Infineon to iinvest €2bn in SiC and GaN

The third module will generate more than >2 billion in annual revenues.

The expansion will benefit from the economies of scale already achieved for 200-millimeter manufacturing in Kulim.

It will complement Infineon’s leading position in silicon, based on 300-millimeter manufacturing in Villach and Dresden.

“We are creating a winning combination of our development competence center in Villach and cost-effective production in Kulim for wide bandgap power semiconductors,” says COO Jochen Hanebeck.

Infineon already provides SiC-based products to more than 3,000 customers today. Used in a variety of applications, these semiconductors offer added value to the customer because of better system performance in terms of efficiency, size and cost compared to silicon-based solutions.

Infineon’s strategic “Product to System” approach also facilitates the adoption of SiC-based semiconductors.

Focus applications are industrial power supply, photovoltaic, transportation, drives, automotive and EV charging.

Infineon is targeting revenues of $1 billion with SiC-based power semiconductors by the middle of the decade.

The GaN market is also predicted to undergo massive growth – from $47 million in 2020 to $801 million in 2025 (CAGR: 76%; source: Yole.

Once fully loaded, Kulim 3 will create 900 high-value jobs. Construction will begin in June and the fab will be ready for equipment in summer 2024.

The first wafers will leave the fab in the second half of 2024. The investment in Kulim will comprise significant value-added steps, in particular epitaxial processes and wafer singulation.

The Villach site will continue to serve as the innovation base and global competence center for wide bandgap technology by converting existing psilicon facilities over the next years. 6” and 8” silicon lines will be converted to SiC and GaN manufacturing by repurposing non-specific silicon equipment. The Villach site is currently preparing for further growth opportunities.