Nexperia uses Aixtron equipment as it enters the SiC market

Nexperia says in a press release that it to continuously expand its portfolio of silicon carbide devices. And Aixtron's deposition equipment meets the quality requirements of silicon carbide wafers for power electronics with its fully automated AIX G5 WW C platform. "Wide-band-gap semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide have unique physical properties. They enable high power density and efficiency at lower system and operating costs. SiC technology is also now advanced enough to meet the stringent requirements for mass production of devices for modern consumer and industrial products. Therefore, it is now time for Nexperia to take our next strategic step, the expansion of our portfolio to include power semiconductor devices based on silicon carbide," says Mark Roeloffzen, General Manager of the Bipolar Discretes Group at Nexperia, in the press release.. He continues: "In the future, we will also cover the value-added stage of epi-wafer production in the field of high-performance components. For this important milestone, we know that AIXTRON is the right partner for Nexperia." For decades, Aixtron has been working with leading institutes and industry partners worldwide to exploit the benefits of new compound semiconductor material classes such as SiC and GaN for power electronics and is also opening up the use of 200mm wafers with the latest production technologies. And the latest generation Planetary Reactor is specifically designed to meet the very high demands of SiC power electronics. "Nexperia is positioning itself at the right time in one of the most exciting growth markets in the semiconductor industry. We are pleased that Nexperia has chosen us as a partner in this important strategic step into a new market of the future. The performance characteristics of the silicon carbide and gallium nitride material classes, with their high efficiency, offer highly attractive potential for energy savings, heat reduction, weight and system size reduction, and thus lower overall system costs," says Dr. Felix Grawert, CEO and President of AIXTRON SE. At the beginning of the year, Nexperia had already started a significant investment program both in the expansion of its production capacities, and in research and development worldwide. As part of its global growth strategy, planned investments in Europe this year include production efficiency improvements and the implementation of new 200mm technologies at its European wafer fabs in Hamburg, Manchester and Newport. In Hamburg, the company is investing in new technologies for the expansion of its "wide band gap" SiC power device offering.