Positioning itself as the first foundry to offer high-volume manufacturing so that rapidly growing SiC demands can be met

Tessenderlo, Belgium – March 19, 2020 X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE continues to drive the adoption of silicon-carbide (SiC) technology forward by offering SiC foundry services at the scale of silicon. The company has confirmed that it is the first pure-play foundry to add internal SiC epitaxy capabilities to its offering. With X-FAB’s proven ability to run silicon and SiC on the same manufacturing line, customers have access to high-quality and cost-effective foundry solutions. In line with the growing demand, X-FAB is committed to further expand its SiC capacity and, with the 26k wafers per month capacity at its Lubbock facility, has the right platform to meet its customers’ needs. 

By offering an in-house epitaxy capability, X-FAB is taking control of an additional part of the process chain. This will result in better lead times, meaning that customers’ products are quicker to market. Through the new epitaxy toolset, which comes with an option for dual epi-layer implementations, X-FAB will be able to achieve higher uniformity of the epitaxial layer – thereby increasing device performance parameters and the overall yield significantly. The company is also undertaking further investments in state-of-the-art characterization tools to improve the epi-layer quality, and is working with the leading substrate manufacturers to ensure the long-term continuity of supply for essential raw materials.

With X-FAB’s site in Lubbock focused on serving the SiC market, the company is fully prepared for the expected acceleration of SiC device shipments – enabling key applications, such as electric vehicles and advanced power management systems. It will allow customers to import their SiC projects into a stable and trusted, fully automotive-qualified fab environment which supports output levels that are comparable with those of IDMs.

“X-FAB’s commitment to wide bandgap technology is truly unmatched, and we have already demonstrated our SiC onboarding credentials, with numerous high-volume projects for diodes, MOSFETs and JFETs all currently running, and these are paving the way towards mass market adoption,” states Ed Pascasio, CFO at X-FAB Texas. “By making even more capacity available for SiC, we will be able to keep up with demand requirements as this technology matures. Also, with all the necessary epitaxy expertise now located internally, X-FAB is in a unique position to control every aspect of SiC production. Our engineering team has direct influence across the whole process, and this will translate into best-value performance and quality as well as more attractive price points,” Pascasio concludes.

About X-FAB

X-FAB is the leading analog/mixed-signal and MEMS foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for automotive, industrial, consumer, medical and other applications. Its customers worldwide benefit from the highest quality standards, manufacturing excellence and innovative solutions by using X-FAB’s modular CMOS and SOI processes in geometries ranging from 1.0 to 0.13 µm, and its special SiC and MEMS long-lifetime processes. X-FAB’s analog-digital integrated circuits (mixed-signal ICs), sensors and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are manufactured at six production facilities in Germany, France, Malaysia and the U.S. X-FAB employs about 3,800 people worldwide. www.xfab.com

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X-FAB Silicon Foundries
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Acronyms

IDM                  Integrated Device Manufacturer
JFET                Junction Field Effect Transistors
MOSFET          Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
Si                     Silicon
SiC                   Silicon-Carbide