Infineon unveils world’s first 300 mm power gallium nitride wafer technology

A Germany-based global semiconductor leader has developed the the world’s first 300 mm power gallium nitride (GaN) wafer technology. Infineon Technologies claims that the company is first company in the world to master this groundbreaking technology in an existing and scalable high-volume manufacturing environment.

The market for GaN-based power semiconductors is also expected to get a boost from the breakthrough technology.

Infineon maintains that the chip production on 300 mm wafers is technologically more advanced and significantly more efficient compared to 200 mm wafers, since the bigger wafer diameter fits 2.3 times as many chips per wafer.

GaN-based power semiconductors find fast adoption

It’s claimed that GaN-based power semiconductors find fast adoption in industrial, automotive, and consumer, computing & communication applications including power supplies for AI systems, solar inverters, chargers and adapters, and motor-control systems.

GaN manufacturing processes also improves that device performance resulting in benefits in end customers’ applications as it enables efficiency performance, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost.

Infineon argues that 300 mm manufacturing ensures superior customer supply stability through scalability.

Technological breakthrough will be an industry game-changer

Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG, claimed that the development is the result of the company’s innovative strength and the dedicated work of its global team to demonstrate the company’s position as the innovation leader in GaN and power systems.

Hanebeck stated that the technological breakthrough will be an industry game-changer and enable us to unlock the full potential of gallium nitride.

“Nearly one year after the acquisition of GaN Systems, we are demonstrating again that we are determined to be a leader in the fast-growing GaN market. As a leader in power systems, Infineon is mastering all three relevant materials: silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitride,” added Hanebeck.

300 mm GaN wafers’ manufacturing

The company has succeeded in manufacturing 300 mm GaN wafers on an integrated pilot line in existing 300 mm silicon production in its power fab in Villach (Austria).

Infineon is leveraging well-established competence in the existing production of 300 mm silicon and 200 mm GaN. Infineon will further scale GaN capacity aligned with market needs.

300 mm GaN manufacturing will put Infineon in a position to shape the growing GaN market which is estimated to reach several billion US-Dollars by the end of the decade.

The company claims that this pioneering technological success underlines Infineon’s position as a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT.

“Infineon is implementing 300 mm GaN to strengthen existing and enabling new solutions and application fields with an increasingly cost-effective value proposition and the ability to address the full range of customer systems,” said the company in a statement.

Infineon will present the first 300 mm GaN wafers to the public at the electronica trade show in November 2024 in Munich.