Silicon Carbide Company Profiles

Silicon carbide semiconductors are revolutionizing industries and driving toward a sustainable future, thanks to their superior performance and efficiency. Silicon carbide plays a central role in driving advancement of technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and telecom infrastructure.

Growth for this company has been propelled by increasing consumer demand for electric vehicle powertrain designs with greater efficiency and longer driving range, prompting investment in manufacturing capacity to meet this rising demand.

Silicon Carbide

Silicon carbide, an extremely hard synthetically produced crystalline compound composed of silicon and carbon, has long been an essential material. Used in abrasives and cutting tools as well as industrial furnace linings and wear-resistant parts of pumps and rocket engines as well as semiconductor substrates for light emitting diodes, it has been in widespread use since the late 19th century.

Silicon carbide semiconductor devices are experiencing fast growth in the power electronics sector, being perfect for applications that demand fast operation at low losses with excellent thermal stability – such as lasers or lighting applications – with very efficient operation that offers significant reduction in battery costs; such as Infineon’s Cool Sic MOSFET technology which has been designed specifically to increase EV charger efficiency.

Wolfspeed, based out of the US, is among a host of companies working on developing silicon carbide technologies and products. Their US facility manufactures base silicon carbide wafers for cell phone industry as well as automotive power semiconductors; additionally they also offer products and services tailored specifically towards telecom and aerospace sectors.

Power electronics is projected to experience rapid expansion over the coming years, propelled by demand for alternative energy vehicles. Silicon carbide’s popularity stems from its superior material properties such as fast speed, low loss and thermal stability; in addition, silicon carbide makes an excellent replacement to silicon in power electronics systems.

Fiven is a leading supplier of technical ceramics and silicon carbide products for various industrial applications, such as SIKA(r) TECH powder with ready-to-press granules that is ideal for producing technical ceramics. Additionally, Fiven offers metallurgical grade silicon carbide that reduces additive use as well as energy consumption in iron foundries and steel mills.

Blasch offers an assortment of silicon carbide materials suitable for specific applications, with forms available to meet every imaginable need. Their material features superior erosion- and corrosion-resistance, thermal shock- and oxidation-resistance.

Infineon Technologies

Infineon Technologies of Germany designs, manufactures and markets semiconductors. Products include power semiconductors, microcontrollers, security ICs, radio frequency components and sensors; application support services as well as digital support services are also provided by Infineon to its industrial, automotive and communications applications worldwide. Headquartered in Neubiberg with operations worldwide.

Infineon’s broad portfolio of semiconductor products and solutions is tailored to helping companies create more energy-efficient technology devices and systems with improved energy efficiency, mobility, and security. Their high-performance chips form the cornerstones of advanced electronic systems and ensure faster and more reliable performance; Infineon semiconductors can be found in mobile phones and laptop computers alike.

Infineon has become one of the world’s leading suppliers of power semiconductors with their broad offering of semiconductors. Their innovative semiconductors help improve energy efficiency and performance across an array of devices. An IRF7316 device from Infineon stands out among these with low on resistance per silicon area achieved using generation V technology as well as surface mount design with dual P-channel MOSFET transistors – one popular IRF7316 being one such innovation from them.

Since its foundation in 1999, Infineon has made impressive strides as an independent company. In the first half of 2001 alone, Infineon reported earnings of nearly EUR 5.7 billion despite facing increased price pressure on memory products from global recessionary conditions and decreased mobile handset demand.

However, Infineon is taking steps to overcome its challenges by targeting fast-growing market segments. Furthermore, Infineon plans on increasing manufacturing capacity to keep pace with increased demand.

Infineon Technologies excels at power management, security, and sensor solutions for the Internet of Things. Their technology empowers these connected devices to see, hear, feel, and smell, making them smarter and more useful; responding better to human interactions and interactions in their surrounding environment.

This company boasts a longstanding legacy of innovation, designing its products to be more reliable and secure than ever. Their semiconductors can be found in smartphones, PCs, TVs as well as medical equipment, cars and airplanes – as well as being used by medical providers themselves.

Cree

Cree provides silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor devices used in LED lights, power modules and other applications that require wide bandgap technology for LED lights and power modules. Recent investments by Cree in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility indicate their commitment to increasing production capabilities; sales professionals should take this as an opportunity to partner with Cree on equipment acquisition, automation technology solutions and supply chain services associated with this initiative.

Beginning in the early 1980s, Cree was established when brothers Eric and Neal Hunter, alongside Calvin Carter from North Carolina State University (NCSU), began studying silicon carbide. These researchers found that its physical and electronic properties made it suitable for use as an auto brake pad coating and turbine blade material; yet also held potential as a semiconductor material. Patents were secured for these discoveries before initiating research and development work in 1987 as a research and development company.

At first, the company was not profitable; by 1993 it had only a handful of SiC wafer customers and most of its commercial products sold abroad. Still, investment continued in research and development; in 1991 they produced a high-power silicon carbide MESFET transistor capable of operating at gigahertz frequencies; this transistor became an important milestone in creating efficient military aircraft electronics systems.

This innovation led the Office of Naval Research to fund several research projects at NCSU that eventually led to the formation of Microelectronics Center of North Carolina and UltraRF as subsidiaries. At that time, SiC crystals for use in moissanite gem-stone production as well as wafers used for research related to optoelectronic and microwave applications were produced at UltraRF.

In 2015, the company completed a strategic restructuring that saw its power and RF division transformed into Wolfspeed. Wolfspeed produces SiC and GaN-on-SiC epitaxial wafers used for electric vehicle charging applications as well as telecom and military power supplies.

Cree/Wolfspeed announced in May 2019 a $1 billion investment into an automated 200mm SiC device fabrication facility at their U.S. headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. This investment will enable a 30-fold increase in both wafer production capacity and materials fabrication capability – an indication of the increasing demand for WBG devices used in electric vehicles and other applications.

Bosch

Bosch is a German technology company known for their wide range of automotive, consumer goods, industrial equipment and building technology offerings. Established in 1886 as Werkstatt fur Feinmechanik und Elektrotechnik (Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering), today Bosch operates across over 30 countries around the globe and is one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers – its Automotive Division provides complete systems which support new mobility offerings like electric vehicle components.

Bosch’s long history of innovation in silicon carbide dates back to 1961 with their first silicon carbide transistor production. Since then, they have developed various power semiconductors as well as other silicon carbide-based components – these small yet powerful and energy-efficient power semiconductors enable electric vehicles to travel further on one charge before having to recharge faster.

Bosch, a top tier one supplier of silicon carbide chips, announced it will invest $1.5 billion at its Roseville plant. They plan to modernize TSI Semiconductors production site with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and start producing silicon carbide (SiC) wafers starting in 2026 – this market segment is seeing 30% annual demand increases.

Bosch’s investment will allow it to meet demand for electric vehicle chips used to extend driving range and shorten charging times. They expect 25 of their chips will be integrated into every new EV by 2025; already they have established a chip plant in Germany while expanding capacities at their existing site.

Bosch will expand their international semiconductor manufacturing network through the acquisition of TSI Semiconductors. Utilizing their assets, Bosch plans to convert their Roseville facility into one producing and testing silicon carbide semiconductors–key components in electric vehicle production–along with upgrading its clean room facilities to accommodate this more intensive process. They will also expand the Reutlingen facility so as to accommodate their newly established silicon carbide business and create additional jobs here while decreasing dependence on overseas suppliers.