STMicroelectronics to construct the world’s first totally built-in silicon carbide facility in Italy

• New high-volume 200mm silicon carbide manufacturing facility for energy gadgets and modules, in addition to take a look at and packaging, to be in-built Catania, Italy
• Projected 5 billion euros multi-year funding program together with 2 billion euros assist supplied by the State of Italy within the framework of the EU Chips Act
• Catania Silicon Carbide Campus realizes ST’s plan for totally vertically built-in SiC capabilities from R&D to manufacturing, from substrate to module, on one web site, enabling automotive and industrial clients of their shift to electrification and better power effectivity.

STMicroelectronics, a worldwide semiconductor chief serving clients throughout the spectrum of electronics purposes, proclaims a brand new high-volume 200mm silicon carbide (“SiC”) manufacturing facility for energy gadgets and modules, in addition to take a look at and packaging, to be in-built Catania, Italy. Mixed with the SiC substrate manufacturing facility being readied on the identical web site, these amenities will kind ST’s Silicon Carbide Campus, realizing the Firm’s imaginative and prescient of a completely vertically built-in manufacturing facility for the mass manufacturing of SiC on one web site. The creation of the brand new Silicon Carbide Campus is a key milestone to assist clients for SiC gadgets throughout automotive, industrial and cloud infrastructure purposes, as they transition to electrification and search greater effectivity.

“The totally built-in capabilities unlocked by the Silicon Carbide Campus in Catania will contribute considerably to ST’s SiC know-how management for automotive and industrial clients via the following many years,” mentioned Jean-Marc Chery, President and Chief Government Officer of STMicroelectronics. “The size and synergies provided by this mission will allow us to higher innovate with high-volume manufacturing capability, to the advantage of our European and world clients as they transition to electrification and search extra power environment friendly options to fulfill their decarbonization targets.”

The Silicon Carbide Campus will function the middle of ST’s world SiC ecosystem, integrating all steps within the manufacturing stream, together with SiC substrate growth, epitaxial progress processes, 200mm front-end wafer fabrication and module back-end meeting, in addition to course of R&D, product design, superior R&D labs for dies, energy programs and modules, and full packaging capabilities. This may obtain a primary of a sort in Europe for the mass manufacturing of 200mm SiC wafers with every step of the method – substrate, epitaxy & front-end, and back-end – utilizing 200 mm applied sciences for enhanced yields and performances.

The brand new facility is focused to begin manufacturing in 2026 and to ramp to full capability by 2033, with as much as 15,000 wafers per week at full build-out. The overall funding is predicted to be round 5 billion euros, with a assist of round two billion euros supplied by the State of Italy inside the framework of the EU Chips Act. Sustainable practices are integral to the design, growth, and operation of the Silicon Carbide Campus to make sure the accountable consumption of assets together with water and energy.

Extra data
Silicon Carbide (“SiC”) is a key compound materials (and know-how) consisting of silicon and carbon that gives a number of benefits over typical silicon for energy purposes. The extensive bandgap of SiC and its intrinsic traits – higher thermal conductivity, greater switching velocity, low dissipation – make it notably appropriate for the manufacturing of high-voltage energy gadgets (notably above 1,200V). SiC energy gadgets, within the type of SiC MOSFET bought as naked die and full SiC modules, are particularly helpful in electrical autos, fast-charging infrastructure, renewable energies and numerous industrial purposes together with datacenters, as they provide greater electrical currents and decrease leakage than conventional silicon semiconductors, growing power effectivity. SiC chips are nevertheless harder and extra pricey to fabricate than silicon chips with many challenges to beat within the industrialization of the manufacturing course of.

ST’s management in SiC is the results of 25 years of focus and dedication in R&D with a big portfolio of key patents. Catania has lengthy been an necessary web site for innovation for ST as the house of the most important SiC R&D and manufacturing operations, efficiently contributing to the event of recent options for producing extra and higher SiC gadgets. With a longtime ecosystem on energy electronics, together with a long-term, profitable collaboration between ST and the College of Catania and the CNR (Italian Nationwide Analysis Council), in addition to a big community of suppliers, this funding will strengthen Catania’s function as a worldwide competence heart for SiC know-how and for additional progress alternatives.

ST at the moment manufactures its flagship high-volume SiC merchandise on two 150-millimeter wafer strains in Catania (Italy) and Ang Mo Kio (Singapore). A 3rd hub is a three way partnership with Sanan Optoelectronics, with a 200-millimeter facility beneath development in Chongqing (China), devoted to ST to serve the Chinese language market. ST’s wafer manufacturing amenities are supported by automotive-qualified, high-volume meeting and take a look at operations in Bouskoura (Morocco) and Shenzhen (China). SiC substrate R&D and industrialization is undertaken in Norrköping (Sweden) and Catania, the place ST’s SiC substrates manufacturing facility is ramping up manufacturing and most of ST’s SiC product R&D and design workers are primarily based.