Infineon Technologies AG has announced the successful development of the world’s first 300mm power gallium nitride (GaN) wafer technology.

Accordingly, Infineon is the first company to master this groundbreaking technology in an existing and scalable high-volume manufacturing environment. Thus, the breakthrough will help drive the market for GaN-based power semiconductors.

Chip production on technologically advanced 300mm wafers offers more efficiency than 200mm wafers. The bigger wafer diameter fits 2.3 times as many chips per wafer.

Leader in Three IC Materials

GaN-based power semiconductors find fast adoption in industrial, automotive, and consumer, computing & communication applications. This includes power supplies for AI systems, solar inverters, chargers and adapters, and motor-control systems. Moreover, state-of-the art GaN manufacturing processes lead to improved device performance resulting in benefits for end customers’ applications. Therefore, enabling efficiency performance, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost. Furthermore, 300mm manufacturing ensures superior customer supply stability through scalability.

“This remarkable success is the result of our innovative strength and the dedicated work of our global team. Specifically, to demonstrate our position as the innovation leader in GaN and power systems,” said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG.

In addition, Haneback said, “The technological breakthrough will be an industry game-changer and enable us to unlock the full potential of gallium nitride…As a leader in power systems, Infineon is mastering all three relevant materials: silicon, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride.”

Growing Global GaN Market

Infineon has succeeded in manufacturing 300mm GaN wafers on an integrated pilot line. Particularly, in existing 300mm silicon production in its power fab in Villach in Austria. The company is leveraging well-established competence in the existing production of 300mm silicon and 200mm GaN. Infineon will further scale GaN capacity aligned with market needs. 300mm GaN manufacturing will put Infineon in a position to shape the growing GaN market. Accordingly, the market may reach several billion US-Dollars by the end of the decade.

Furthermore, this pioneering technological success underlines Infineon’s position as a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. In fact, Infineon is implementing 300mm GaN to strengthen existing and to enable new solutions and application fields. Most importantly, with an increasingly cost-effective value proposition and the ability to address the full range of customer systems.

Infineon will present the first 300mm GaN wafers to the public at the electronica trade show in November 2024 in Munich.

A significant advantage of 300mm GaN technology is its ability to utilize existing 300mm silicon manufacturing equipment. This is because gallium nitride and silicon are very similar in manufacturing processes. In addition, Infineon’s existing high-volume silicon 300mm production lines are ideal to pilot reliable GaN technology. Therefore, allowing accelerated implementation and efficient use of capital.

Fully scaled 300mm GaN production will contribute to GaN cost parity with silicon on R _DS(on) level, which means cost parity for comparable Si and GaN products.

12 September 2024