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Soitec once again demonstrates its excellence in innovation through its rise in the 2024 ranking of patent filers published by the INPI (the French National Institute of Industrial Property).
This recognition highlights Soitec’s unwavering commitment to innovation and confirms its central role in the development of disruptive technologies, driven by a global strategy and a network of research centers spread across several continents.
For the first time, the patents filed originate from all of its innovation sites around the world, illustrating a collaborative approach that combines technological excellence with strong local roots.
With 76 patents filed in France in 2024, compared to 62 the previous year, Soitec:
- Confirms its 1st place among the most innovative mid-sized companies, for the second consecutive year;
- Rises to 22nd place nationally, up three places.
This achievement reflects the strength of Soitec’s innovation strategy, driven by its research, technology, and intellectual property teams. The company protects its technological advances with a robust patent portfolio, securing its innovations and ensuring product differentiation in the market through the exclusivity of its innovations. With approximately 400 patents filed worldwide each year, Soitec has established itself as an essential technology leader.
Pierre Barnabé, CEO of Soitec, stated:
“This progress in the INPI ranking demonstrates Soitec’s unwavering commitment to innovation and intellectual property. Our teams continue to develop breakthrough solutions that address the strategic challenges of our industry. By strengthening our patent portfolio, we consolidate our leadership position and create value for our customers and partners worldwide.”
Soitec’s continuous investments in R&D enable it to anticipate the needs of strategic markets and address the technological challenges of the future. With 14% of its revenue dedicated to R&D this year, the company develops innovative materials that accelerate the transition to more efficient and sustainable solutions in the field of mobile communications, artificial intelligence, and power electronics.
At the same time, Soitec continues to diversify its activities by introducing innovative new products. The company is at the forefront of Photonics-SOI technology, which facilitates the shift from electrical to optical interconnects – a key development for the evolution of data centers and telecommunications. Furthermore, Soitec’s SmartSiC™ silicon carbide wafers, produced using its patented SmartCut™ technology, enhance the performance and sustainability of power electronics applications, which are essential for electric mobility and the energy industry.
Another example is Soitec’s POI (Piezoelectric On Insulator), an innovative substrate also manufactured using its SmartCut™ technology. It is based on a high-resistivity silicon substrate, topped with an embedded oxide layer and a thin layer of single-crystal piezoelectric material, making it particularly suitable for advanced applications in optoelectronics and telecommunications.
Original – Soitec
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STMicroelectronics and Innoscience announced the signature of an agreement on GaN technology development and manufacturing, leveraging the strengths of each company to enhance GaN power solutions and supply chain resilience.
The companies have agreed on a joint development initiative on GaN power technology, to advance the promising future of GaN power for consumer electronics, datacenters, automotive and industrial power systems and many more applications in the coming years. In addition, the agreement allows Innoscience to utilize ST’s front-end manufacturing capacity outside China for its GaN wafers, while ST can leverage Innoscience’s front-end manufacturing capacity in China for its own GaN wafers. The common ambition is for each company to expand their individual offering in GaN with supply chain flexibility and resilience to cover all customers’ requirements in a wide range of applications.
Marco Cassis, President, Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors of STMicroelectronics declared: “ST and Innoscience are both Integrated Device Manufacturers, and with this agreement we will leverage this model to the benefit of our customers globally. First, ST will be accelerating its roadmap in GaN power technology to complement its silicon and silicon carbide offering. Second, ST will be able to leverage a flexible manufacturing model to serve customers globally.”
Dr. Weiwei Luo, Chairman and Founder of Innoscience, stated “GaN technology is essential to improve electronics, creating smaller and more efficient systems which save electric power, lower cost, and reduce CO2 Emissions. Innoscience pioneered mass production of 8-inch GaN technology and has shipped over 1 billion GaN devices into multiple markets, and we are very excited to move into strategic collaboration with ST. The joint collaboration between ST and Innoscience will further expand and accelerate the adoption of GaN technology. Together the teams at Innoscience and ST will develop the next generations of GaN technology”.
GaN power devices leverage fundamental material properties that enable new standards of system performance in power conversion, motion control, and actuation, offering significantly lower losses, which allows for enhanced efficiency, smaller size, and lighter weight, thus reducing the overall solution cost and carbon footprint; these devices are rapidly being adopted in consumer electronics, data center and industrial power supplies, and solar inverters, and are being actively designed into next-generation EV powertrains due to their substantial size and weight reduction benefits.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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MCC Semi announced a global distribution agreement with Farnell, an innovative distributor and technology leader.
Highly regarded by the engineering industry, Farnell grew from serving the UK market to a leading global technology platform. Farnell’s element14 Community is where great minds in electronics find resources, discussions, and more to help solve design challenges. MCC Semi team is proud to join this community alongside engineers, designers, and purchasing professionals who are passionate about the future of power electronics.
By partnering with Farnell, MCC is expanding its presence in growing markets throughout the world. Now, MCC can provide many benefits of working with the company to a broader customer base, including:
- Supply chain assurance thanks to integrated device manufacturer model
- Exceptional support with local expertise and deep industry knowledge
- 10,000+ top-notch products (25% AEC-Q101 qualified) in a broad range of categories, package types, and technologies
- Ongoing research & development that enables innovation
- Competitive lead times and pricing to maintain an edge
Combining MCC’s expertise with Farnell’s global reach and innovation represents a significant step forward in delivering high-quality solutions to the customers.
Original – Micro Commercial Components
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Wolfspeed, Inc. has received $192.1 million in cash tax refunds from the advanced manufacturing tax credit under Section 48D. Funds include $186.5 million owed to the Company for both fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024 taxes, as well as accrued interest. This announcement reflects a portion of the approximately $1 billion total Section 48D cash tax refunds that the Company expects to receive.
As of the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company had accrued a total of $865 million in Section 48D tax credits. The Company expects receipt of more than $600 million in cash tax refunds in fiscal year 2026. Wolfspeed intends to use the tax credit proceeds to strengthen its capital structure and for general corporate purposes. The Company expects that its cash balance at the end of its fiscal third quarter of 2025 will be approximately $1.3 billion, inclusive of these recently received 48D cash tax credits.
Reaffirming Guidance:
The Company is reaffirming its business outlook for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 as follows:
- Revenue from continuing operations of $170 million to $200 million
- Non-GAAP gross margin of (3)% to 7%
- Non-GAAP operating expenses of $99 million to $104 million
- GAAP net loss of $(295) million to $(270) million, or $(1.89) to $(1.73) per diluted share
- Non-GAAP net loss of $(138) million to $(119) million, or $(0.88) to $(0.76) per diluted share
In addition, the Company is also reaffirming the guidance that it issued in its Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2025:
- Fiscal 2026 capital expenditures of approximately $150 million to $200 million
- Fiscal 2027 capital expenditures of approximately $30 million to $50 million
- Adjusted EBITDA break-even point of $800 million of annual revenue upon completion of the operational simplifications, additional restructuring actions, including the closure of North Carolina Fab, and other cost reduction initiatives
- $200 million of unlevered operating cash flow in fiscal 2026 based on targeted fiscal 2026 revenue growth
- Positive levered free cash flow in fiscal 2027 following completion of refinancing transactions
Wolfspeed continues to explore alternatives with regard to its convertible notes, in partnership with its advisors, and remains in a dialogue with lenders, including Apollo and Renesas. The Company also maintains constructive dialogue with the White House, its legislators, and the U.S. Department of Commerce to secure federal funding and on ways Wolfspeed can support the Trump Administration’s efforts to reinforce U.S. industrial leadership in semiconductors, secure domestic supply chains, and reshore the manufacturing of critical mineral derivatives, including semiconductor wafers.
Original – Wolfspeed
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Infineon Technologies AG is developing TRENCHSTOP™ 7 H7 IGBTs in the new DTO247 package, which has the size of two TO247 packages. With a nominal current rating of up to 350 A, they will be the most powerful discrete IGBTs on the market. The new devices are ideal for solar inverters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and energy storage systems (ESS).
The DTO247 with a single high-current IGBT can replace multiple lower-current IGBTs in standard TO247 packages that are typically connected in parallel. This enables high power density and bridges the gap between TO247-based designs and module architectures. Moreover, the ability to mix and match DTO247-based and standard TO247-based architectures within the same system offers a high degree of flexibility and customization. Integrating DTO247 into the existing TO247 portfolio simplifies the development of cost-effective, scalable architectures.
This reduces design complexity, shortens development time and lowers parallelization effort while improving performance, reliability, and system cost-effectiveness. The portfolio will include H7 IGBTs in 1200 V and 750 V versions, with current ratings of 200 A, 250 A, 300 A, and 350 A. Designed for high-current applications, these devices feature 2-mm-wide leads for optimal conduction, along with 7 mm pin-to-pin clearance and 10 mm creepage distance for enhanced safety and reliability. Additionally, an integrated Kelvin emitter pin provides faster and more efficient switching performance.
Infineon intends to continuously expand its DTO247 portfolio, with plans to include CoolSiC™ MOSFETs in a half-bridge configuration. These devices target to be pin-to-pin compatible with similar products on the market.
First engineering samples of the 200 A and 350 A variants of the TRENCHSTOP™ 7 H7 IGBTs in the DTO247 package are available now. Volume production is scheduled for mid-2026.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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GaN / LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / TOP STORIES / WBGMazda and ROHM Collaborate to Develop Automotive Components Utilizing Next-Generation Semiconductors
March 28, 2025
3 Min ReadMazda Motor Corporation and ROHM Co., Ltd. have commenced joint development of automotive components using gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, which are expected to be the next-generation semiconductors.
Since 2022, Mazda and ROHM have been advancing the joint development of inverters using silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors under a collaborative framework for the development and production of electric drive units. Now, they have also embarked on the development of automotive components using GaN power semiconductors, aiming to create innovative automotive components for next-generation electric vehicles.
GaN is attracting attention as a next-generation material for power semiconductors. Compared to conventional silicon (Si) power semiconductors, GaN can reduce power conversion losses and contribute to the miniaturization of components through high-frequency operation.
Both companies will collaborate to transform these strengths into a package that considers the entire vehicle, and into solutions that innovate in weight reduction and design. Mazda and ROHM aim to materialize the concept and unveil a demonstration model within FY2025, with practical implementation targeted for FY2027.
“As the shift towards electrification accelerates in pursuit of carbon neutrality, we are delighted to collaborate with ROHM, which aims to create a sustainable mobility society with its outstanding semiconductor technology and advanced system solution capabilities, in the development and production of automotive components for electric vehicles” said Ichiro Hirose, Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer and CTO of Mazda. “We are excited to work together to create a new value chain that directly connects semiconductor devices and cars. Through collaboration with partners who share our vision, Mazda will continue to deliver products filled with the ‘joy of driving’ that allows customers to truly enjoy driving, even in electric vehicles.”
“We are very pleased to collaborate with Mazda, which pursues the ‘joy of driving,’ in the development of automotive components for electric vehicles” said Katsumi Azuma, Member of the board and Senior Managing Executive Officer of ROHM. “ROHM’s EcoGaN™, capable of high-frequency operation, and the control IC that maximizes its performance are key to miniaturization and energy-saving. To implement this in society, collaboration with a wide range of companies is essential, and we have established various partnerships for the development and mass production of GaN. By collaborating with Mazda, which aims to create ‘cars that coexist sustainably with the earth and society,’ we will understand the requirements for GaN from the perspective of application and final product development, contributing to the spread of GaN power semiconductors and the creation of a sustainable mobility society.”
Original – ROHM
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Wolfspeed, Inc. announced the appointment of Robert Feurle as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective May 1, 2025, following a comprehensive internal and external search by the Board of Directors. Feurle succeeds Thomas Werner, who is serving as interim Executive Chairman and will return as Chairman of the Board following the transition.
Feurle brings more than 20 years leading global organizations that develop the most advanced power semiconductor solutions in automotive and other high voltage applications, including both silicon and silicon carbide. A citizen of both the United States and Germany, Feurle will be returning to the United States where he previously spent a decade in executive roles at Micron Technology and will be relocating to the Company’s headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, where he will work closely with Werner to ensure a smooth transition.
Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Opto Semiconductors Business Unit at ams-OSRAM AG, where he was responsible for managing more than 10,000 employees in sites and factories around the world. There, he expanded market share and accelerated the introduction of cutting-edge LED and Laser products into automotive and new advanced LED applications. Previously, at Infineon Technologies, Micron Technology, Qimonda, and Siemens, Feurle successfully managed strategic initiatives that enhanced competitiveness and increased revenue growth in challenging global markets.
“We are excited to welcome Robert to Wolfspeed to lead the Company into its next chapter. With a history of delivering significant operational enhancements and profitability improvements, and deep industry expertise, we are confident that Robert is the right individual to take the helm during this stage in the Company’s lifecycle. His history of driving success and operational excellence in each of his previous roles is a significant contributor to our decision to appoint him as CEO. The Board and I look forward to working closely with Robert to successfully navigate near-term market dynamics and ultimately position the Company for long-term value creation,” said Thomas Werner, Executive Chairman.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Wolfspeed during such a transformative period. During my tenure at Infineon, I became intimately familiar with the silicon carbide industry and saw firsthand Wolfspeed’s impressive leadership in the space. I believe we have just begun to scratch the surface of the vast potential of silicon carbide. Wolfspeed’s world-class facilities, exceptional talent, and robust intellectual property, position us to maintain and expand our market leadership,” said Feurle.
Throughout his career, Feurle has consistently driven successful growth strategies, innovative product development, and market expansion initiatives. At ams-OSRAM, Feurle significantly enhanced the market presence of the Opto Semiconductors division through accelerated innovation in advanced compound semiconductor solutions.
Previously at Infineon Technologies, he strategically expanded market opportunities by spearheading new product introductions in the field of IGBT and silicon carbide technologies and leading a global business unit focused on competitive differentiation and profitable growth. He was also part of the team at Infineon supporting the proposed acquisition of the Wolfspeed operations in 2016. His deep experience in market-driven technology innovation and strategic business scaling makes him uniquely suited to advance Wolfspeed’s global leadership in silicon carbide technology.
Feurle joins the company as it continues to focus on improving financial performance and accelerating its path to generate positive free cash flow, take aggressive steps to strengthen its balance sheet and raise cost-effective capital required to support its long-term growth plan.
“With all of the Company’s competitive advantages I feel very confident that we will be able to work through this transformative period to refresh the operating plan, improve financial performance and accelerate our path to positive free cash flow.” Feurle continued, “I look forward to working closely with the Board and our talented team to deliver exceptional value to all of our stakeholders.”
Robert Feurle is a semiconductor industry veteran, bringing more than 20 years of experience in driving operational excellence and financial strength. Prior to his appointment as Wolfspeed’s CEO, Feurle’s recent experience includes serving as Executive Vice President of the Opto Semiconductor business unit at ams-OSRAM AG and Vice President and General Manager of Integrated Solutions and Discretes at Infineon Technologies AG. He also held various leadership and operational roles at Micron Technology, Inc., Qimonda AG and Siemens AG.
Feurle holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz, Germany.
Original – Wolfspeed
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Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new Gen 4.5 650 V E Series power MOSFET that delivers high efficiency and power density for telecom, industrial, and computing applications. Compared to previous-generation devices, the Vishay Siliconix n-channel SiHK050N65E slashes on-resistance by 48.2 %, while offering a 65.4 % lower resistance times gate charge, a key figure of merit (FOM) for 650 V MOSFETs used in power conversion applications.
Vishay offers a broad line of MOSFET technologies that support all stages of the power conversion process, from high voltage inputs to the low voltage outputs required to power the latest high tech equipment. With the SiHK050N65E and other devices in the Gen 4.5 650 V E Series family, the company is addressing the need for efficiency and power density improvements in two of the first stages of the power system architecture — power factor correction (PFC) and subsequent DC/DC converter blocks.
Typical applications will include servers, edge computing, and super computers; UPS; high intensity discharge (HID) lamps and fluorescent ballast lighting; telecom SMPS; solar inverters; welding equipment; induction heating; motor drives; and battery chargers.
Built on Vishay’s latest energy-efficient E Series superjunction technology, the SiHK050N65E’s low typical on-resistance of 0.048 Ω at 10 V results in a higher power rating for applications > 6 kW. With 50 V of additional breakdown voltage, the 650 V device addresses 200 VAC to 277 VAC input voltages and the Open Compute Project’s Open Rack V3 (ORV3) standards. In addition, the MOSFET offers ultra low gate charge down to 78 nC. The resulting FOM of 3.74 Ω*nC translates into reduced conduction and switching losses to save energy and increase efficiency. This allows the device to address the specific titanium efficiency requirements in server power supplies or reach 96 % peak efficiency.
For improved switching performance in hard-switched topologies such as PFC and two-switch forward designs, the MOSFET released today provides low typical effective output capacitances Co(er) and Co(tr) of 167 pF and 1119 pF, respectively. The device’s resulting resistance times Co(er) FOM is an industry-low 8.0 Ω*pF. The SiHK050N65E is offered in the PowerPAK® 10 x 12 package with a Kelvin connection for reduced gate noise and provides increased dv/dt ruggedness. RoHS-compliant and halogen-free, the MOSFET is designed to withstand overvoltage transients in avalanche mode with guaranteed limits through 100 % UIS testing.
Original – Vishay Intertechnology
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Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. announced the launch of Asterion-PW, extending its leadership in power device applications with a fast and precise ultrasonic pin welding solution. This advanced solution sets a new standard for pin interconnect capability – redefining efficiency, precision, and reliability.
Power module devices currently deployed in renewable energy, automotive, and railroad applications are increasingly reliant on pin-based interconnects for critical power storage, management and delivery requirements. The Power module market is one of the fastest growing semiconductor markets – anticipated to support a 12% compound annual growth rate through 2029.
The Asterion-PW leverages market leading ultrasonic technology which is replacing traditional soldering in crucial applications due to accuracy and productivity improvements. Additionally, due to the elimination of flux and solder paste, the Sonotrode ultrasonic capability provides clear environmental benefits. The Asterion-PW platform also provides unparalleled speed and precision enabling higher throughput and superior quality:
- Unmatched Speed and Precision: With a high-resolution linear motor positioning system and innovative, patent-pending Sonotrode design, the Asterion®-PW achieves fine precision Pin placement repeatability.
- Enhanced Productivity: An integrated high speed bulk pin feeder system and optional material handling system equipped with an advanced cleaning station ensure smooth operation. The cleaning system effectively removes contaminants before encapsulation, improving product quality.
- Superior Cost of Ownership: The durable Sonotrode boasts one of the longest operational lifespans currently known in the industry, delivering less frequent change overs, outstanding reliability and cost efficiency.
“Precision drives innovation, and innovation transforms possibilities into realities. The Asterion®-PW for Power module applications is where innovative technology meets performance and cost of ownership benefits, redefining the future of manufacturing,” said Chan Pin Chong, Kulicke & Soffa’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Products and Solutions.
Original – Kulicke and Soffa Industries
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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced the launch of the Thermo Scientific Vulcan™ Automated Lab, a groundbreaking solution designed to drive a new era of process development and control in semiconductor manufacturing. The seamlessly integrated system is designed to enhance productivity, increase yield and reduce operating costs for semiconductor manufacturers.
The rapid evolution and miniaturization of semiconductor technology is leading to unprecedented demand for atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy (TEM) metrology data. Manufacturers now face the challenge of scaling laboratory operations quickly, while maintaining high efficiency and productivity to meet the growing global need for semiconductors that power everything from consumer electronics to autonomous vehicles.
“The increasing complexity of digital technologies, which requires more sophisticated semiconductors, provides us with an incredible opportunity to enable the success of our semiconductor customers through advanced imaging analysis technology,” said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher. “By leveraging our deep expertise in electron microscopy and auxiliary instruments with artificial intelligence capabilities, our new solution is well-positioned to help semiconductor manufacturers drive efficiencies in their operations.”
Drawing on decades of electron microscopy (EM) innovation, the Thermo Scientific Vulcan Automated Lab represents a step change in atomic-scale data acquisition by integrating robotic handling with artificial intelligence-enhanced instruments for semiconductor analysis. This enables consistent and efficient standards for TEM metrology workflows, while delivering high-volume data of exceptional quality and reducing operator burden.
The solution has also been designed to help address the time-to-data gap resulting from traditional TEM analysis methods. By streamlining metrology data collection using a combination of materials handling automation and data connectivity, the Thermo Scientific Vulcan Automated Lab accelerates the data collection process and creates an integrated workflow between the semiconductor lab and the fabrication facility.
Original – Thermo Fisher Scientific
