RFsemi Starts Supplying Foundry SiC Power Semiconductors for Electric Vehicles and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] RF Semi, a semiconductor manufacturing specialist company, announced on the 6th that it has started supplying products to domestic companies by outsourcing the manufacturing of SiC (Silicon Carbide) power semiconductors.

Since last year, RF Semi has been collaborating with domestic companies to develop technology for producing SiC power semiconductors using 6-inch wafers. This year, they signed an outsourcing production contract and have now begun the first supply.

The supplied product is a JBS (Junction Barrier Schottky) diode that allows current to flow in one direction, a general-purpose product used in high-power components such as electric vehicles and TVs.

Power semiconductors are essential semiconductors that control current direction and power conversion in electrical products requiring high power, electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and 5G communication networks. Yole (a semiconductor market trend research company) forecasts that the SiC power semiconductor market will grow at an average annual rate of 29% until 2024, reaching a scale of $2 billion.

Power semiconductors using SiC (Silicon Carbide) and GaN (Gallium Nitride) can withstand voltages 2 to 3 times higher than conventional power semiconductors using Si (Silicon) and operate normally at high temperatures.

SiC power semiconductors have a high tolerance for high voltage and heat, enabling miniaturization and reduced power consumption, and are primarily applied to electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles that require high voltage.

Due to high technological barriers and a limited number of companies with mass production capabilities, there is a global supply shortage of SiC power semiconductors. Currently, only 2 to 3 domestic companies operate 6-inch wafer fabs, and no company possesses SiC power semiconductor foundry technology in Korea.

RF Semi operates a 6-inch wafer fab at its Jeonju factory with a production capacity of 6,000 wafers per month.

Jinhyo Lee, CEO of RF Semi, stated, "Based on 20 years of semiconductor manufacturing technology know-how, we were able to produce high-yield products in a short time," adding, "We plan to expand the SiC power semiconductor foundry business."

RF Semi is a semiconductor device specialist company with an integrated production system from design to manufacturing of ECM Chips, TVS Diodes, MEMS MICs, and LED Lights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.