News: Microelectronics
8 December 2023
Toshiba and ROHM collaborate on silicon and SiC power device and wafer manufacturing
A plan by Japan-based ROHM Co Ltd and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp (TDSC) to collaborate on the manufacture and increased volume production of power devices has been recognized and will be supported by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as a measure supporting the Government’s target of secure and stable semiconductor supply. ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage will respectively make intensive investments in silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) power devices, effectively enhance their supply capabilities, and utilize each other’s production capacity.
Demand for power devices is expected to see continued growth for supplying and managing power supplies in all kinds of electronic equipment, especially for achieving a carbon-free, carbon-neutral society. In automotive applications, the development of more efficient, smaller and lighter electric powertrains has advanced alongside the rapid expansion in vehicle electrification. In industrial applications, a stable supply of power devices and improved characteristics are widely needed to support increasing automation and higher efficiency requirements.
ROHM expects its latest fourth-generation SiC MOSFETs to be adopted for numerous electric vehicles and industrial equipment. As one of its priority projects, the firm is working on SiC business, including continuous investment to increase the SiC production capacity and to meet the strong growth in demand.
For decades, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage has supplied silicon power devices, mainly for automotive and industrial markets, that have helped to achieve energy saving as well as equipment miniaturization. The firm started production on a 300mm wafer line last year and it is now accelerating investment to boost production capacity and to meet the strong growth in demand. It is also developing a broader lineup of SiC power devices, especially for automotive and power transmission and distribution applications, taking full advantage of the expertise it has cultivated in railway vehicle applications.
ROHM has already announced its participation in the privatization of Toshiba, but this investment did not serve as the starting point for the manufacturing collaboration between the two companies. Amid intensifying international competition in the semiconductor industry, ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage have been considering collaborating in the power device business for some time, resulting in the joint application.
As well as collaborating on manufacturing through investing in SiC and silicon power devices respectively (enhancing both companies’ international competitiveness), ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage also aim to contribute to strengthening the resilience of semiconductor supply chains in Japan.
The maximum government subsidy of JPY129.4bn comprises a third of the plan’s total investment of JPY388.3bn, consisting of: (1) JPY289.2bn invested by ROHM Co Ltd in SiC power devices and SiC wafer production at its subsidiary LAPIS Semiconductor Co Ltd’s Miyazaki Plant No.2; plus (2) JPY99.1bn invested by Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corp in Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corp’s silicon power device manufacturing plant.
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