Simgui enhances partnership with Soitec to double 200mm SOI wafer production capacity

Soitec of Bernin, near Grenoble, France, which makes engineered substrates including silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, and Chinese silicon-based materials manufacturing partner Shanghai Simgui Technology Co Ltd (a provider of both customized SOI wafers and epiwafer foundry services) have jointly announced an enhanced partnership and an increase in annual production capacity of 200mm SOI wafers from 180,000 to 360,000 at Simgui’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai to better serve the growing global market for RF-SOI in mobile and power-SOI products.

Since signing their original licensing and technology transfer agreement in May 2014, Simgui has used Soitec’s proprietary Smart Cut process to deliver RF-SOI and power-SOI products. The strategic partnership allows Simgui to use the same tools and processes to deliver the same products meeting the same specifications.

The firms say that the ramp up in production is a direct result of their close collaboration and customer focus to deliver SOI products at high volume. To further advance this aim, they have redefined their original financial agreement and specific roles regarding the 200mm wafers produced by Simgui. Simgui will focus on SOI wafer manufacturing and Soitec will manage worldwide product resale. To meet increasing worldwide demand for 200mm SOI in response to the growing market for RF-SOI used in mobile front-end modules (FEM) and for power-SOI used in automotive and consumer electronics, Simgui has invested in its Shanghai fabrication line to offer increased production capacity. The fab is production ready, having been qualified by multiple key customers both inside and outside China.

“We are very pleased to continue our long-standing history and manufacturing partnership with Simgui to secure 200mm capacity for our customers in markets where RF-SOI is today a standard for RF FEM for 4G & 5G and power-SOI shows strong growth,” says Dr Bernard Aspar, Soitec’s executive VP, Communications and Power business unit. “Soitec and Simgui are committed to serve this industry with the right level of capacity and product quality,” he adds.

“Through our industrial collaboration with Soitec, Simgui has proven the robustness and high-volume scalability of Soitec’s Smart Cut technology,” says Simgui’s CEO Dr Jeffrey Wang. “China has design, wafer manufacturing and good momentum in the IC industry,” he adds. “We are committed to our strategic partnership with Soitec to keep advancing SOI as China’s key differentiator.”

See related items:

Soitec ramping production of 200mm SOI wafers at China manufacturing partner Simgui’s fab

Soitec and Simgui partner to produce 200mm SOI wafers in China for RF and power semiconductor markets

Tags: Soitec SOI engineered substrates

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