On October 29th, the semiconductor giant Infineon announced the launch of the world's thinnest silicon power wafers, becoming the first company to master the processing and manufacturing technology of 20μm ultra-thin power semiconductor wafers.
Adam White, President of Infineon Technologies' Power & Sensing Systems Division, stated that with the significant increase in the energy demand of AI data centers, energy efficiency has become increasingly important. This has brought rapid development opportunities to Infineon, and the company expects its AI business revenue to reach 1 billion euros within the next two years.
The Wafer Thickness Is Only One-Quarter of a Hair Strand
In terms of technical specifications, the diameter of this wafer is 30mm, and its thickness of 20μm is only one-quarter of a hair strand, which is half the thickness of the currently most advanced 40 - 60μm wafers. Generally speaking, the thickness of wafers is roughly between tens and hundreds of micrometers. Infineon's reduction of the wafer thickness to 20μm can be regarded as a brand-new breakthrough in the industry. However, the industry also believes that thinner wafers will also face some new technical challenges, such as compatibility with traditional processes and warping issues.
In terms of technical advantages, compared with solutions based on traditional silicon wafers, the thickness of this technical wafer is halved, the substrate resistance can be reduced by 50%, and the power loss in the power system can be decreased by more than 15%. For high-end AI server applications, the increase in current will drive up the energy demand. Therefore, reducing the voltage from 230V to below 1.8V for the processor voltage is particularly important for power conversion.
In terms of application fields, Infineon's ultra-thin wafer technology has been recognized and has been applied to Infineon's Integrated Smart Power Stage (DC-DC converter) and has been delivered to the first batch of customers. Infineon points out that this innovation will help significantly improve the energy efficiency, power density, and reliability of power conversion solutions, and is applicable to AI data centers, as well as consumer, motor control, and computing applications.
Currently, Infineon has a comprehensive product and technology portfolio covering devices based on Si, SiC, and GaN. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, as new semiconductor materials, are also regarded as the next-generation successors of silicon due to their excellent performance in high-power applications. Infineon claims that silicon will continue to dominate in many fields, but the company is also actively promoting the development of SiC and GaN technologies.
In terms of gallium nitride, Infineon has launched the world's first 300mm gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor wafer; in terms of silicon carbide, the company has increased its 200mm wafer production capacity and has currently built the world's largest 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor wafer factory, which is located in Kulim, Malaysia.
The above reflects Infineon's determination to strengthen its layout in the power semiconductor market.
Ultra-Thin Wafer Technology: An "Important Driver" in the Semiconductor Industry
Looking at the global landscape, the power semiconductor market presents an obvious stratified competition pattern. The global market is mainly occupied by overseas IDM giants, among which Infineon leads its peers with a certain advantage, followed by companies such as Texas Instruments, ON Semiconductor, and STMicroelectronics.Regarding this breakthrough, the industry believes that the advancement of ultra-thin wafer technology is expected to further expand Infineon's leading advantage in the global power semiconductor market, or intensify the homogenization competition in the global power semiconductor market, driving peers to accelerate technological innovation and product upgrades.
In recent years, with the development of the technology industry, the market demand for low-energy-consumption, small-size, and ultra-thin chips has been continuously increasing, thereby driving up the demand for ultra-thin wafers. The growth of this market demand will promote the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, especially the widespread application of wafer thinning technology.
Infineon predicts that within the next three to four years, the existing traditional wafer technology will be gradually replaced by this ultra-thin wafer technology, especially in the field of low-voltage power converters. This indicates that in the future, ultra-thin wafer technology may become the mainstream technology in the power semiconductor market, leading the trend of technological development in the industry.
For the global semiconductor industry, the development of ultra-thin wafer technology promotes technological progress and changes in the market pattern, having an important impact on the supply chain, manufacturing processes, and market demand, and will further promote the process of low-carbonization and digitalization.
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