Infineon has developed the world's first 300mm power GaN wafer technology

     Infineon Technologies AG has successfully developed the world's first 300mm power GaN wafer technology. It is said to be the first company in the world to master this breakthrough technology in an existing, scalable, high-volume production environment. This breakthrough will greatly boost the gallium nitride based power semiconductor market. Compared with 200mm wafers, the chip production technology of 300mm wafers is more advanced and more efficient, because the larger wafer diameter can accommodate 2.3 times the chip.

     Gallium nitride-based power semiconductors are finding rapid adoption in industrial, automotive, consumer, computing, and communications applications, including power supplies for artificial intelligence systems, solar inverters, chargers and adapters, and motor control systems. State-of-the-art GaN manufacturing processes improve device performance, which benefits end-customer applications as they achieve efficient performance, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost. In addition, 300mm manufacturing provides excellent customer supply stability through scalability.

     Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG, said: "This remarkable success is the result of the strength of our innovation and the dedicated work of our global team, and demonstrates our position as a leader in GaN and power system innovation." "This technological breakthrough will be a game-changer for the industry, allowing us to unlock the full potential of gallium nitride." Nearly a year after acquiring GaN Systems, we are once again demonstrating our commitment to becoming a leader in the fast-growing GaN market. As a leader in power systems, Infineon has access to all three relevant materials: silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitride."

     The company has successfully produced 300mm GaN wafers on the integrated trial line of its power fab, which has already produced 300mm silicon. The company utilizes existing production capacities of 300 mm silicon and 200 mm gallium nitride. It will further expand its gallium nitride production capacity in line with market demand. The 300mm GaN manufacturing will put it in a position to shape the growing GaN market.

     This pioneering technological success underscores the company's position as a global semiconductor leader in power systems and the Internet of Things. It is implementing 300mm Gans to enhance existing and allow for new solutions and application areas with an increasingly cost-effective value proposition and the ability to address a full range of customer systems. Samsung Electronics plans to unveil 300mm GaN wafers for the first time at the International Electronics Show in November 2024.

     A significant advantage of the 300mm gallium nitride technology is that it can use existing 300mm silicon manufacturing equipment, as gallium nitride and silicon are very similar in the manufacturing process. Its existing high-volume 300mm silicon production line is ideal for experimenting with reliable GaN technology, allowing for accelerated implementation and efficient use of capital. Fully scaled 300mm GaN production will help GaN to reach parity with silicon costs at the R&D level, meaning similar Si and GaN products are comparable in cost. The 300mm GaN is another milestone in the company's strategic innovation leadership and supports its mission to decarbonize and digitalize.