DB HiTek is moving in earnest into the 8-inch wafer-based 1,200V silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor foundry (contract manufacturing) business.
DB HiTek said on the 9th that it has completed reliability verification of its 8-inch wafer-based 1,200V SiC metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) process and will push for mass production next year.
SiC is a next-generation power semiconductor material that operates stably in high-temperature and high-voltage environments compared with conventional silicon (Si), and is used in electric vehicles, renewable energy, and industrial power equipment. While SiC semiconductors are currently produced mainly on 6-inch wafers, the industry is shifting to 8-inch wafers, which can produce more chips per wafer and lower costs.
DB HiTek said that through this reliability verification, it has established the world's first integrated 8-inch wafer-based 1,200V SiC foundry process. It has set up a system that supports everything from semiconductor design to manufacturing, characterization, and reliability verification to aid customers' product development and plans to secure new customers.
To enable customers to design SiC semiconductors more quickly, it also provides a process design kit (PDK). A PDK is a design tool that supports customers in designing semiconductors by reflecting a foundry's process information. DB HiTek currently provides first- and second-generation PDKs and plans to launch a third-generation PDK in Nov. The company said leveraging this can reduce the initial development burden and shorten product development time by more than a year.
DB HiTek will begin offering SiC process services to existing partner customers starting in the third quarter of this year. From the second quarter of next year, it will expand services to all customers and enter a full-scale mass production regime.