DENSO CORPORATION (DENSO), a mobility supplier, and United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd. (USJC), a subsidiary of global semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) announced a collaboration to produce insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), which have entered mass production at the 300mm fab of USJC.
A first shipment ceremony was held today to mark this important milestone. It comes just one year after the companies announced a strategic partnership for this critical power semiconductor used in electric vehicles.
electric vehicle adoption
As the adoption of electric vehicles accelerates, automakers are seeking to boost powertrain efficiency while also increasing the cost-effectiveness of electrified vehicles.
The jointly invested line at USJC supports the production of a new generation of IGBT developed by DENSO, which offers a 20% reduction in power losses compared with earlier generation devices.
reduction in power losses
Production is expected to reach 10,000 wafers per month by 2025 and the ceremony was held at USJC’s fab
Production is expected to reach 10,000 wafers per month by 2025. The ceremony was held at USJC’s fab in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Attendees included DENSO President Koji Arima, UMC Co-President Jason Wang, USJC President Michiari Kawano, Director-General of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Satoshi Nohara, Governor of Mie Prefecture Katsuyuki Ichimi, and Mayor of Kuwana City Narutaka Ito.
semiconductors production
"Today, we are thrilled to welcome a memorable shipping ceremony that symbolizes the partnership between DENSO, UMC, and USJC. We are from different cultures such as the semiconductor industry and automobile industry," said Koji Arima, President of DENSO.
Koji Arima adds, "However, we have worked steadily with mutual respect which is a source of our strong competitiveness. DENSO, together with our trusted partners, will continue to further accelerate electrification through the production of competitive semiconductors to preserve the global environment and create a society full of smiles."
production efficiency
"USJC is proud to be the first semiconductor foundry in Japan to manufacture IGBT on 300mm wafers, offering customers greater production efficiency than the standard fabrication on 200mm wafers," said Michiari Kawano, President of USJC.
Michiari Kawano adds, "Thanks to our dedicated teams and support from DENSO, we were able to complete trial production and reliability testing without delay and honor the mass production date as agreed with the customer."
collaborative approach
"It is an honor to be a strategic partner of DENSO, a pioneering automotive solution provider to global automakers. This collaboration fully demonstrates UMC’s manufacturing capability and our collaborative approach to ensure the success of our foundry customers," said Jason Wang, Co-President of UMC.
Jason Wang adds, "The electrification and automation of cars will continue to drive up semiconductor content, particularly for chips manufactured using specialty foundry processes on 28nm and above nodes. As a specialty technology pioneer, UMC is well-positioned to play a bigger role in the automotive value chain enabling our partners to capture opportunities and win market share in this rapidly evolving industry."