Layout silicon carbide (SiC) market, Infineon recently announced that it has signed a supply agreement with GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) for the supply of crystalline silicon carbide rods. The initial period of the contract is 5 years. Through this supply contract, Infineon can further expand its silicon carbide supply capacity to meet growing demand; and rapidly expand its product portfolio for consumer and automotive applications, such as the CoolSiC series.
Peter Wawer, President of Infineon's Industrial Power Control Business Unit, said that the market demand for silicon carbide switches is steadily increasing, especially in industrial applications; at the same time, however, automotive production is also rapidly following up. With the supply agreement signed with GTAT, it has ensured that it can meet the rapidly growing needs of customers with a diversified supplier base. GTAT’s crystalline silicon carbide rods will meet current and future first-class material standards and serve as a competitive source of silicon carbide chips; this will provide strong support for Infineon’s silicon carbide growth plan and strengthen existing internal technology and The core competitiveness of thin chip manufacturing.
Silicon carbide is the basic material of power semiconductors and can be used to build efficient, durable, and cost-effective systems. It is currently mainly used in photovoltaic inverters, industrial power supplies and charging piles. Compared with traditional silicon-based solutions, this is where silicon carbide shows system-level advantages; and other industrial applications such as uninterrupted power supply systems and inverters are increasingly using this new semiconductor technology. In addition, it also shows huge application potential in electric vehicles, including main drive and on-board charging equipment. Therefore, Infineon cooperates with GTAT to not only ensure the stable supply of silicon carbide, but also expand the market.
Greg Knight, President and CEO of GT Advanced Technologies, pointed out that after signing a long-term supply agreement with Infineon, Infineon will be able to apply its proprietary thin chip technology to GTAT's ingots to obtain safe and high-quality silicon carbide chips. supply. The growth of silicon carbide usage rate depends largely on the substantial reduction in substrate cost, and this agreement is an important step to achieve this goal.