On June 5, 2023, Taisic Materials, a subsidiary of Foxconn, successfully produced the first 8-inch SiC wafer in Taiwan, China, China.
Due to the difficulty in crystal growth and hard material cutting of SiC materials, the company was previously only able to manufacture SiC wafers up to 6 inches in size.
Taisic Materials, a subsidiary of Foxconn, is responsible for crystal growth and substrate production, while GigaStorage is responsible for SiC wafer cutting, grinding, and polishing.
The CEO of Taisic Materials stated that the company's silicon carbide crystal growth technology is only one year behind the international leader Wolfspeed, which is currently the only manufacturer in the world capable of mass producing 8-inch SiC wafers and substrates.
The CEO of Taisic Materials stated that the company was established less than 3 years ago, but it successfully grew SiC crystals with a diameter of 4 inches shortly after its establishment. But customers are more interested in using 6-inch SiC, so the company is rapidly developing 6-inch products, with conductive N-type SiC wafers and 6-inch substrates gradually expanding production as planned.
Due to the rectangular shape of semiconductor chips and the circular shape of wafers, the larger the area of the wafer, the higher the utilization rate, and more chips can be cut. Therefore, whether it is monocrystalline silicon or silicon carbide, using large-sized wafers/substrates to manufacture chips can help chip manufacturers reduce costs.
The company also stated that there is currently a shortage of silicon carbide products worldwide, and new energy electric vehicles are gradually shifting from IGBT to more high-end SiC MOSFETs, increasing the demand for silicon carbide chips. Many companies in this field are actively seeking stable sources of SiC substrate supply.
In 2023, Taisic Materials plans to increase the number of silicon carbide growth furnaces to 65, including 5 from the United States, 10 from Japan, and the rest from Kenmec in Taiwan, China.