Toshiba Device & Storage collaborates with China SICC on SiC wafer technology to accelerate the development of high-efficiency power semiconductors for EVs and servers.
🟦 Toshiba to cooperate with China SICC on SiC wafers
Toshiba Device & Storage has signed a basic agreement with SICC (Shandong Tianyue Advanced Technology), a Chinese monocrystalline SiC wafer manufacturer. The two companies aim to improve performance and quality in SiC power semiconductors, and strengthen cooperation in both wafer supply and device development.
- Key Contents
of the Announcement Toshiba will procure SiC wafers from SICC and communicate requirements for quality and reliability to improve products. - Technical Features and Advantages
SiC is resistant to high voltages and temperatures, and its power conversion efficiency is higher than that of conventional silicon due to its ability to reduce power loss. - Target Markets and Applications Fields that require energy conservation, such as
electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and server power supplies for data centers.
🟦 Demand for SiC accelerates against the backdrop of expansion of EV and renewable energy markets
The background to this announcement is the global trend of decarbonization and the progress of electrification. EVs and renewable energy power generation facilities need to efficiently control large amounts of electricity, and the limits of conventional silicon devices are beginning to be seen. Among them, SiC is attracting attention as a “next-generation power semiconductor” that can achieve both reduced power loss and stable operation in high-temperature environments. Competitors such as ST Micro, ROHM, and Infineon are also actively investing, and this collaboration between Toshiba and SICC can be said to be an important step for Japan to increase its presence in global competition.
🟦 Summary
Toshiba and SICC will promote the development of high-efficiency power semiconductors for EVs and servers through technical cooperation centered on SiC wafers. The interlocking of materials and applied technologies may accelerate the practical application of devices essential for an energy-saving society.
I think it is a very bold move that Toshiba has chosen to cooperate with China’s SICC in the field of SiC power semiconductors, which has been relatively lagging behind.
