Denso Corporation and United Semiconductor Japan Company (USJC) have announced a joint collaboration to produce insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), which have entered mass production at the 300mm fab of USJC.
A first shipment ceremony was held today to mark this milestone. The announcement comes just one year after the companies announced a strategic partnership for this critical power semiconductor used in electric vehicles.
As per the companies, the new IGBT offers 20% reduction in power losses compared with earlier-generation devices. Production is expected to reach 10,000 wafers per month by 2025.
Also Read: 22NM Plus Chip Fabs Ideal For Auto Industry, Says IESA
Koji Arima, President, Denso, said, “We are from different cultures such as the semiconductor industry and automobile industry. However, we have worked steadily with mutual respect which is a source of our strong competitiveness.”
According to Michiari Kawano, President, USJC, the company is the first to fabricate IGBT on 300 mm wafers in Japan.
Jason Wang, Co-President, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) added, “The electrification and automation of cars will continue to drive up semiconductor content, particularly for chips manufactured using specialty foundry processes on 28nm and above nodes. As a specialty technology leader, UMC is well positioned to play a bigger role in the automotive value chain and enable our partners to capture opportunities and win market share in this rapidly evolving industry.”