Infineon has announced a multi-year supply and cooperation agreement with Resonac (formerly Showa Denko) to complement and extend their agreement through 2021 in order to continue to expand its silicon carbide (SiC) production capacity. The new agreement will deepen their long-term cooperation in the supply of SiC materials, with Resonac supplying a double-digit share of Infineon's estimated demand for SiC wafers over the next 10 years.

Peter Wawer, president of Infineon's Industrial Power Control business unit, said that there will be huge business opportunities in the coming years in the areas of renewable energy generation, energy storage, electric mobility and infrastructure equipment. Infineon is doubling its investment in its silicon carbide technology and product portfolio, and the partnership with Resonac will provide a strong boost to Infineon.

Resonac will initially supply 6" SiC wafers and will transition to 8" SiC wafers during the contract period, and Infineon will provide Resonac's IP on SiC material technology; the partnership will contribute to supply chain stability and the rapid growth of the emerging semiconductor material SiC.

Infineon is now actively expanding its SiC device production capacity in order to reach its target of 30% market share by 2030. Infineon's SiC production capacity is expected to grow tenfold by 2027, and a new plant in Kulim, Malaysia, is scheduled to start up in 2024.

Angelique van der Burg, Infineon's Chief Procurement Officer, emphasized that demand for SiC is growing rapidly, so Infineon is expanding our capacity significantly to prepare for such growth and has therefore decided to deepen its collaboration with Resonac and strengthen their partnership.

According to the information, Resonac is an 84-year-old chemical giant (formerly Showa Denko), a leader in the market for key semiconductor packaging materials such as laminates, photographic films and SiC epitaxial wafers, and aims to increase the proportion of chip materials revenue to 45% of overall sales by 2030, up from 31% in 2021.

Resonac plans to increase production of SiC epitaxial wafers to 50,000 wafers per month (converted to 6" wafers) by 2026, an increase to approximately five times the current capacity. Mass production of 8-inch silicon carbide substrates will also begin by 2025, enabling more semiconductor chips to be cut, with a concomitant increase in production efficiency.

source：xinzhixun