC / WBGSTMicroelectronics Released an Advanced Galvanically Isolated Gate Drivers for IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs
November 7, 2024
2 Min ReadSTMicroelectronics’ STGAP3S family of gate drivers for silicon-carbide (SiC) and IGBT power switches combines ST’s latest robust galvanic isolation technology with optimized desaturation protection and flexible Miller-clamp architecture.
Featuring reinforced capacitive galvanic isolation between the gate-driving channel and the low-voltage control and interface circuitry, the STGAP3S withstands 9.6kV transient isolation voltage (VIOTM) with 200V/ns common-mode transient immunity (CMTI). With its state-of-the-art isolation, the STGAP3S enhances reliability in motor drives for industrial applications such as air conditioning, factory automation, and home appliances. The new drivers are also used in power and energy applications including charging stations, energy storage systems, power-factor correction (PFC), DC/DC converters, and solar inverters.
The STGAP3S product family includes different options with 10A and 6A current capability, each of them available with differentiated Under Voltage Lock-Out (UVLO) and desaturation intervention thresholds. This helps designers select the best device to match the performance of their chosen SiC MOSFET or IGBT power switches.
The Desaturation protection implements an overload and short-circuit protection for the external power switch providing the possibility to adjust the turn-off strategy using an external resistor to maximize the protection turn-off speed while avoiding excessive overvoltage spikes. The undervoltage-lockout protection prevents turn-on with insufficient drive voltage.
The driver’s integrated Miller Clamp architecture provides a pre-driver for an external N-channel MOSFET. Designers can thus leverage flexibility to select a suitable intervention speed that prevents induced turn-on and avoids cross conduction.
The available device variants allow a choice of 10A sink/source and 6A sink/source drive-current capability for optimum performance with the chosen power switch with desaturation-detection and UVLO thresholds optimized for IGBT or SiC technology. The fault conditions of desaturation, UVLO and overtemperature protection are notified with two dedicated open drain diagnostic pins.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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ROHM Co., Ltd.’s financial report for the six months ending September 30, 2024, reveals a challenging period characterized by a decline in net sales and profitability. The company’s net sales dropped by 3.0% year-over-year to ¥232,022 million. This decline reflects a mix of robust demand in certain markets, such as automotive electronics, which increased sales in SiC power devices, and growth in the computer and storage sectors. However, these gains were offset by significant sales declines in the industrial equipment market.
Key financial metrics deteriorated, with ROHM reporting an operating loss of ¥974 million, a reversal from a profit of ¥29,833 million in the prior year. Factors influencing this loss include lower sales volumes, reduced production due to inventory adjustments, and higher costs associated with expanding SiC device production and adopting eight-inch wafers. The ordinary profit also declined to a loss of ¥129 million, impacted by foreign exchange losses. Profit attributable to shareholders dropped by 94.5% to ¥2,068 million, primarily due to reduced gains on securities sales.
ROHM’s EBITDA also saw a decrease, down 35.8% to ¥39,344 million. Segment-wise, integrated circuits and discrete semiconductor devices faced declines, with IC sales down 2.9% and segment profit down 54.8%. Power devices in the automotive sector performed well, but broader semiconductor device sales suffered from subdued demand in the industrial equipment sector. In contrast, modules and resistors segments showed marginal growth, supported by increased demand for smartphone sensor modules and high-power resistors for automotive applications.
Looking forward, ROHM expects continuing economic and industry challenges, such as slowing EV market growth, prolonged inventory adjustments in industrial equipment, and fluctuating consumer demand. As a result, ROHM has revised its forecast, projecting full-year sales to decrease by 3.8% to ¥450,000 million, alongside anticipated losses in operating profit and ordinary profit. The company plans to proceed with production adjustments, aiming for future alignment with customer demand, particularly in energy-efficient solutions and advanced power devices.
Original – ROHM
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Axcelis Technologies, Inc. announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. The Company reported third quarter revenue of $256.6 million, compared to $256.5 million for the second quarter of 2024. Gross margin for the quarter was 42.9%, compared to 43.8% in the second quarter. Operating profit for the quarter was $46.9 million, compared to $52.8 million for the second quarter. Net income for the quarter was $48.6 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, compared to $50.9 million, or $1.55 per diluted share in the second quarter.
President and CEO Russell Low commented, “Axcelis executed well in the third quarter with results relatively in-line with our expectations. While we anticipate a near term digestion of mature node capacity through the first half of 2025, customer engagement is strong and our long-term growth opportunity remains squarely intact highlighted by attractive secular growth in silicon carbide, a cyclical recovery in our memory and general mature markets, market share gains in advanced logic and regional penetration of the Japan market.”
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Coogan said, “We are pleased with the financial performance delivered by our team thus far in 2024. Our cash generation remains strong, we are engaging with customers across a number of key growth opportunities, and we are investing in our product roadmaps while maintaining discipline in our overall cost structure. All of this, when coupled with our strong balance sheet, put us in position to capture the growth opportunities that lie ahead and drive long-term value creation for shareholders.”
For the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2024, Axcelis expects revenues of approximately $245 million, and earnings per diluted share of approximately $1.25.
Original – Axcelis Technologies
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Veeco Instruments Inc. announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2024. Results are reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and are also reported adjusting for certain items (“Non-GAAP”). A reconciliation between GAAP and Non-GAAP operating results is provided at the end of this press release.
Third Quarter 2024 Highlights:
- Revenue of $184.8 million, compared with $177.4 million in the same period last year
- GAAP net income of $22.0 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, compared with $24.6 million, or $0.42 per diluted share in the same period last year
- Non-GAAP net income of $28.3 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, compared with $31.0 million, or $0.53 per diluted share in the same period last year
“Veeco reported solid third quarter results above the mid-point of our guidance, led by record Semiconductor revenue,” commented Bill Miller, Ph.D., Veeco’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our Semiconductor business grew 26% year-over-year and 13% sequentially, highlighted by an increase in shipments to leading-edge customers across several product lines. Our portfolio of enabling technologies is gaining traction for several industry inflections, contributing to our expectations for our Semiconductor business to outperform WFE growth for the 4th consecutive year.”
Original – Veeco Instruments
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Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. announced results for the fiscal third quarter ended September 28, 2024.
Highlights
- 3Q 2024 revenues of $735.4 million
- Gross margin was 20.5% and included the negative impact of approximately 150 basis points related to the addition of Newport
- GAAP loss per share of ($0.14); adjusted EPS of $0.08 per share
- 3Q 2024 book-to-bill of 0.88 with book-to-bill of 0.79 for semiconductors and 0.97 for passive components
- Backlog at quarter end was 4.4 months
“For the third consecutive quarter this year, revenue has held fairly constant, reflecting a prolonged period of inventory de-stocking as the pace of consumption by industrial customers remains slow, backlogs are pushed out and macroeconomic conditions in Europe worsen,” said Joel Smejkal, President and CEO. “While the industry remains in a downcycle, we are making the necessary adjustments to manage costs while continuing to execute our five-year strategic plan. We are preparing to participate fully in the next industry up-cycle and we are putting the foundation in place to capitalize on the longer term demand catalysts of e-mobility and sustainability to drive faster revenue growth, and improve profitability and returns on invested capital.”
For the fourth quarter of 2024, management expects revenues in the range of $720 million +/- $20 million, with gross profit margin in the range of 20.0% +/- 50 basis points, including the negative impact of approximately 175 to 200 basis points from the addition of Newport.
Original – Vishay Intertechnology
