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Bosch is expanding its semiconductor business with silicon carbide chips. The technology company plans to acquire assets of the U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors, based in Roseville, California. With a workforce of 250, the company is a foundry for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs. Currently, it mainly develops and produces large volumes of chips on 200-millimeter silicon wafers for applications in the mobility, telecommunications, energy, and life sciences industries. Over the next years, Bosch intends to invest more than 1.5 billion USD in the Roseville site and convert the TSI Semiconductors manufacturing facilities to state-of-the-art processes. Starting in 2026, the first chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers based on the innovative material silicon carbide (SiC).
In this way, Bosch is systematically reinforcing its semiconductor business, and will have significantly extended its global portfolio of SiC chips by the end of 2030. Above all, the global boom and ramp-up of electromobility are resulting in huge demand for such special semiconductors. The full scope of the planned investment will be heavily dependent on federal funding opportunities available via the CHIPS and Science Act as well as economic development opportunities within the State of California. Bosch and TSI Semiconductors have reached an agreement to not to disclose any financial details of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval.
“With the acquisition of TSI Semiconductors, we are establishing manufacturing capacity for SiC chips in an important sales market while also increasing our semiconductor manufacturing, globally. The existing clean-room facilities and expert personnel in Roseville will allow us to manufacture SiC chips for electromobility on an even larger scale,” says Dr. Stefan Hartung, the chairman of the Bosch board of management. “The location in Roseville has existed since 1984. Over nearly 40 years, the U.S. company has built up vast expertise in semiconductor production. We will now be integrating this expertise into the Bosch semiconductor manufacturing network,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector. “We are pleased to join a globally operating technology company with extensive semiconductor expertise. We are confident that our Roseville location will be a significant addition to Bosch’s SiC chipmaking operations,” says Oded Tal, CEO at TSI Semiconductors.
The new location in Roseville will reinforce Bosch’s international semiconductor manufacturing network. Starting in 2026, following a retooling phase, first SiC chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers in a facility offering roughly 10,000 square meters of clean-room space. At an early stage, Bosch invested in the development and production of SiC chips. Since 2021, it has been using its own proprietary, highly complex processes to mass-produce them at its Reutlingen location near Stuttgart. In the future, Reutlingen will also produce them on 200-millimeters wafers. By the end of 2025, the company will have extended its clean-room space in Reutlingen from roughly 35,000 to more than 44,000 square meters. “SiC chips are a key component for electrified mobility. By extending our semiconductor operations internationally, we are strengthening our local presence in an important electric vehicle market,” Heyn says.
Demand for chips for the automotive industry remains high. By 2025, Bosch expects to have an average of 25 of its chips integrated in every new vehicle. The market for SiC chips is also continuing to grow fast – by 30 percent a year on average. The main drivers of this growth are the global boom and ramp-up of electromobility. In electric vehicles, SiC chips enable greater range and more efficient recharging, as they use up to 50 percent less energy. Installed in these vehicles’ power electronics, they ensure that a vehicle can drive a significantly longer distance on one battery charge – on average, the possible range is 6 percent greater than with silicon-based chips.
Semiconductors are key to the success of all Bosch business areas. The company recognized the potential of this technology early on, and has been producing semiconductors for more than 60 years. Bosch is one of the few companies to have not only electronic and software expertise but also a profound understanding of microelectronics. It can combine this decisive competitive advantage with its strength in semiconductor manufacturing. The supplier of technology and services has been manufacturing semiconductors in Reutlingen since 1970. They are used both in the automotive sphere and in consumer electronics. Modern electronics in vehicles is also the basis for reducing traffic emissions, preventing road accidents, and efficient powertrains. Production at the Bosch wafer fab in Dresden (300-millimeter wafers) started in July 2021. At nearly one billion euros, the wafer fab is the biggest single investment in the company’s history.
In its wafer fabs in Reutlingen and Dresden, Bosch has invested more than 2.5 billion euros in total since 200-millimeter technology was introduced in 2010. On top of this, billions of euros have been invested in developing microelectronics. Independently of the investment now planned in the United States, the company announced in summer last year that it will be investing a further 3 billion euros in its semiconductor business in Europe, both as part of its investment planning and with the aid of the EU’s “Important Project of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies” program.
Original – Bosch
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Infineon Technologies AG and Schweizer Electronic AG are collaborating on an innovative way to further increase the efficiency of chips based on silicon carbide (SiC). Both partners are developing a solution to embed Infineon’s 1200 V CoolSiC™ chips directly onto printed circuit boards (PCB). This will increase the range of electric vehicles and reduce the total system costs.
The two companies have already demonstrated the potential of this new approach: They were able to embed a 48 V MOSFET in the PCB. This resulted in a 35 percent increase in performance. SCHWEIZER contributes to this success with its innovative p²Pack® solution which enables power semiconductors to be embedded in PCBs.
“Our joint goal is to take automotive power electronics to the next level,” said Robert Hermann, Product Line Head Automotive High-Voltage Discretes and Chips, of Infineon. “The low-inductive environment of a PCB allows clean and fast switching. Combined with the leading performance of 1200 V CoolSiC™ devices, chip embedding enables highly integrated and efficient inverters that reduce overall system costs.”
“With Infineon’s 100 percent electrically tested standard cells (S-Cell), we can achieve high overall yields in the p² Pack manufacturing process,” said Thomas Gottwald, Vice President Technology at Schweizer Electronic AG. “The fast-switching characteristics of the CoolSiC chips are optimally supported by the low-inductance interconnection that can be achieved with the p² Pack. This leads to increased efficiency and improved reliability of power conversion units such as traction inverters, DC-DC converters, or on-board chargers.”
Original – Infineon Technologies
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onsemi, a leader in intelligent power and sensing technologies, and premium electric mobility brand ZEEKR announced a long-term supply agreement (LTSA) between the two companies. onsemi will provide its EliteSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power devices to increase the powertrain efficiency of ZEEKR’s smart electric vehicles (EVs), resulting in improved performance, faster charging speeds and extended driving range.
To support its expanding portfolio of high-performance EVs, ZEEKR will adopt onsemi EliteSiC MOSFET, 1200V, M3E with enhanced electrical and mechanical performance and reliability. These power devices deliver improved power and thermal efficiency, which reduces the size and weight of the traction inverter and enhances the range of the automaker’s EVs.
“With cutting-edge technologies such as advanced SiC, ZEEKR will be able to offer electric vehicles with improved performance and even lower carbon emissions,” said Andy An, CEO of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology. “As a brand committed to sustainability, ZEEKR will continue to explore different ways to accelerate the transition towards new energy vehicles.”
The new LTSA will enable both companies to build a stronger supply chain relationship to support ZEEKR’s growth over the next decade.
“A reliable supply chain is critical to business success and, after significant investments in our SiC end-to-end supply chain, onsemi can offer this strategic value to customers,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and CEO, onsemi. “This agreement will help our continued ramp of SiC operations, enabling us to offer industry-leading power devices that help our customers deploy the most efficient and highest performing EVs on the market.”
ZEEKR is a premium electric mobility brand built to address the global demand for premium EVs. Utilizing Geely’s advanced Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), ZEEKR develops in-house battery technologies, battery management systems, electric motor technologies and electric vehicle supply chain support.
Original – onsemi
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Semikron Danfoss and the Kyoto-based company ROHM Semiconductor have been collaborating for more than ten years with regards to the implementation of silicon carbide (SiC) inside power modules. Recently, Semikron Danfoss added ROHM’s new 1200V RGA IGBT to its low power module offering. In doing so, both companies show that they remain committed to serving worldwide motor drive customers’ needs.
The worldwide growth in electrification technologies has created unprecedented demand for power modules. Often, it is the chip supply that limits power module availability. Despite ongoing investments in production capacity by the chip manufacturers, the supply situation remains tight. It is against this backdrop that ROHM has introduced the new 1200V RGA IGBT, targeted as an alternative to the latest Generation 7 IGBT devices in industrial applications. ROHM is now expanding their bare die offering to Semikron Danfoss, positioning themselves as an advanced alternative to traditional chip suppliers.
“The RGA is a newly designed, light punch through, trench gate IGBT with Tj,max = 175°C. The conduction, switching, and thermal characteristics are optimized for new industrial drive applications in the low to medium power range. At the same time, the RGA is intended to remain compatible with existing IGBT solutions, enabling a multiple source approach. In addition, the RGA can also be used to improve transient overcurrent handling during overload conditions in motor drive applications,” says Kazuhide Ino, Member of the Board, Managing Executive Officer, CFO at ROHM.
Semikron Danfoss can offer the 1200V RGA IGBT in a full range of nominal current classes from 10A to 150A. This range, combined with the suitability of the RGA chip in motor drive applications, means that the MiniSKiiP family is the ideal choice for module implementation. The baseplate-less, spring-contact MiniSKiiP is already deeply embedded in the worldwide motor drive market and always equipped with the latest generation IGBTs. Therefore, it is important for this product to have an alternative IGBT source to diversify the supply chain. The uniform-height MiniSKiiP housing family is also offered on the market as a multiple source package, making an alternative IGBT a valuable option for manufacturers.
For press-fit/solder applications, the industry-standard SEMITOP E package will also be available in pin-compatible configurations to existing Generation 7 IGBT module offerings. This housing family will also offer sixpack (“GD”) and converter-inverter-brake (“DGDL”) circuit configurations.
“The power electronics industry continues to recover and learn lessons from the supply issues in recent years. It’s clear that diversification in semiconductor chip and module manufacturing is required to generate true ‘multiple source’ power modules”, says Claus A. Petersen, President, Semikron Danfoss. “In the case of 1200V Generation 7 IGBTs, a reliable equivalent from a reputable manufacturer is now available to address this issue also in the low power range. The 1200V RGA IGBT from ROHM is a perfect alternative to the Generation 7 IGBT and can be made to behave in a remarkably similar manner with small gate resistor adjustment,” continues Peter Sontheimer, Senior Vice President Industry Division & Managing Director at Semikron Danfoss.
Original – Semikron Danfoss
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) announced that it has started construction of a new wafer fabrication factory for power semiconductors at Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corporation, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, its main discrete semiconductor production base. Construction will take place in two phases, with the production start of Phase 1 scheduled for within fiscal 2024. Toshiba will also construct an office building adjacent to the new fab to respond to the increase in personnel.
The new fab will have a quake absorbing structure and enhanced BCP systems, including dual power supply lines, and also aim to use 100% renewable energy. Product quality and production efficiency will be improved by introducing artificial intelligence systems and other measures.
Toshiba started power semiconductor production on a 300-milimeter wafer line in the second half of fiscal 2022. Going forward, Toshiba will expand production capacity of power semiconductors with the new fab and further contribute to carbon neutrality.
Original – Toshiba
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It’s been 6 months since CIL announced it’s newly created and UK based advanced semiconductor packaging facility. Contained within the 46,000sq ft facility is a 15,000sq ft ISO7 (Class 10,000) fully qualified cleanroom that is starting to come online and will be ready by late May 2023.
Since last announced, CIL has also taken the decision to segregate part of this cleanroom to add a separate wafer dicing area complete with DISCO DAD3361 dicing saw and all of the necessary ancillary equipment. This equipment is already installed, commissioned and currently running early engineering trials. This wafer dicing equipment and all of CIL’s current micro-electronics and power semiconductor device packaging equipment will then start to transfer out of CIL’s existing facilities in Andover UK from late May 2023 onwards. The equipment and facilities to be transferred are initially the following:
- 1 off DISCO DAD3361 die and device wafer saw system complete with wafer mounting equipment.
- 2 off DATACON 2200EVO Automatic die bonders for power die placement using both SiC & GaN
- 2 off Automatic die bonders
- 2 off manual die bonders
- 5 off ASM 589 Automatic Al wedge bonders
- 2 off ASM EAGLE60 Automatic Au Ball bonders
- 1 off K&S Asterion Heavy Gauge Wedge wire bonder
- 1 off DAGE 4000 die shear/wire bond pull tester
- 1 off DAGE PROSPECTOR die shear/wire bond pull and full diagnostic test system
- 2 off Nordson Asymtek S2-920 Auto dispense systems for auto partial glob top
- 1 off DAGE Quadra7 X-Ray/CT Scan system.
- 1 off Nordson GEN7 Scanning Acoustic Microscope (CSAM)
- 1 off Keyence VHX7000 Digital Microscope with sub-micron laser measurement
- 1 off Boschman Sinterstar Innovate F-XL sinter press for high pressure silver sintering
- 1 off Boschman Pre-heat and cooling tower system for high pressure silver sintering
- 1 off Boschman UNISTAR Auto plastic overmold machine. Capable of BGA’s, LGA’s, QFN’s, Plastic IC’s, Power discrete and Power modules
- 1 off Scheugenpflug VDS U1000 / LP804 VDU Auto epoxy fill system
- 1 off high power 2000W laser welding system for copper busbar welding
- 6 off 3D Printers
- 50 staff of which 30 are engineers
CIL believes this facility, process equipment and staff will create the largest semiconductor packaging facility in the UK. It is to support and grow its existing micro-electronics customers and to commercially exploit its WBG power semiconductor capability that has been generated from various “Net Zero” low carbon projects funded by APC / InnovateUK / DCMS / BEIS using the latest SiC and GaN devices as well as commercially funded projects.
By adding the wafer dicing capability to the facility, CIL will be able to process finished wafers to provide Dicing, Die attach, Wire bonding or power device copper clip attach, glob top, full plastic overmold or potting and back these processes up with inspection equipment that includes, X-Ray, CT-Scan, CSAM, VHX7000, and destructive and non-destructive testing using DAGE 4000 and DAGE PROSPECTOR test stations.
Over the last 3-4 years CIL has grown its engineering department from 8 persons to the 32 persons it has currently and also has a further 10 engineering vacancies. Starting in late May 2023, all of the staff involved in CIL’s semiconductor and power packaging activities will move from CIL’s two existing facilities into this new world class and state of the art semiconductor packaging facility. As with the cleanroom, the offices are nearing completion and will initially house around 30 semiconductor packaging engineers of all levels.
To compliment this semiconductor packaging facility, CIL has also upgraded its existing SMT PCBA equipment consisting of 5 SMT lines and associated 3D AOI, Flying probe test and IPC2 / 3 soldering at its CIL House facility also in Andover UK. This facility totalling 24,000sq ft is being steadily upgraded and added to.
In the last 2 years, CIL has seen its turnover increase from £15M to £27M and headcount increase from 135 persons to 187 persons it has today. Over the next 12 months, as well as bringing on line its advanced semiconductor packaging facility, it will also be adding new processes and equipment to its current PCBA service offering to further support both its customers development and production needs. So with the new packaging facility this will give CIL a total of 80,000sq ft of production space at its three Andover UK sites.
Original – CIL
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The technology group ZF will, from 2025, purchase silicon carbide devices from STMicroelectronics. Under the terms of the multi-year contract, ST will supply a volume of double-digit millions of silicon carbide devices to be integrated in ZF’s new modular inverter architecture going into series production in 2025. ZF will leverage ST’s vertically integrated silicon carbide manufacturing in Europe and Asia to secure customer orders in electromobility.
“With this strategically important step, we are strengthening our supply chain to be able to securely supply our customers. Our order book in electromobility until 2030 now amounts to more than thirty billion euros. For this volume, we need several reliable suppliers for silicon carbide devices,” says Stephan von Schuckmann, member of the ZF Board of Management responsible for electromobility as well as materials management. “In STMicroelectronics, we now have a supplier whose experience with complex systems meets our requirements and who, above all, can produce the devices in exceptionally high quality and at the required quantities.” With this agreement, ZF has gained a world-class supplier for silicon carbide technology, in addition to ZF’s existing partnership agreement on silicon carbide technology announced in February.
“As a vertically integrated company, we are investing heavily to expand capacity and develop our silicon carbide supply chain to support our global and European customers across automotive and industrial sectors, as they pursue electrification and decarbonization targets,” says Marco Monti, President Automotive and Discrete Group of STMicroelectronics. “The key to success in electric vehicle technology is greater scalability and modularity with increased efficiency, peak power, and affordability. Our silicon carbide technologies help deliver these benefits and we are proud to work with ZF, a leading automotive supplier for electrification, to help them differentiate and optimize the performance of their inverters.”
ST will manufacture the silicon carbide chips at its production fabs in Italy and Singapore with packaging of the chips into STPAK, an ST-developed advanced package, and testing at its back-end facilities in Morocco and China.
ST will supply ZF from 2025 with a volume of double-digit millions of third generation silicon carbide MOSFET devices. ZF can connect a variable number of such devices together to match customers’ performance requirements without changing the design of the inverter. Among others, ZF will use the technology in inverters for vehicles of a European car manufacturer whose production start is planned for 2025.
The inverter is the brain of electric drivetrains. It manages the flow of energy from battery to e-motor and vice versa. Inverters have become more efficient and more complex with every development step. The combination of the inverter design and the semiconductors, like silicon carbide, is the key to improving electric vehicle performance. Silicon carbide devices significantly reduce power losses in electric car inverters, as well as in wind turbine and photovoltaic inverters. Devices made with silicon carbide have decisive advantages over conventional silicon-based products, such as higher efficiency, power density and reliability. At the same time, they enable smaller and more cost-effective system designs. Simply put, an electric vehicle charges faster, drives further and has more space when equipped with silicon carbide-based semiconductors.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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CISSOID and Silicon Mobility have announced a far-reaching partnership to deliver a complete and modular Silicon Carbide (SiC) inverter reference design supporting electric motor drives up to 350kW/850V. The reference design includes CISSOID’s high voltage SiC-based power module, integrated Gate Driver board, Control board with Silicon Mobility’s ultra-fast and safe OLEA T222 FPCU, DC and phase current sensors, DC link capacitor and EMI filtering together with integrated liquid cooling. CISSOID will also sell and deliver Silicon Mobility’s OLEA® APP INVERTER Software for Electric Vehicle Powertrain Control providing the customer with a development platform ready for integration work.
Dave Hutton, CISSOID’s CEO commented: “Up until now, customers only really had 2 options. The first was to develop all the hardware, then integrate with third party software into their design environment. This was extremely time consuming and required in depth knowledge of SiC-based power system design. The second option was to buy an off-the-shelf inverter that, however, does not offer the ability to fully customize for the application requirements.”
Following this agreement, customers can now buy a complete SiC inverter reference design from CISSOID together with a license to use the Silicon Mobility’s OLEA® APP INVERTER control software and design on top its software application. CISSOID will also provide the technical support to integrate the inverter into the end-application.
Once the design is completed, the customer can choose to purchase the entire inverter Bill-of-Material (BOM) from CISSOID or just the SiC Intelligent Power Module (IPM) and Control Board, while purchasing other components and Inverter housing from their preferred suppliers. The customer can then integrate the inverter into their motor drive system prior moving to production.
David Fresneau, VP Marketing and Business Development at Silicon Mobility added: “This is a great opportunity for our customers to get access to our advanced e-motor control hardware and software platform and a fully integrated high performance inverter reference design from CISSOID which will significantly simplify the design process and reduce Time-to Market.
Original – CISSOID
