5G and automotive electronics force The third-generation semiconductor materials market expands

Tuoba Industrial Research Institute pointed out that compared with the current mainstream silicon wafer (Si), the third-generation semiconductor materials SiC and GaN have the advantages of high temperature resistance and high frequency operation, in addition to high voltage resistance. Not only can the chip area be greatly reduced, but also the design of peripheral circuits can be simplified, and the volume of components and cooling systems around the module and the system can be reduced. In addition to light vehicle design, due to the low on-resistance and low switching loss of the third-generation semiconductor, the energy conversion loss during vehicle operation can be greatly reduced, which is quite helpful for the improvement of the endurance of electric vehicles. Therefore, the technology and market development of SiC and GaN power components are inseparable from the development of electric vehicles.

However, SiC materials are still in the verification and introduction stage. At this stage, the automotive field is only used in racing cars. Therefore, the current stage of automotive power components in the world uses less than one-thousandth of the SiC solution. On the other hand, GaN power components on the market are manufactured on GaN-on-SiC and GaN-on-Si wafers. Among them, GaN-on-SiC has advantages in heat dissipation performance, and is suitable for high temperature applications. Due to the high-frequency operating environment, the visibility of the 5G base station is high. It is expected that the SiC substrate will enter the high-speed growth period in the next five years, driven by the vehicle manufacturer and the 5G commercial in 2020.

Although the cost of the GaN substrate is large in the process of increasing the area, the output value of the GaN substrate is still smaller than that of the SiC substrate. However, the advantages of GaN in high-frequency operation are still the focus of major technology companies. In addition to the high-standard products using GaN-on-SiC technology, GaN-on-Si has become the mainstream of the current GaN power components through its cost advantage, the power management chip and charging system required for automotive and smart phones. Applications are growing.

Tuoba Industrial Research Institute pointed out that observing the development of supply chain, as 5G and automotive technology are in the focus of industrial growth trend, the supply chain has developed a foundry model to provide customers with SiC and GaN foundry services, changing the past Only supplied by integrated manufacturers such as Cree, Infineon, and Qorvo. Part of GaN, TSMC and the world's leading GaN-on-Si foundry business, the company specializes in GaN-on-SiC field targeting 5G base station business opportunities. In addition, X-Fab, Han Lei and Huanyu also provide foundry services for SiC and GaN. With the promotion of the foundry business, the market size of the third-generation semiconductor materials will further expand.