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Infineon Technologies AG announced its partnership with OMRON Social Solutions Co. Ltd., a pioneering company in social systems technology. Combining Infineon’s first-class gallium nitride (GaN) based power solutions with the innovative circuit topology and control technology of OMRON now enables one of Japan’s smallest and lightest vehicle-to-everything (V2X) charging systems by OMRON Social Solutions.
This partnership will further drive innovation towards wide bandgap materials in power supplies, help to accelerate the transition to renewable energies, a smarter grid, and the adoption of electric vehicles, while fostering decarbonization and digitalization.
For the V2X system, KPEP-A series, Infineon’s CoolGaN™ technology is utilized combined with a unique control technology. OMRON Social Solutions has upgraded its EV charger and discharger system now allowing for bi-directional charging and discharging paths between renewable energy sources, the grid, and EV batteries.
The KPEP-A series is one of the smallest and lightest multi-V2X systems in Japan with a 60% reduction in size and weight compared to similar conventional charger and discharger designs yet providing a charging capability of 6 kW. With the integration of Infineon’s CoolGaN solution, the power efficiency of the V2X systems has increased by more than 10% at light load and around 4% at rated load. By improving efficiency and a reduction in size and weight, the new system allows easier installation and maintenance while enabling more elegant designs and offering a wider range of options for installation locations.
“We are thrilled to partner with OMRON Social Solutions as our CoolGaN based solutions directly contribute to speed up the transition to renewable energies which reduces CO2 emissions and drives decarbonization,” said Adam White, Division President Power & Sensor Systems at Infineon. “It will also make charging of electric vehicles easier and more convenient for consumers, helping to overcome one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption.”
Atsushi Sasawaki, Managing Executive Officer and Senior General Manager for Energy Solutions Business of OMRON Social Solutions said: “Having access to a broad portfolio of WBG solutions significantly increases the functionality, performance and quality of our products. With Infineon, we get the best-in-class application know-how for creating new and improved charging and discharging systems, providing a high level of satisfaction for our customers and end-users. We look forward to further developing GaN- and SiC-based power solutions together with Infineon to help drive renewable energy and electric vehicles.”
Wide bandgap semiconductors made of silicon carbide and gallium nitride differ significantly from conventional semiconductors as they allow for greater power efficiency, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost. Infineon offers the broadest product and technology portfolio including silicon, silicon carbide and gallium-nitride-based devices.
As the leading power supplier with more than two decades of heritage in SiC and GaN technology development, Infineon caters to the need for smarter, more efficient energy generation, transmission, and consumption.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Soitec announced the launch of a new industrial installation allowing wafer rinse water to be partially reused in the production of ultra-pure water for cleanrooms at its French manufacturing facilities.
Thanks to this innovation, the first of its kind in Europe at this scale, Soitec intends to increase significantly the proportion water that can be reused in its industrial processes. The wastewater reuse rate at its historic site in Bernin (Isère) is thereby expected to rise from 19% in 2023 to over 35% in 2024.
This solution, developed by Soitec in Bernin over three years, represents an important milestone in Soitec’s continuous improvement of resource management, one of the key pillars of its sustainable development strategy.
Cyril Menon, Soitec Chief Operations Officer: “This manufacturing process innovation is an illustration of Soitec’s commitment over several years to limit the intake of fresh water, a critical resource for semiconductor materials production. It is a significant milestone that we have reached. The introduction of this new process demonstrates that we can produce more with less, contributing to a more sustainable future.”
Soitec puts efficient management of natural resources at the heart of its commitment to sustainable development. While water is essential for the semiconductor industry, Soitec is well aware that it is a rare and precious resource that must be used responsibly and equitably by all.
From 2015 onwards, Soitec committed itself to a series of action plans to mitigate its impact on water resources. Soitec reduced its overall water consumption per unit produced by 30% between 2021 and 2023, and is targeting a further 30% reduction by 2030.
Original – Soitec
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Renesas Electronics Corporation and Transphorm, Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which a subsidiary of Renesas will acquire all outstanding shares of Transphorm’s common stock for $5.10 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 35% to Transphorm’s closing price on January 10, 2024, a premium of approximately 56% to the volume weighted average price over the last twelve months and a premium of approximately 78% to the volume weighted average price over the last six months.
The transaction values Transphorm at approximately $339 million. The acquisition will provide Renesas with in-house GaN technology, a key next-generation material for power semiconductors, expanding its reach into fast-growing markets such as EVs, computing (data centers, AI, infrastructure), renewable energy, industrial power conversion and fast chargers/adapters.
Demand for highly efficient power systems is increasing as building blocks for carbon neutrality. To address this trend, an industry-wide transition toward wide bandgap (“WBG”) materials, represented by silicon carbide (“SiC”) and GaN, is also being seen. These advanced materials allow a broader range of voltage and switching frequency than conventional silicon-based devices. To build on this momentum, Renesas has announced the establishment of an in-house SiC production line, supported by a 10 year SiC wafer supply agreement.
Renesas now aims to further expand its WBG portfolio with Transphorm’s expertise in GaN, an emerging material that enables higher switching frequency, lower power losses, and smaller form factors. These benefits empower customers’ systems with greater efficiency, smaller and lighter composition, and lower overall cost.
As such, demand for GaN is predicted to grow by more than 50 percent annually, according to an industry study. Renesas will implement Transphorm’s auto-qualified GaN technology to develop new enhanced power solution offerings, such as X-in-1 powertrain solutions for EVs, along with computing, energy, industrial and consumer applications.
“Transphorm is a company uniquely led by a seasoned team rooted in GaN power and with origins from the University of California at Santa Barbara,” said Hidetoshi Shibata, CEO of Renesas. “The addition of Transphorm’s GaN technology builds on our momentum in IGBT and SiC. It will fuel and expand our power portfolio as a key pillar of growth, offering our customers the full ability to choose their optimal power solutions.”
“Combined with Renesas’ world-wide footprint, breadth of solution offerings and customer relationships, we are excited to pave the way for industry-wide adoption of WBG materials and set the stage for significant growth.
This transaction will also allow us to offer further expanded services to our customers and deliver significant immediate cash value to our stockholders,” said Dr. Primit Parikh, Co-founder, President and CEO of Transphorm and Dr. Umesh Mishra, Co-founder and CTO of Transphorm. “Additionally, it will provide a strong platform for our exceptional team to further Transphorm’s leading GaN technology and products.”
The board of directors of Transphorm has unanimously approved the definitive agreement with respect to the transaction and recommended that Transphorm stockholders adopt such definitive agreement and approve the merger. Concurrently with the execution of the definitive agreement, KKR Phorm Investors L.P., which holds approximately 38.6% of Transphorm’s outstanding common stock, has entered into a customary voting agreement with Renesas to vote in favor of the transaction.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2024, subject to Transphorm stockholder approval, required regulatory clearances and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
Original – Renesas Electronics
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Florian Martens will take over as global Head of Communications & Public Policy at Infineon Technologies AG on 1 March 2024. As Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, he will report to Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. Florian Martens succeeds Bernd Hops, who has left Infineon at his own request effective 30 September 2023.
“On its ambitious growth path, Infineon needs to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. With Florian Martens, we have found an internationally recognized communications professional for this strategic management task. We are very pleased to welcome him to our team with his extensive experience and expertise,” says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG.
Florian Martens joins from Siemens AG, where he is responsible for global Media Relations, Executive Communications and Thought Leadership activities since June 2020. Together with his team, he contributed significantly to Siemens’ new external positioning as a leading global technology company.
“Semiconductors are the hearts and brains of our digital world. There is no more exciting and relevant industry for the digital and green transformation. Infineon is a global champion in this key industry and I am delighted to be part of this team going forward. At the same time, I would like to thank all my colleagues for a great time at Siemens,” says Florian Martens.
Before joining Siemens, Florian Martens spent 15 years at Daimler AG, most recently as Head of Global Communications at Daimler Truck AG, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. At Daimler, he held various management positions in Germany and abroad, including in Corporate Communications and Product Strategy at Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin (Madison USA) and a Masters of Business Administration from the Technical University of Munich.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG has formalized an agreement with silicon carbide (SiC) supplier SK Siltron CSS. Under the agreement, SK Siltron CSS will provide Infineon with competitive and high-quality 150-millimeter SiC wafers, supporting the production of SiC semiconductors. In a subsequent phase, SK Siltron CSS will play an important role in assisting Infineon’s transition to a 200-millimeter wafer diameter.
“For Infineon, supply chain resiliency is about implementing a multi-supplier strategy and thriving in times of adversity to create new growth opportunities and drive decarbonization,” said Angelique van der Burg, Chief Procurement Officer at Infineon. “We are excited to partner with SK Siltron CSS to serve the growing SiC demand of our broad customer base with new energy-efficient and top-quality products, matching the highest standards in the SiC market.”
“With decades of experience in silicon carbide materials and manufacturing, we bring unparalleled knowledge to our sustainably manufactured compound semiconductor solutions. This wealth of experience is a cornerstone in our partnership with Infineon,” said Jianwei Dong, Ph.D., CEO of SK Siltron CSS. “This long-term supply agreement marks the synergy of our extensive expertise and Infineon’s vision to make life easier, safer and greener for generations to come.”
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Navitas Semiconductor announced the appointment of Janet Chou as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective upon the filing of Navitas’ 2023 annual report on Form 10‑K expected at the end of February.
Chou will report to Gene Sheridan, President and CEO, and will replace Ron Shelton, Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, who announced his intention to pursue other opportunities effective March 15, 2024. Following the Form 10-K filing, Shelton will provide advice and assistance to Sheridan and transition assistance and support to Chou.
“Under Ron’s financial leadership, we have executed a significant and successful capital raise, built a strong investor and analyst base, and completed three strategic acquisitions—all while delivering predictable and impressive financial results,” said Sheridan. “While I wish Ron all the best in his next career move, I am also very excited to welcome Janet Chou as our new CFO. I am confident her deep experience in financial leadership at global, multi-$B public semiconductor leaders will be invaluable as we scale Navitas to new levels in coming years.”
Chou was previously Vice President and CFO of Global Operations for Western Digital Corporation, a $12 billion Nasdaq-listed developer, manufacturer, and provider of data storage devices and solutions. She was previously CFO of JCET Group Co., Ltd., a $5 billion global semiconductor company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Before that Chou progressed through a series of senior financial management roles at NXP Semiconductors N.V., a $13 billion global semiconductor manufacturer, including VP and CFO for Greater China, and VP and CFO of the Portable & Computing Business Unit.
Chou is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas, San Antonio, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Okmetic’s headquarters and production plant where most of silicon wafers are manufactured are located in Vantaa, Finland, while it is globally close to the customers. To better respond to local customers, the company is dedicated to improve its sales and customer support organization.
During the year of 2023, Okmetic has established sales offices in both France and Taiwan to better serve the customers in these areas. This is one of commitments to take business operations to the next level.
Since then on, company’s worldwide sales and service network is able to deliver quick expert responses from Finland, Germany, France, the United States, Japan, Taiwan and China. In addition, Okmetic’s network of agents is at full service in Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.
Original – Okmetic
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STMicroelectronics announced its new organization, effective February 5th, 2024.
“We are re-organizing our Product Groups to further accelerate our time-to-market and speed of product development innovation and efficiency. This will enable us to increase value extraction from our broad and unique product and technology portfolio. In addition, we are getting even closer to our customers with an application marketing organization by end market which will boost our ability to complement our product offering with complete system solutions” said Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics. “This is an important step in the development of our established strategy, in line with our value proposition to all stakeholders and with the business and financial ambitions we set back in 2022”.
Moving from three to two Product Groups to further enhance product development innovation and efficiency, and time-to-market
The two new Product Groups will be:
- Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors (APMS), led by Marco Cassis, ST President and member of the Executive Committee; and
- Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products (MDRF), led by Remi El-Ouazzane, ST President and member of the Executive Committee.
The APMS Product Group will include all ST analog products, including Smart Power solutions for automotive; all ST Power & Discrete product lines including Silicon Carbide products; MEMS and Sensors.
APMS will include two Reportable Segments: Analog products, MEMS and Sensors (AM&S); Power and discrete products (P&D).The MDRF Product Group will include all ST digital ICs and microcontrollers, including automotive microcontrollers; RF, ADAS, Infotainment ICs. MDRF will include two Reportable Segments: Microcontrollers (MCU); Digital ICs and RF Products (D&RF).
Concurrent with this new organization Marco Monti, ST President of the former Automotive and Discrete Product Group, will leave the Company.
To complement the existing Sales & Marketing organization, a new application marketing organization by end market will be implemented across all ST Regions. This will provide ST customers with end-to-end system solutions based on the Company’s product and technology portfolio.
The company is implementing an application marketing organization by end market across all ST Regions, as part of its Sales & Marketing organization led by Jerome Roux, ST President and member of the Executive Committee. The application marketing organization will cover the following four end markets:
- Automotive
- Industrial Power and Energy
- Industrial Automation, IoT and AI
- Personal Electronics, Communication Equipment and Computer Peripherals.
The current regional Sales & Marketing organization remains unchanged.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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EPC introduces three evaluation boards – EPC9179, EPC9181, and EPC9180 – featuring pulse current laser drivers of 75 A, 125 A, and 231 A , showcasing EPC’s AEC-Q101 GaN FETs. These FETs; EPC2252, EPC2204A, and EPC2218A are 30% smaller and more cost-effective than their predecessors. Designed for both long and short-range automotive lidar systems, these boards expedite solution evaluation with varied input and output options.
All boards share identical functionality, differing only in peak current and pulse width. Utilizing a resonant discharge power stage, they employ a ground-referenced GaN FET driven by LMG1020 gate driver. The GaN FET’s ultrafast switching enables rapid discharge of a charged capacitor through the load’s stray inductance, enabling peak discharge currents of tens to hundreds of amps within nanoseconds.
The printed circuit board is designed to minimize power loops and common source inductance while offering mounting flexibility for laser diodes or alternative loads. To enhance user-friendliness, all boards ship with EPC9989 interposer PCBs, featuring various footprints to accommodate a variety of laser diodes or other loads. Customers can choose one that meets their needs to evaluate the GaN solutions.
The EPC9179/81/80 boards are designed to be triggered from 3.3V logic or differential logic signals such as LVDS. For single-ended inputs, the boards can operate with input voltages down to 2.5 V or 1.8 V with a simple modification. Designing an automotive lidar system is complex, and finding a reliable solution is challenging. The purpose of these evaluation boards is to simplify the evaluation of powerful GaN-based lidar drivers that switch faster and deliver higher pulse current than other semiconductor solutions. For technical details, EPC offers full schematics, bill of materials (BOM), PCB layout files, and a quick start guide on EPC’s website.
“To meet the growing demand for automotive lidar, these cost-effective boards, featuring our latest AEC products, streamline evaluation, reducing time-to-market with exceptional switching performance,” said Alex Lidow, CEO, and co-founder of EPC.
Original – EPC
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Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. announced the launch of the second product in its High Voltage Power portfolio. Allegro’s AHV85111 isolated gate-driver IC adds critical safety features while simplifying the design of high-power energy conversion systems for e-Mobility and clean energy applications, including OBC/DCDC, solar inverter and datacenter power supply.
“Allegro continues to build upon the technology from our acquisitions in order to expand our High Voltage Power portfolio aimed at helping designers achieve their efficiency and power density needs in clean energy and e-Mobility systems,” said Vijay Mangtani, Vice President and General Manager for High Voltage Power at Allegro. “The bipolar-output of our latest device improves noise immunity and significantly simplifies high-frequency power-converter designs.”
Building upon Allegro’s existing power-thru technology, the AHV85111 was designed to meet designer demands for a simple, streamlined and safe solution. The AHV85111 gate driver adds bipolar-output, a critical feature that significantly improves time to market by eliminating the need to design a complicated negative isolated DC power supply and removing unnecessary external components.
Allegro’s newest power-thru solution also adds crucial safety features that were designed to protect against high operating temperatures in electric powertrain systems, as well as reactions to noisy environments that may be present in microinverters in solar applications, power supply in datacenter applications or on-board chargers for electric vehicles.
The AHV85111 gate driver packs all the benefits of Allegro’s power-thru technology, including 10x lower common-mode capacitance, a 50% smaller footprint, 10x noise reduction and a 50% efficiency improvement compared to competitor offerings, while also providing overtemperature protection that further improves the robustness of system.
Original – Allegro MicroSystems
