Tech News Summary:
- Coherent Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a program to scale the manufacturing of SiC power electronics on a 200mm technology platform.
- Mitsubishi Electric has announced an investment of approximately 260 billion yen in a five-year period ending March 2026 to build a new SiC power plant based on a 200mm technology platform and improve related production facilities.
- Coherent will develop a supply of 200mm n-type SiC 4H substrates for Mitsubishi Electric’s future SiC power devices manufactured at the new facility, accelerating their contribution to sustainable energy consumption and decarbonization of society.
Coherent, a leading provider of laser-based technologies, has teamed up with Mitsubishi Electric to transform the manufacturing of silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics on a 200 mm platform. The collaboration is expected to accelerate the adoption of SiC technology for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and industrial applications.
SiC is a wide bandgap semiconductor material that offers several advantages over traditional silicon-based electronics. SiC-based devices are more efficient and can operate at higher temperatures and frequencies, making them ideal for high-power and high-speed applications. However, the manufacturing of SiC-based power electronics on larger substrates is still a challenge due to the complexity of the process and the high cost of equipment.
To address these challenges, Coherent and Mitsubishi Electric plan to develop a new laser annealing system that can process 200 mm SiC wafers with high precision and efficiency. The system will use Coherent’s proprietary laser technology to rapidly heat the SiC material, anneal defects, and activate dopants, resulting in highly uniform and electrically stable layers.
The new laser annealing system is expected to improve the yield and quality of SiC-based power electronics and make them more accessible to a wider range of industries. The system can also be integrated with Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced SiC device fabrication process to enable the mass production of high-performance SiC devices.
“The collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric represents a major milestone in our ongoing effort to bring innovative laser-based solutions to the semiconductor industry,” said Dr. Markus Wolf, Vice President and General Manager of Coherent’s Microelectronics business unit. “By combining our laser expertise with Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced manufacturing capability, we aim to revolutionize the SiC power electronics market and enable the next wave of energy-efficient and high-performance devices.”
The joint development project is expected to be completed by December 2022, with plans to commercialize the laser annealing system in the near future.