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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced its consolidated financial results for the first half and second quarter, ended September 30, 2023, of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024 (fiscal 2024).
Consolidated Half-year Results (April 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023)
- Revenue: 2,538.4 billion yen (9% increase year-on-year)
- Operating profit: 135.8 billion yen (69% increase year-on-year)
- Profit before income taxes: 159.7 billion yen (55% increase year-on-year)
- Net profit attributable to Mitsubishi Electric Corp. stockholders: 120.2 billion yen (61% increase year-on-year)
The economy in the first half, from April through September 2023, of fiscal 2024 continued to see recovery primarily in consumer spending despite monetary tightening and other factors in the U.S. In Japan, the economy continued to see moderate recovery due to robust consumer spending and an increase in inbound tourists.
In China, the economy showed weakness in recovery due to sluggish export as well asslower domestic demand resulting from the real estate recession and other factors. In Europe, there were slowdowns in the corporate and household sectors due to monetary tightening and other factors.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it played the key role in leading the project to draft the 2023 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) White Paper entitled “Power Semiconductors for an Energy-Wise society,” which the IEC released on October 17. This is the first time for a White Paper, published annually since 2010, to issue recommendations for developing and expanding international standards and certification systems for power semiconductors.
Each year, the IEC White Paper focuses on electrical, electronic and electromechanical technologies requiring international standardization, and makes related recommendations to the IEC and other organizations.
Power semiconductors, one of Mitsubishi Electric’s core product lines, are expected to continue to advance technologically and be increasingly adopted as key devices that reduce power consumption and efficiently convert electrical energy, supporting the global drive toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
New materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) are being used in advanced power semiconductors for applications such as renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), but the development of international standards and certification systems for such devices is lagging. A lack of such standards and certifications could lead to a proliferation of nonconforming products and impede cooperation among manufacturers, users and regulators, thereby hindering the healthy growth of the power semiconductor global market.
In response, Mitsubishi Electric initiated a White Paper project within the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) in October 2022. Together with experts from around the world, the project team addressed issues related to power semiconductor technologies, markets, and regulations.
The resulting White Paper summarizes the applications, sectors and technological trends of power semiconductors and highlights the need for the development, alignment, and expansion of respective international standards and certification systems. In particular, the White Paper focuses on the critical role that power semiconductor standards can play in helping to realize emission-free, carbon-neutral industries for a healthier and more prosperous world.
The main points of the 2023 IEC White Paper include:
- Current status and future trends of society, markets, and technologies related to power semiconductors and applications that are essential for realizing an “Energy-Wise society” in which energy is used wisely and efficiently.
- Challenges facing the power semiconductor industry and solutions for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through an integrated approach involving relevant regulatory, industry and international standardization organizations around the globe.
- Recommendations for international standardization bodies, particularly the IEC, to establish a roadmap and guidelines for the development of international standards and conformity assessment systems for power semiconductors.
The White Paper project team was led by Dr. Kazuhiko Tsutsumi, Mitsubishi Electric’s specially appointed technical advisor who also serves as IEC Vice President and Chair of the MSB, and included experts from Mitsubishi Electric’s Corporate Intellectual Property Division (Tokyo), Mitsubishi Electric’s Power Device Works (Fukuoka), Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch (Ratingen, Germany), as well as a team of international experts.
Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will collaborate with power semiconductor companies, users, and regulatory authorities to establish a roadmap for the creation of power semiconductor international standards as recommended in the 2023 IEC White Paper, with the aim of promoting the healthy growth of the power semiconductor market in the quest for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has agreed with Coherent Corp. to invest USD 500 million in a new silicon carbide (SiC) business to be carved out from Coherent, aiming to expand its SiC power device business by strengthening vertical collaboration with Coherent, who has been a supplier of SiC substrates to Mitsubishi Electric.
The electric vehicle market is expanding worldwide and is one of several emerging applications driving the exponential growth of SiC power devices, which offer lower energy loss, higher operating temperatures and faster switching speeds than conventional silicon power devices. The high efficiency of SiC power devices is expected to contribute significantly to global decarbonization and green transformation.
Mitsubishi Electric has been a leader in SiC power modules for high-speed trains, high-voltage industrial applications, and home appliances for many years. The company made history by launching the world’s first SiC power modules for air conditioners in 2010, and became the first supplier of a full SiC power module for Shinkansen high-speed trains in 2015. Mitsubishi Electric has also accumulated extensive expertise by meeting market needs for advanced performance and high reliability by deploying superior processing, screening, etc. for the development and manufacture of SiC power modules.
Mitsubishi Electric has been procuring high-quality 150mm SiC substrates from Coherent for the production of SiC power modules for many years. In addition to developing high-quality 200mm SiC substrates with Coherent, Mitsubishi Electric plans to invest approximately 100 billion yen to construct a new 200mm SiC wafer plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan beginning in 2026.
By further deepening its collaboration with Coherent through this investment, Mitsubishi Electric aims to stabilize its procurement of SiC substrates for SiC power modules, for which demand is forecasted to grow rapidly, and thereby expand its supply of reliable high-performance SiC power devices to meet rising global demand.
Dr. Masayoshi Takemi, Executive Officer, Group President, Semiconductor & Device of Mitsubishi Electric, said: “Demand for SiC power semiconductors is expected to grow exponentially as the global market for electric vehicles increases in line with the transition to a decarbonized world. To capitalize on this trend, we have decided to expand our SiC power semiconductor production capacity, including by constructing a 200mm wafer plant in the Shisui area of Kumamoto Prefecture. We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Coherent by investing in this new SiC company, which will provide us with a stable supply of high-quality SiC substrates essential for our increased supply capacity.”
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has completed installation of its first 12-inch silicon wafer processing line at its Power Device Work’s Fukuyama Factory, which manufactures power semiconductors. In addition, through sample production and testing, it has been verified that the power semiconductor chips processed on this production line achieve the required performance levels.
As previously announced, Mitsubishi Electric is planning to start mass production on the new 12-inch silicon wafer line in fiscal 2025. The company aims to approximately double its silicon power semiconductor wafer processing capacity by fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2021 levels.
In recent years, the demand for power semiconductors offering efficient control of electrical power is growing as countries look to achieve carbon-free status. Power semiconductors are utilized in wide range of relevant products, including electric vehicles, consumer devices (e.g. air-conditioning systems), industrial equipment, renewable energy and traction devices, and a stable supply is required in order to meet this growing demand.
Mitsubishi Electric will contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society through enhancement of its production capacity and by ensuring a stable supply of power semiconductors through the introduction of highly efficient 12-inch wafer production lines.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has taken an equity position in Novel Crystal Technology, Inc., a Japanese company that develops and sells gallium-oxide wafers, a promising candidate for use in superior energy-saving power semiconductors that Mitsubishi Electric intends to develop at an accelerated pace in support of global decarbonization.
Novel Crystal Technology, one of the world’s first companies to develop, manufacture and sell gallium-oxide wafers for power semiconductors, and now a leading producer of these products, has manufacturing technology that Mitsubishi Electric will use in its production of gallium-oxide power semiconductors.
Mitsubishi Electric has been contributing to energy savings in power-electronic products by producing semiconductors made of silicon and silicon carbide (SiC). Recent advances have been achieved with SiC and gallium-nitride wafers, but gallium-oxide wafers are expected to help achieve even higher breakdown voltages and lower power dissipation.
Mitsubishi Electric now expects to accelerate its development of superior energy-saving gallium-oxide power semiconductors by combining its own expertise in the design and manufacture of low-energy-loss, highreliability power semiconductors with Novel Crystal Technology’s expertise in the production of gallium-oxide wafers.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Power semiconductors companies continue to invest heavily in new factories, production capacity expansions, and R&D centers. Thus, recently the total value of the active investment projects launched since 2021 has surpassed 70 billion USD.
Driven by the pandemic and geopolitics, major power semiconductors companies started to invest more in new factories and joint ventures to have more confidence in their own supply chain in the future.
As of today, it is obvious to see the major split of power semiconductors into three geographical regions – the USA, Europe, and Asia. Asia may as well be divided into several regions with China being the leading investor of all.
Despite the ongoing tensions and export restrictions between the US, Europe, and China related to advanced semiconductors, when it comes to power semiconductors European companies continue to invest in the Chinese market expanding their product capacity or establishing new joint ventures like STMicroelectronics and Sanan Optoelectronics did recently.
Even with some delay, Japanese companies like ROHM, Mitsubishi Electric, Fuji Electric, Renesas Electronics, Toshiba, and others, pushed by their US and European competitors, announced their own projects aimed to secure the capacity on the wafer and device level to correspond to the growing demand for Si and SiC based power semiconductors coming from the electric vehicle and charging, photovoltaics, battery energy storage systems, and the other emerging applications.
If we take a closer look at all projects announced, SiC is the leading technology with over 60% of total investment. Over 25 market leaders announced their plans to invest in silicon carbide.
Thus, ROHM is investing in new production to multiply its SiC capacity in the coming years. Mitsubishi Electric teams up with Coherent to scale manufacturing of SiC power devices on a 200 mm SiC technology platform as one of the steps of their 260 billion yen investment project planned till March 2026.
Infineon Technologies continues to bet on both local European and Asian markets investing in their new fab in Dresden and expanding backend operations in Indonesia. STMicroelectronics continues to invest in WBG semiconductors with the ongoing construction of a new wafer fab in Sicily announced in 2022.
With a global total number of new investment projects of over 80, the US companies Wolfspeed, onsemi, and Microchip Technology, similar to their European counterparts, invest locally, in Europe and Asian markets. Totally the US semiconductor companies announced new projects valued at almost 9 billion USD.
With the US and EU Chips Acts, and similar initiatives in China, Japan, South Korea, and some other countries, it is clear that the investment into power semiconductors industry will continue to reach 100 billion USD soon.
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it will begin shipping samples of its new NX-type full-SiC (silicon carbide) power semiconductor module for industrial equipment on June 14. The module, which reduces internal inductance and incorporates a second-generation SiC chip, is expected to contribute to the realization of more efficient, smaller and lighter-weight industrial equipment.
Power semiconductors are increasingly being utilized to convert electric power extra efficiently and thereby help to lower the carbon footprint of global society. Expectations are particularly high for SiC power semiconductors because of their capability to significantly reduce power loss. The demand is expanding for high-power, high-efficiency power semiconductors capable of improving the power-conversion efficiency of components such as inverters used in industrial equipment.
Mitsubishi Electric began releasing power semiconductor modules equipped with SiC chips in 2010. The new module, which features a low-loss SiC chip and optimized electrode structure, reduces internal inductance by 47% compared to its existing predecessor, enabling reduced power loss. Development of this SiC product have been partially supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has developed a new structure for a silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC-MOSFET) embedded with a Schottky barrier diode (SBD), which the company has applied in a 3.3 kV full SiC power module, the FMF 800 DC -66 BEW for large industrial equipment such as railways and DC power systems. Samples began shipping on May 31. The chip’s new structure is expected to help downsize railway traction systems, etc. as well as make them more energy efficient, and contribute to carbon neutrality through the increased adoption of DC power transmission.
SiC power semiconductors are attracting attention with their capacity to significantly reduce power loss. Mitsubishi Electric, which commercialized SiC power modules equipped with SiC-MOSFETs and SiC-SBDs in 2010, has adopted SiC power semiconductors for a variety of inverter systems, including air conditioners and railways.
The chip integrated with a SiC-MOSFET and a SiC-SBD can be mounted on a module more compactly compared to the conventional method of using separate chips, thus enabling smaller modules, larger capacity, and lower switching loss. It is expected to be widely used in large industrial equipment such as railways and electric power systems. Until now, the practical application of power modules with SBD-embedded SiC-MOSFETs has been difficult due to their relatively low surge-current capability, which results in the thermal destruction of the chips during surge-current events because surge currents in connected circuits concentrate only in specific chips.
Mitsubishi Electric has now developed the world’s first mechanism by which surge current concentrates on a specific chip in a parallel-connected chip structure inside a power module, and a new chip structure in which all chips start energizing simultaneously so that surge current is distributed throughout each chip. As a result, the power module’s surge-current capacity has been improved by a factor of five or more compared to the company’s existing technology, which is equal to or greater than that of conventional Si power modules, thus enabling the application of an SBD-embedded SiC-MOSFET in a power module.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Coherent Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on a program to scale manufacturing of SiC power electronics on a 200 mm technology platform.
The market for electric vehicles is expanding worldwide and is just one of several emerging applications driving the exponential growth in SiC power devices, which have lower energy losses, higher operating temperatures, and higher switching speeds compared with power devices based on silicon. The high efficiency of SiC power devices is expected to be a significant contributor to global decarbonization and the green transformation.
To meet the rapidly growing demand, Mitsubishi Electric announced an investment of approximately 260 billion yen in the five-year period ending March 2026. A major portion of the investment, approximately 100 billion yen, will be used to construct a new plant for SiC power devices, based on a 200 mm technology platform, and enhance related production facilities. Under the MOU, Coherent will develop a supply of 200 mm n-type 4H SiC substrates for Mitsubishi Electric’s future SiC power devices manufactured at the new facility.
“We are excited to build on our relationship with Mitsubishi Electric, a pioneer in SiC power devices and a global market leader in SiC power modules for high-speed trains, including the famous Shinkansen in Japan,” said Sohail Khan, Executive Vice President, New Ventures & Wide-Bandgap Electronics Technologies at Coherent. “We have a long track record of supplying SiC substrates to Mitsubishi Electric and are looking forward to expanding our relationship with them to scale their new 200 mm SiC platform.”
“Coherent has been for many years a reliable supplier of high-quality 150 mm SiC wafer substrates to Mitsubishi Electric,” said Masayoshi Takemi, Executive Officer, Group President, Semiconductor & Device at Mitsubishi Electric. “We are delighted to enter into this close partnership with Coherent to scale our respective SiC manufacturing platforms to 200 mm.”
Coherent has decades of experience in the development of SiC materials. The company demonstrated the world’s first 200 mm conductive substrates in 2015. In 2019, Coherent began to supply 200 mm SiC substrates under REACTION, a Horizon 2020 four-year program funded by the European Commission.
Over the years, Mitsubishi Electric has led the SiC power module markets for high-speed trains, high-voltage industrial applications, and home appliances. Mitsubishi Electric made history by launching the world’s first SiC power modules for air conditioners in 2010, and became the first supplier of a full SiC power module for Shinkansen high-speed trains in 2015. Mitsubishi Electric has also built extensive expertise by serving customers’ needs for high performance and high reliability through its outstanding techniques of processing and screening, as well as many other facets of developing and manufacturing SiC power modules.
Power electronics based on SiC have demonstrated their potential to have a highly beneficial impact on the environment via significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Through the rapidly growing demand for SiC power devices, Coherent and Mitsubishi Electric will accelerate their contribution to sustainable energy consumption and the decarbonization of society.
Original – Coherent
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it will begin shipping samples of a new HV100 dual-type X-Series high-voltage insulated gate bipolar transistor (HVIGBT) module on May31, offering superior power, efficiency and reliability in inverter systems for large industrial equipment such as railways and electric power systems. The dual-type module, which achieves 4.5kV withstand voltage and 10.2kVrms dielectric strength, is rated at 450A, which is believed to be unmatched among 4.5kV silicon HVIGBT modules.
Power semiconductors are increasingly being utilized to efficiently convert electric power in order to lower the carbon footprint of global society, particularly in heavy industry, where these devices are used in power-conversion equipment such as inverters in railway traction systems and for DC power transmission. In response to the growing demand for devices offering high output, high efficiency and wide-ranging output capacity, Mitsubishi Electric released two versions (3.3kV/450A and 3.3kV/600A) of its HV100 dual-type X-Series high-dielectric-strength HVIGBT module in 2021. In the near future, the forthcoming HV100 dual-type X-Series module will contribute to even higher output, higher efficiency and improved system reliability for inverters used in large industrial equipment requiring high dielectric strength.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
