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Axcelis Technologies, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized additional funding of $200 million for the Company’s share repurchase program. The purchases are funded from available working capital.
“We are pleased to announce our Board’s approval of additional funding for our share repurchase program,” stated President and CEO Russell Low. “From 2019 through the second quarter of this year, we have returned over $157 million of cash to shareholders via stock repurchases. The additional funding will maintain our program when the Board’s prior funding is exhausted later this year. The strength of our business model and significant cash flow generation enable us to continue investing for the long term, while also returning cash to our shareholders.”
Repurchases of the Company’s common stock will be made from time to time under the SEC’s Rule 10b-18, subject to market conditions. These shares may be purchased in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. The Company may from time to time enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans to facilitate the repurchase of its common stock pursuant to its share repurchase program. The Company has no obligation to repurchase shares under the authorization. The Company may suspend or discontinue the repurchase program at any time.
Original – Axcelis Technologies
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Two cluster tools of centrotherm’s new generation horizontal furnace c.HORICOO 300 will be integrated into Renesas’ 300 mm wafer production line in Kofu, Japan (Yamanashi Prefecture). Renesas Electronics Corporation is one of the global leading semiconductor manufacturers headquartered in Japan, that provides microcontrollers, analog devices and power semiconductors for automotive and industrial applications. Renesas is the first manufacturer in Japan to use the fully automated, high-throughput production solution in mass production.
The 8-tube cluster c.HORICOO 300 is designed for oxidation and annealing processes on 300 mm silicon wafers. With its fully automated wafer and boat handling, the system offers a reduction in total cost of ownership of up to 50% compared to vertical furnace solutions with a significant improvement in yield. After the market launch and evaluation phase in 2018, the high-throughput system cluster is already integrated in the production lines of well-known European customers. Due to the sales success at Renesas, we expect a pull effect with Japanese power-semiconductor device makers as well as with the leading Asian manufacturers.
From 2024, Renesas will start production of its new generation IGBTs at its Kofu fab. This is where transistors for the next generation of inverters for electric vehicles are produced, which are expected to achieve considerable savings in battery power and thus significantly increase the driving range.
“The c.HORICOO 300 is an important component for the expansion of our power semiconductor fab for 300-mm wafers. centrotherm is one of the leading suppliers of thermal process technology for the semiconductor industry, and we look forward to deepening our relationship as well as collaborating in the coming years,” said Kojiro Horita, Senior Director of Power Device Project Office, Production and Technology Unit, Renesas Electronics Corporation.
Original – centrotherm
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Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH launched two products for brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive applications including fan motors, ventilation fan, air conditioners, air cleaners, and pumps.
Each of the intelligent power devices (IPD) incorporate 600V-rated IGBTs and a matched gate driver as a one-chip solution in a single compact package. The output DC current (IOUT) rating of the TPD4163F is 1A while the TPD4164F is rated at 2A.
The two devices (TPD4163F and TPD4164F) have an IGBT saturation voltage (VCEsat) of 2.6V and 3.0V respectively, while the Diode forward voltage (VF) is 2.0V and 2.5V.
Both devices are housed in a miniature surface mount HSSOP31 package. With dimensions of just 17.5mm x 11.93mm x 2.2mm, the PCB footprint is reduced by around 63% when compared with Toshiba’s existing DIP26 package products. This makes a significant contribution to reducing the space required for motor drive circuit boards.
In addition, in geographic regions where the power supply is unstable, the supply voltage may fluctuate significantly. Therefore, to improve reliability, the supply voltage rating (VBB)has been increased from 500V to 600V to introduce more design margin.
To support the new devices, Toshiba has developed a reference design for BLDC sensorless brushless DC motor drive utilizing the new TPD4164F and a microcontroller TMPM374FWUG.
Toshiba will continue to expand their product lineup with various packages and improved characteristics, contributing to customers’ design flexibility and carbon neutrality through energy-saving motor control.
Volume production shipments of both new devices (and the reference design board) start today.
Original – Toshiba
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A group of semiconductor companies in Flanders have come together to create Flanders Semiconductors, a new nonprofit organization representing the interests of the industry at local, European, and global levels. The organization is open to all qualifying companies, both in and outside of the Flanders region, that have semiconductor technology at the core of their business.
Flanders Semiconductors is a significant move for the Flemish semiconductor industry, which currently employs well over 3,000 people directly, has more than 50 companies with semiconductor as their core business, and over 100 companies defining, testing, and integrating advanced customized semiconductor devices or technologies.
Flanders Semiconductors covers the whole supply chain, including infrastructure, equipment, materials, processing, testing, and devices. The Flanders region also boasts world-class research facilities such as IMEC, universities, and institutes providing semiconductor R&D, education, and training. The objectives of Flanders Semiconductors are to increase the talent pool, share industry roadmaps, maintain a yearly business events calendar, and represent members’ interests at international levels. The organization will also market the region and its members internationally, to promote cooperation between members and to cooperate with similar organizations in Europe.
Flanders Semiconductors is led by President Lou Hermans, who has over three decades of industry expertise, along with a team of seasoned semiconductor professionals. Together with the dedicated management team, their mission is to foster collaboration, drive innovation, and catalyze growth within the semiconductor ecosystem, both in Flanders and on a global scale.
“We are thrilled to officially announce the launch of Flanders Semiconductors, poised to be(come) another important European hub for semiconductor innovation,” said Lou Hermans, President of Flanders Semiconductors. “Our founding members, including BelGan, Caeleste, Cochlear, easics, ICsense, NXP, Pharrowtech, Sofics, and Spectricity, have united to create a platform that champions the semiconductor industry’s interests at every level. I am deeply inspired and motivated by the drive, support, remarkable power and unity of the founding members. Our diverse community of present and future member companies, each bringing their unique solutions to the semiconductor industry, exemplifies the immense strength and boundless potential that collaboration holds.”
Flanders Semiconductors welcomes all qualifying companies with semiconductors as their main business and is open to associate memberships for universities, R&D organizations, and non-qualifying companies.
The grand unveiling of the Flanders Semiconductor association is set for September 13th in Leuven, Belgium and interested parties can join this special occasion. Registrations to secure a spot can be done at www.flanders-semiconductors.org
Original – Flanders Semiconductors
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Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) succeeded in transferring the ‘Ion Implantation and its Evaluation Technology for the SiC (silicon carbide) Power Semiconductor’ to a Hungarian company.
Power semiconductors are key components in electricity and electronics, acting as the muscles of the human body by regulating the direction of current and controlling power conversion. There are many different materials for power semiconductors. Among them, SiC is receiving the most attention due to its excellent material properties, including high durability and excellent power efficiency. When SiC power semiconductors are incorporated into electric vehicles, they cut down the power consumption of the battery and reduce the body weight and volume of the vehicle, resulting in energy efficiency improvements of up to 10%
While SiC power semiconductors have many advantages, the manufacturing process is also very challenging. Previously, a method was applied to create a device by forming an epi layer (single-crystal semiconductor thin-film) on a highly conductive wafer and flowing current through that area. However, during this process, the surface of the epi layer becomes rough and the speed of electron transfer decreases. The price of the epi wafer itself is also high, which is a major obstacle to mass production.
To solve this problem, KERI used a method of implanting ions into a semi-insulated SiC wafer without an epi layer. Ion implantation, which makes a wafer conductive, is the work that breathes life into a semiconductor.
SiC materials are hard and require very high energy ion implantation followed by high temperature heat treatment to activate the ions, making it a difficult technology to implement. However, KERI has succeeded in securing the relevant technologies based on its 10 years of experience in operating ion implantation equipment dedicated to SiC.
“Ion implantation technology can significantly reduce process costs by increasing current flow in semiconductor devices and replacing expensive epi wafers,” said Dr. Kim, Hyoung Woo, Director, Advanced Semiconductor Research Center, KERI. He continued, “This is a technology that increases the price competitiveness of high-performance SiC power semiconductors and contributes greatly to mass production.”
This technology was recently transferred to ‘SEMILAB ZRT (CEO: Tibor Pavelka)’, a semiconductor metrology equipment company located in Budapest, Hungary. With a 30-year history, SEMILAB has manufacturing plants in Hungary and the United States. SEMILAB owns patents for medium-sized precision measurement equipment and material characterization equipment, and has the world’s leading technology in semiconductor electrical parameter evaluation system.
They predict that through this technology transfer, they will be able to standardize high-quality SiC. SEMILAB plans to use KERI technology to develop specialized equipment to evaluate the ion implantation process of SiC power semiconductor.
Park Su-yong, the president of SEMILAB Korea, said, “Through the development of specialized equipment, we will be able to progress in-line monitoring of implant processes on SiC wafers for immediate, accurate, and low-cost production control of implant systems and in-line monitoring for pre-anneal implant.” He added, “This will be a great foundation for stably securing a high-quality ion implantation mass production process with excellent uniformity and reproducibility.”
KERI is a government-funded research institute under the NST (National Research Council of Science & Technology) of the Ministry of Science and ICT. It has a total of more than 120 intellectual property rights in the field of power semiconductor research. As of the last 10 years, power semiconductor division of KERI has achieved more than KRW 3 billion in technology transfers, the highest level in South Korea.
Original – KERI
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Navitas Semiconductor announced the world-wide launch of GaNSafe™, a new, high-performance wide bandgap power platform at a special customer, partner and press event in Taiwan. Navitas has optimized its 4th-generation gallium nitride technology for demanding, high-power applications in data centers, solar / energy storage and EV markets, where efficiency, power density and robust & reliable operation are critical.
At the worldwide launch event at the Marriot Taipei, Navitas’ David Carroll, Sr. VP Worldwide Sales, and Charles Bailley, Sr. Director Business Development will introduce Navitas and the new GaNSafe platform to an invited VIP audience of over 50 high-ranking customer attendees, plus industry partners and international media.
The new 4th-generation GaN power ICs are manufactured in Hsinchu, by long-term Navitas partner TSMC. Navitas is grateful to Dr. RY Su, Manager of GaN Power Technology at TSMC, who will make a special presentation on the future of GaN at the GaNSafe launch.
Navitas’ GaNFast™ power ICs integrate gallium nitride (GaN) power and drive, with control, sensing, and protection to enable faster charging, higher power density, and greater energy savings, with over 100,000,000 units shipped, and an industry-first 20-year warranty. Now, the new GaNSafe platformhas been engineered with additional, application-specific protection features, functions and new, high-power packaging to deliver enabling performance under grueling high-temperature, long-duration conditions.
The initial, high-power 650/800 V GaNSafe portfolio covers a range of RDS(ON) from 35 to 98 mΩ in a novel, robust, and cool-running surface-mount TOLL package, to address applications from 1,000 to 22,000 W. GaNSafe integrated features and functions include:
- Protected, regulated, integrated gate-drive control, with zero gate-source loop inductance for reliable high-speed 2 MHz switching capability to maximize application power density.
- High-speed short-circuit protection, with autonomous ‘detect and protect’ within 50 ns – 4x faster than competing discrete solutions.
- Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of 2 kV, compared to zero for discrete GaN transistors.
- 650 V continuous, and 800 V transient voltage capability to aid survival during extraordinary application conditions.
- Easy-to-use, complete, high-power, high-reliability, high-performance power IC with only 4 pins, to accelerate customer designs.
- Programmable turn-on and turn-off speeds (dV/dt) to simplify EMI regulatory requirements.
Unlike discrete GaN transistor designs, with voltage spikes, undershoot and specification breaches, GaNSafe delivers an efficient, predictable, reliable system. GaNSafe’s robust 4-pin TOLL package has achieved the tough IPC-9701 mechanical reliability standard, and delivers simple, strong, dependable performance as compared to multi-chip modules which require 3x as many connections, and have poor cooling capability.
Navitas’ market-specific system design centers offer complete platform designs with benchmark efficiency, density and system cost using GaNSafe products to accelerate customer time-to-revenue and maximize chance of first-time-right designs. These system platforms include complete design collateral with fully-tested hardware, embedded software, schematics, bill-of-materials, layout, simulation and hardware test results. Examples of system platforms enabled by GaNSafe technology include:
- Navitas’ CRPS185 data center power platform, that delivers a full 3,200 W of power in only 1U (40 mm) x 73.5mm x 185 mm (544 cc), achieving 5.9 W/cc, or almost 100 W/in3 power density. This is a 40% size reduction vs, the equivalent legacy silicon approach and reaches over 96.5% efficiency at 30% load, and over 96% stretching from 20% to 60% load, creating a ‘Titanium Plus’ benchmark.
- Navitas’ 6.6 kW 3-in-1 bi-directional EV on-board charger (OBC) with 3 kW DC-DC. This 96%+ efficient unit has over 50% higher power density, and with efficiency over 95%, delivers up to 16% energy savings as compared to competing solutions.
“Our original GaNFast and GaNSense technologies have set the industry standard for mobile charging, establishing the first market with high-volume, mainstream GaN adoption to displace silicon,” said Gene Sheridan, CEO and co-founder. “GaNSafe takes our technology to the next level, as the most protected, reliable and safe GaN devices in the industry, and now also targeting 1-22 kW power systems in AI-based data centers, EV, solar and energy storage systems. Customers can now achieve the full potential of GaN in these multi-billion dollar markets demanding the highest efficiency, density and reliability.”
The GaNSafe portfolio is available immediately to qualified customers with mass production expected to begin in Q4 2023. 40 customer projects are already in progress with GaNSafe in data center, solar, energy storage and EV applications, contributing to Navitas’ $1 billion customer pipeline.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation received a letter of resignation, dated September 5, 2023, from Mr. Mel Keating, a member of the board of directors of the Company, whose resignation was accepted by the Board and effective as of September 5, 2023.
Now that the Company has announced its plan to separate its Display and Power operations into two distinct legal entities, Mr. Keating has decided that, after over 7 years of service as a member of the Board, during which time he led the Audit Committee and the Strategic Review Committee, and given other important and time consuming business obligations, it was the right time to conclude his service to the company.
Mr. Keating’s resignation is not due to any disagreement with the company over any of its financial reporting, operations, policies or practices.
Original – Magnachip Semiconductor
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Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. has determined that QST® (Qromis Substrate Technology) substrate is an essential material for the social implementation of high-performance, energy-efficient GaN (gallium nitride) power devices, and the company will promote the development and launching on the market of these products.
Since QST® substrate is designed to have the same coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as GaN, it enables suppression of warpage and cracking of the GaN epitaxial layer and resultant large-diameter, high-quality thick GaN epitaxial growth. Taking advantage of these characteristics, it is expected to be applied to power devices and RF devices (5G and beyond 5G), which have been rapidly growing in recent years, as well as in such areas as MicroLED growth for MicroLED displays.
In addition to sales of QST® substrates, Shin-Etsu Chemical will also sell GaN grown QST® substrates upon customer request. We currently have a line-up of 6″ and 8″ diameter substrates, and we are working on 12″ diameter substrates. Since 2021, for each respective application for power devices, RF devices and LEDs, sample evaluation and device development are continuing with numerous customers in Japan and globally. Especially for power devices, continuous evaluation is underway for devices in the wide range of 650V to 1800V.
So far, Shin-Etsu Chemical has repeatedly made many improvements with regard to its QST® substrates. One example is the significant improvement in lowering defects originating from the bonding process, which has enabled the supply of high-quality QST® substrates. In addition, for the thicker GaN films that many of our customers have requested, we have promoted the provision of template substrates with optimized buffer layers, which enables our customers to realize stable epitaxial growth of more than 10 μm thickness. Furthermore, various successful results have been produced and reported on, including the achievement of thick-film GaN growth exceeding 20 μm using QST® substrates and the achievement of 1800V breakdown voltage in power devices.
Moreover, Shin-Etsu Chemical and Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. have jointly succeeded in developing a technology to exfoliate GaN from QST® substrates and bond it to substrates made of different materials using Crystal Film Bonding (CFB) technology. Until now, most GaN power devices have been lateral devices, but CFB technology takes advantage of the characteristics of QST® substrates to realize vertical power devices that can control large currents by exfoliating a thick layer of high-quality GaN from an insulating QST® substrate (see figure below).
To customers who manufacture GaN devices, Shin-Etsu Chemical will provide QST® substrates or GaN grown QST® substrates and Oki Electric Industry will provide its CFB technology through partnering or licensing. In this way, the two companies hope to contribute to the advancement of vertical power devices.
Based on these development results and also based on business situation inquiries from customers, Shin-Etsu Chemical will continue to increase production to meet customer demand.
Shin-Etsu Chemical will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society that can use energy efficiently by further promoting the social implementation of GaN devices that have characteristics that are absolutely essential for the future society.
Original – Shin-Etsu Chemical
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The Board of Directors of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. named James Coogan to succeed Kevin Brewer as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Coogan will join the Company in October 2023. At that time, Mr. Brewer will assume the title of Executive Vice President, Finance and Operations. He will continue to manage the Company’s manufacturing operations and will support the transition of the Company’s finance function to Mr. Coogan. Mr. Brewer plans to retire at year-end 2023 and will remain as a Senior Advisor through 2024.
Mr. Coogan brings more than 20 years of finance, accounting, and investor relations experience across multiple industries, most recently in aerospace and defense. Mr. Coogan joins Axcelis after serving as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at Kaman Corporation, a leading provider of aerospace and defense products. During his 15 years with Kaman, he held various management positions including Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development, Assistant Vice President, External Reporting and SEC Compliance, and Director, External Reporting and SEC Compliance.
After starting his career at PwC, he held several financial management roles at Ann Taylor Stores Corporation and Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority before joining Kaman. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management, a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting from the University of Connecticut.
Mr. Brewer has had a 24 year career at Axcelis. He came to Axcelis through Eaton Corporation and held numerous executive level positions in the Company including CFO and EVP of Global Operations for the past 10 plus years. Prior to joining Eaton, Mr. Brewer held numerous senior level positions at Raytheon Companies Aircraft, Electronic Systems and Missile systems Divisions.
“We are immensely grateful for the contributions and legacy Kevin has left on this Company. His knowledge and experience during a unique time in Axcelis’ history enabled us to strengthen the Company and position it for a very bright future,” said Executive Chairperson Mary Puma. “Through his leadership, the Company has increased operational efficiencies, strengthened the supply chain, improved financial performance and increased the Company’s pace of profitable growth.”
President and CEO Russell Low stated, “I also want to express my gratitude to Kevin for his contributions and leadership. After an extensive search, we are delighted to announce that Jamie will be joining Axcelis as our new CFO. He is a seasoned executive with a proven track record and his wealth of knowledge and experience will be of great benefit as we continue to focus on the tremendous growth opportunities ahead for Axcelis. We are confident that Jamie will help the team continue to deliver the growth and profitability that investors have come to expect from Axcelis.”
Kevin Brewer commented, “I have been planning this transition in coordination with the Board and believe now is the right time to transition the Finance function. I will continue to oversee Manufacturing Operations through year end, at which time I will move into the Senior Advisor role, supporting both functions as needed through 2024. I am grateful for the honor and privilege to serve as CFO during this pivotal time in the Company’s history. I want to thank the entire Axcelis team for their hard work and unwavering commitment to lead us here. I also want to thank our customers, suppliers and shareholders who have supported Axcelis over the years.”
James Coogan stated, “I am thrilled to join Axcelis during such an exciting time and I look forward to partnering with the leadership team and the Board to build on the Company’s success and drive further growth and long-term shareholder returns.”
Original – Axcelis Technologies
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On the road towards becoming a fully electric car maker by 2030, an important focus area for Volvo technology investments and R&D spending is e-motors, inverters and overall electric drivetrain optimisation.
Only by gaining control over electrification technology stack – a process called “vertical integration” – can can a company create pure electric Volvo cars that deliver on everything the customers want: longer range, faster charging and a great Volvo driving experience.
The latest investment by the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the corporate venture capital arm, reflects those ambitions. Leadrive, a Shanghai-based company founded in 2017, is an exciting new player in power electronics and control units for fully electric cars.
Leadrive is specialising in designing and building power modules that use silicon carbide (SiC) technology. Silicon carbide is a semiconductor base material that promises to unlock highly efficient and flexible electric propulsion systems.
“Leadrive’s technology demonstrates a lot of potential for the development of more efficient electric drivetrains,” said Alexander Petrofski, CEO of the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “That potential closely aligns with our own focus on electrification, so we’re excited to invest in the company and help it to continue growing its business.”
“Volvo Cars and Leadrive have been working very closely on the development of new generation SiC technologies, which has built a firm stairway towards the strategic collaboration,” said Jie Shen, founder and CEO of Leadrive. “This is a great milestone in Leadrive’s global strategy and demonstrates the huge potential of our cooperation in advanced electrification technology.”
Original – Volvo Car Corporation
