In preparation for the full-scale deployment of GaN power semiconductors, IQE of the United Kingdom and X-FAB of Germany have teamed up to build a manufacturing platform that originated in Europe, which is expected to bring innovation to the fields of electric vehicles, data centers, and home appliances.
IQE and X-FAB sign Joint Development Agreement for GaN Power
🟦 European GaN Coalition launches: IQE and X-FAB next-generation power semiconductors to make full-scale entry into the 650V market
IQE, a leading British compound semiconductor wafer company, and X-FAB, a leading analog and mixed-signal foundry in Germany, have signed a joint development agreement for a gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor platform.
The alliance will start with the development of 650V-class GaN devices, and will expand the scope of application to automotive, data center power supplies, and consumer power supplies.
IQE provides high-quality GaN epitaxial wafers (epi layers), which X-FAB uses to perform the actual semiconductor manufacturing. The establishment of such an integrated system for materials ~ manufacturing in Europe can be said to be an extremely advanced initiative in the field of GaN.
🟦 Why GaN now? The global turning point in the background
GaN power semiconductors are next-generation transistors that are capable of overwhelmingly high efficiency and high-speed switching compared to conventional Si MOSFETs. In particular, the 650V class is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, as it is the pressure band required at the core of next-generation infrastructure such as electric vehicle chargers, server power supplies, and PFC (power factor correction circuits).
While Navitas and Transphorm in the U.S. and Innoscience in China are leading the way, Europe has been a little behind. The move by IQE+X-FAB is also strategic in terms of ensuring the competitiveness of local production for local consumption by integrating regional production and manufacturing division of labor. In the future, it is expected that the expansion of GaN-on-SiC technology to higher withstand voltages in the 800V~1200V class will be considered, and it is expected to be linked with European electrification and renewable energy policies.
🟦 Summary
The partnership between IQE and X-FAB is a clear first step towards Europe’s full-scale entry into GaN power semiconductors. By securing everything from the GaN epi layer to the mass production line in Europe, we are also linking up with the de-Sinicization and restructuring of the global supply chain.
I have high hopes that the “next-generation semiconductor infrastructure” that will support Europe’s energy independence and decarbonization is finally being put in place. We would like to pay attention to the establishment of a mass production system in the future, the expansion of customer companies, and the technological evolution of high-voltage devices.
