According to Business Korea, South Korean semiconductor wafer fab SK siltron resolved on the board of directors yesterday (10th) that it will acquire the silicon chemical (SiC) wafer business of DuPont, a US chemical maker, for $ 450 million. The completion of the acquisition process this year will help it expand the automotive power semiconductor market. Affected by Japan-South Korea export trade restrictions, SK Siltron said that the acquisition is in response to the South Korean government's policy of material technology autonomy, while ensuring global competitiveness. Since South Korea is highly dependent on Japan's imported silicon wafers, this acquisition is also a guarantee that if Japan further implements export controls in the future, the Group can respond immediately.
The performance of SiC wafers has characteristics such as high temperature resistance, high pressure, low power transmission, and low loss of converted energy. Recently, environmental awareness has risen. Driven by the expansion of electric vehicle production capacity, the demand for SiC wafers has gradually increased. Merchants can complete mass production, and supply is still in short supply.
At present, in addition to DuPont, manufacturers of energy-producing SiC wafers include Japan's Showa Denko and Denso.
Experts said that the acquisition of DuPont's silicon wafer business will help SK siltron expand its market share. The silicon wafer market has been dominated by Japanese companies for a long time. At present, Shin-Etsu Chemical and SUMCO have a total market share of 55%.
SK siltron plans to complete the acquisition this year after obtaining approval from relevant domestic and foreign authorities.
Research institutes IHS and Yole estimate that from 2019 to 2025, the global power semiconductor market based on SiC wafers will grow from US $ 1.3 billion to US $ 5.2 billion.