DB Hitek Launches UHV Power Semiconductor Business
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Update time : 2023-11-14 11:05:26
Korean 8-inch wafer foundry DB Hitek (Dongbu Hitek) recently announced the upgrade of ultra-high voltage (UHV) power semiconductor process technology, and officially entered the UHV power semiconductor business.
DB Hitek has officially launched the UHV power semiconductor business. UHV power semiconductors are used in a wide range of applications, including home appliances, automotive, communications and industrial, to drive motors. The UHV process mainly supports the design and manufacture of gate driver ICs.
With this process technology upgrade, DB Hitek provides the environment to use both level shifter isolation and current isolation in gate driver ICs. It enables easy level shifter chip design and high voltage operation, thus improving the benefits of stable current isolation. The process is also expected to expand its use from the current mainstream appliance segment to the automotive and solar sectors.
Back in May 2023, DB Hitek introduced an industry-leading 900V level converter for high-output compressors such as system air conditioners. In addition, DB Hitek developed a technology to relocate bootstrap diodes, previously mounted externally, inside the chip. This helps to reduce chip size. This patented technology provides a different gate driver IC design environment compared to other foundries.
In the future, DB Hitek plans to develop process technologies related to silicon power semiconductors in various fields with the aim of providing an optimized gate driver IC design environment.
Specifically, it will provide optimized 600V-class processes for home appliances, which account for the largest share of the gate driver IC market. It also plans to enhance its competitiveness in the ultra-high-voltage power semiconductor field by acquiring a 200V-class process for products such as electric skateboards and a 1,200V-class process for industrial use by the end of 2023.
Gate driver ICs account for 8% of the power semiconductor IC market and are expected to grow at an average annual rate of 109% from 2022 to 2027. DB Hitek will build on its competitive power semiconductor technology to move toward high-value-added, high-growth ultra-high-voltage power semiconductors to enhance its overall competitiveness, the sources said.
On the other hand, DB Hitek recently added an 8-inch wafer production line, but the market is recovering slowly. The transition to 12-inch wafer manufacturing is also difficult to accelerate. Under these circumstances, next-generation power semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) will slowly become DB Hitek's future focus.
In addition, in May 2023, DB Hitek divested its IC design division and retained its foundry business. Its IC design business will be relaunched under the company name "DB GlobalChip" in the hope of achieving mutually beneficial growth in foundry and IC design.
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