Japanese new technology can reduce SiC costs by 75%

Latest update time：2024-03-14

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Gaianixx, a company originating from the University of Tokyo in Japan, has developed a material called "intermediate film" for manufacturing power semiconductors that regulate voltage and current. Silicon carbide (SiC), etc. can be superimposed on cheap silicon substrates, and the manufacturing cost of power semiconductors is expected to be reduced by about 75%. This has the potential to advance the performance of pure electric vehicles (EVs) and other vehicles.

Power semiconductors are believed to help improve the cruising range of pure electric vehicles and promote the miniaturization of electronic products. Compared with silicon, which is a mainstream material, there has been an increase in purchases of silicon carbide, gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), etc., which have superior performance. For example, silicon carbide is thought to have approximately three times the performance of silicon in terms of the electrical properties required for semiconductor functionality. Even at high temperatures, there is little current leakage, so false starts are less likely to occur.

On the other hand, the supply of these new materials is very small, and the price per square centimeter of substrate reaches several to 400 times that of silicon (less than 100 yen). Against the background of expanding demand, cost control has become an urgent issue.

If an interlayer is used, a thin film such as silicon carbide can be stacked on an inexpensive silicon substrate. This is because the interlayer changes shape according to the arrangement of atoms in different materials, thereby preventing "deformation" that causes defects and performance degradation. Compared with the traditional method of laminating a thin film on a substrate of the same material, the manufacturing cost can be reduced to about a quarter.

Gaianixx will have an annual production capacity of approximately 20,000 interlayer films by 2025. Through private capital increases through negotiation with venture capital firms JIC Venture Growth Investments and Alconix Ventures as transferees, 350 million yen was raised for mass production investment.

Gaianixx's chief scientific officer (CSO) Ken Kijima also serves as a special researcher at the University of Tokyo and has been developing intermediate films that adjust the misalignment of atomic structures in different materials. This time, more than 30 years of research results were used.

It will first target the needs of large domestic semiconductor manufacturers in Japan and also consider selling to overseas manufacturers. The company’s president and chief executive officer (CEO) Kento Nakao believes that “if more new materials can be used, the popularity of next-generation power semiconductors can be accelerated.”

Fuji Economic estimates show that the world market size of next-generation semiconductors made of silicon carbide will reach 3.4579 trillion yen by 2035, increasing to 8.8 times that of 2023. Startups are taking action to capture growth markets.

Japan's UJ-Crystal Company, which originated from Nagoya University, has established a method of dissolving carbon in silicon solution and precipitating silicon carbide crystals. Compared with the general method of precipitation from compound gas, crystallization has fewer defects and lower electricity costs. Manufacturing costs can be reduced to about one-third.

When establishing the manufacturing method, artificial intelligence (AI) was used to learn the results of simulation experiments and calculate the combination of solution temperature and concentration suitable for crystallization. Company representative and Nagoya University professor Toru Ujihara recalled, "It took about 4 years and tens of millions of simulation experiments were conducted."

The company will mass-produce semiconductor wafers made from crystallized silicon carbide by 2026. Billions of yen will be invested to strengthen production equipment and produce mainstream 6-inch and 8-inch wafers, with a total annual output of about 12,000 wafers.

Novel Crystal Technology, a company invested by AGC and others, is committed to using its own crucibles to crystallize gallium oxide. It is reported that due to the special shape of the crucible, the internal temperature changes slowly and high-quality crystals can be precipitated.

Compared with previous methods using gas, the time required is expected to be reduced to about one percent and the manufacturing cost to about one-third. The company will invest billions of yen to build a new factory in the country and launch 6-inch semiconductor wafers made of gallium oxide by 2027.

The importance of semiconductors as strategic materials has increased, and concerns about China and the United States' encroachment have also intensified. Start-ups have strong technical capabilities and mobility, but lack production capabilities. In order for "Hinomaru Semiconductor", which once held the largest share of the world, to re-emerge, cooperation with large companies and government support policies are also needed.

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