5 October 2015

Ascatron and LPE cooperate on 150mm SiC epitaxy for power electronics

Silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor device developer Ascatron AB of Kista, Stockholm, Sweden (which was spun out of research institute Acreo in 2011, and supplies SiC epitaxial material) and LPE SpA of Milan, Italy, which designs and makes epitaxial reactors for power electronics, have entered into a cooperation agreement to develop SiC epi material for volume production on 150mm substrates. The first results demonstrating what is said to be outstanding uniformity will be presented at the 16th International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2015) in Catania, Sicily, Italy.

At its production fab, Ascatron has installed a new LPE SiC epitaxy reactor system with 150mm wafer capability. The PE106 model is a new development from LPE and was recently launched on the market. What is claimed to be the industry's shortest cycle time and smallest footprint makes it optimal for the production of Ascatron's epi material for high-voltage power devices, it is reckoned.

"The new production equipment from LPE is key to scale up Ascatron advanced epitaxy processes to state-of-the-art 150mm SiC wafers," says Ascatron's CEO Christian Vieider. "We are now ready to provide our customers with n-type doped epi wafers with thicknesses from 0.1µm up to 100µm," he adds.

"The new PE1O6 will further enhance Ascatron unique epitaxy-based SiC technology, which is set to gain worldwide acceptance among device makers because of its superior features," reckons LPE's CEO Franco Preti. "The cooperation with Ascatron enables LPE to strengthen our position on the market," he adds.

"The single-wafer concept of the LPE reactor is ideal to optimize growth parameters for a wide range of processes," comments Ascatron's chief technology officer Adolf Schöner. "We are now able to establish our unique growth processes for embedded pn junctions and 3D structures on this 150mm wafer platform, which is a crucial step towards cost-effective production of next-generation SiC power devices".

See related items:

Quadrivio and Como Venture take 16.7% stake in Ascatron as part of A-round fundraising

Norstel and Ascatron ally to provide complete SiC epi offering

Ascatron spun off from Sweden's Acreo as first independent pure-play SiC foundry

Tags: SiC epitaxy SiC devices Power electronics

Visit: www.ascatron.com

Visit: www.lpe-epi.com