ST to qualify Soitec 200mm SiC wafers

Author: EIS Release Date: Dec 8, 2022

ST and Soitec are working on qualifying  Soitec’s 200mn SmartSiC substrate technology over the next 18 months.

 

“The transition to 200mm SiC wafers will bring substantial advantages to our automotive and industrial customers as they accelerate the transition toward electrification of their systems and products. It is important in driving economies of scale as product volumes ramp,” said Marco Monti, President Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics.STM 650V SCT040H65G3AG 3rd Gen SiC mosfet 650V

 

“We have chosen a vertically integrated model to maximize our know-how across the full manufacturing chain, from high-quality substrates to large-scale front- and back-end production,” added Monti, “the goal of the technology cooperation with Soitec is to continue to improve our manufacturing yields and quality.”

 

Transitioning from 150mm to 200mm wafers will deliver 1.8 – 1.9 times as many working chips per wafer.

 

SmartSiC is a proprietary Soitec technology which uses Soitec proprietary SmartCut technology, to split a thin layer of a high quality SiC ‘donor’ wafer, and bond it on top of a low resistivity ‘handle’ polySiC wafer.

 

The engineered substrate then improves device performance and manufacturing yields. The prime quality SiC ‘donor’ wafer can be reused multiple times, significantly reducing the overall energy consumption required to produce it.