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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation will begin shipping samples of its new XB Series high-voltage insulated-gate bipolar transistor (HVIGBT) module, a 3.3k-volt, 1500A high-capacity power semiconductor for large industrial equipment such as railway vehicles, on May 1.
By adopting proprietary diode and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) elements, as well as a unique chip termination structure, the module’s improved moisture resistance will help to improve the efficiency and reliability of inverters for large industrial equipment operating in diverse environments. Mitsubishi Electric will exhibit the XB Series HVIGBT module at Power Conversion Intelligent Motion (PCIM) Expo & Conference 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany from May 6 to 8.
The new 3.3kV/1500A XB Series HVIGBT module uses IGBT elements incorporating Mitsubishi Electric’s proprietary relaxed field of cathode (RFC) diode and carrier-stored trench-gate bipolar transistor (CSTBT) structure. In particular, the module reduces total switching loss by approximately 15% compared to previous models, contributing to higher efficiency in inverters. It also expands tolerance in the reverse-recovery safe-operating area (RRSOA) by about 25% compared to previous models, further enhancing inverter reliability.
In addition, by using a new electric field relaxation structure and a surface charge control structure in the chip’s termination area, Mitsubishi Electric has reduced the area’s size by about 30% while achieving about 20 times greater moisture resistance than existing products, contributing to more stable operation of inverters used in high-humidity environments. By further improving the efficiency and reliability of inverters for large industrial equipment operating in various environments, the module is expected to contribute to efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Aehr Test Systems announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal 2025 ended February 28, 2024.
Fiscal Third Quarter Financial Results:
- Net revenue was $18.3 million, compared to $7.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2024.
- GAAP net loss was $(0.6) million, or $(0.02) per diluted share, compared to a GAAP net loss of $(1.5) million, or $(0.05) per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024.
- Non-GAAP net income, which excludes the impact of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related costs and adjustments, and charges related to an executive officer’s death related accelerated benefits, was $2.0 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $(0.9) million, or $(0.03) per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024.
- Bookings were $24.1 million for the quarter.
- Backlog as of February 28, 2025 was $18.2 Effective backlog, including bookings since February 28, 2025, is $21.8 million.
- Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as of February 28, 2025 was $31.4 million, compared to $35.2 million as of November 29, 2024.
Fiscal First Nine Months Financial Results:
- Net revenue was $44.9 million, compared to $49.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2024.
- GAAP net loss was $(1.0) million, or $(0.03) per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $9.3 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, in the first nine months of fiscal 2024.
- Non-GAAP net income was $4.8 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, which excludes the impact of stock-based compensation, acquisition-related costs and adjustments, and charges related to accelerated benefits, compared to non-GAAP net income of $11.0 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, in the first nine months of fiscal 2024.
- Cash used in operating activities was $5.1 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2025.
Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented:
“We have been laser-focused on the initiatives we set out to expand our total addressable markets, diversify our customer base, and develop new products, capabilities, and capacity to grow our business moving forward. We are excited by the significant progress we’ve made this year in expanding into new key markets and unlocking new opportunities to attract customers and drive revenue growth, particularly in diversifying our markets and customers beyond our revenue concentration last fiscal year from silicon carbide (SiC) wafer level burn-in (WLBI).
SiC WLBI accounted for over 90% of our business in fiscal 2024, while this year it’s tracking to less than 40%, with artificial intelligence (AI) processors burn-in representing over 35% of our business in just the first year. For the third quarter, we had four customers representing over 10% of revenue, and three of these are new markets for Aehr: WLBI for AI processors, packaged part burn-in (PPBI) for qualification and ongoing process monitoring of AI processors, and WLBI of gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. If you look at bookings, yet another customer and market, hard disk drive components, accounted for over 15% of our bookings. We are very excited about our expansion into new customers and markets, while at the same time we believe we are well positioned to continue to grow our business in the silicon carbide WLBI market.
“During the quarter, we qualified, received orders for, and shipped the world’s first production WLBI systems specifically designed for AI processors. Our new high-power FOX-XPTM WLBI system can test up to nine 300mm AI processor wafers simultaneously. This new customer ordered multiple FOX-XP systems and sets of Aehr proprietary WaferPakTM full wafer Contactors for installation at their Outsourced Assembly and Test House (OSAT/Test House.) Aehr has worked with this OSAT/Test House for many years including working on WLBI of silicon photonics devices and optical sensors on our FOX systems and on PPBI of AI processors and ASICs on our Sonoma ultra-high-power test and burn-in systems. Aehr is the only company on the market that offers both a WLBI system as well as a PPBI system for both qualification test and production screening and burn-in of AI processors.
“Another new market for Aehr is adding production PPBI for AI processors in addition to AI processor qualification burn-in. We have shipped multiple Sonoma production burn-in systems this year to a world-leading hyperscaler for production PPBI of their AI application-specific processors and expect to complete installations of the initial order by the end of the current quarter. We’ve also successfully integrated this Sonoma system from the acquisition of InCal Technology last August into Aehr’s engineering and manufacturing operations, enabling us to scale output to two to three times the previous record shipment volume within just nine months.
“In addition to AI-related orders and installations for WLBI and PPBI this quarter, Aehr achieved several other key milestones:
- Expanded into production WLBI for GaN power semiconductors,
- Secured the high-volume production orders for a new WLBI application in hard disk drives,
- Completing the production qualification of our new high-power, multi-wafer system for production WLBI of silicon photonics devices used in co-packaged optics and optical I/O devices, and
- Made significant progress on proof-of-concept work with a leading flash memory supplier on a new WLBI system for high-volume production of next-generation flash memory devices.
“The SiC market continues to be a significant opportunity for Aehr, and we believe we are well positioned to continue to grow our business in this market. We have most recently seen some recovery in utilization rates and in our customers’ customers’ forecasts and orders. SiC, still driven significantly by electric vehicles (EVs), has deepened its penetration in the EV market thanks to lower prices and accessible supply. At the same time, it is gaining momentum in adjacent sectors such as power infrastructure, solar energy, and other industrial applications. According to market research firm Yole Group, despite a temporary slowdown in battery EV shipments, the SiC market remains on a strong long-term growth trajectory.
“In response to this growing demand, we have expanded our WLBI offering for SiC to support high-voltage testing across up to 18 wafers on a single system, doubling the capacity of our industry-leading nine wafer FOX-XP system. We have already received our first order for this 18-wafer high-voltage system as an upgrade to a customer’s current FOX-XP configuration. This enhancement further strengthens our technical and cost of test advantages for SiC, which is also highly applicable to the high-volume production of GaN devices, an important capability for customers working on both types of wide bandgap compound semiconductors.
“Looking ahead, with our $45 million in revenue and $22 million backlog to date this fiscal year, our customer forecasts, and our success in adding new markets and customers, we feel very good about our business. We do not believe that the impact of the tariff announcements made by the U.S. administration last week will significantly affect Aehr directly. However, considering the secondary effects on our current and potential new customers, along with the uncertainty this quarter regarding possible pauses or delays in customer orders, shipments, or supply chain delivery delays, we are temporarily withdrawing our guidance for our current fiscal 2025 year ending May 30th and will reassess our guidance policy as clarity develops.
“We are encouraged by the increasing number of engagements with both current and potential customers, as well as the long-term growth potential across our diverse target markets. Our strategic expansion into high-growth sectors, including AI processors, GaN power semiconductors, data storage devices, silicon photonics integrated circuits, and flash memory, opens up new opportunities to attract customers and drive revenue growth.”
Original – Aehr Test Systems
