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Dynex headquarter

Dynex headquarter

Dynex Semiconductor today announced that its parent company, Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric Co Ltd. held a ceremony at its facility in China to mark the opening of a new $240 million IGBT production base in Zhuzhou. The new production base, the first of its kind in China, and the second worldwide, will produce high-power IGBT chips and modules using 8-inch silicon. Annual output of the first phase of this new production line is expected to reach 120,000 wafers and 1 million pieces of IGBT modules. This IGBT line is being operated by the newly formed Semiconductor Business Unit of CSR Times Electric, of which Dynex is the European subsidiary.

 The technology being used in the new facility has been developed at Lincoln in the UK by the multinational CSR Zhuzhou R&D Center based at Dynex Semiconductor Ltd. The UK R&D centre was established in 2010 to focus on leading edge power semiconductor technology and specifically the next generation of IGBT products. CSR began construction of the new 8-inch production line in May 2012. Throughout the build, equipment installation and commissioning Dynex has played a leading role in providing technical advice, support and staff training both in Lincoln and in China.

 The IGBT is the key component in today’s energy efficient electric energy conversion systems used in electric locomotives, metros, electric and hybrid electric vehicles, electric power grids and renewable energy plants. Using the latest silicon wafer fabrication equipment and the latest process technologies, the new line will initially produce high power modules using the latest soft punch through field stop and trench technologies.

 Dr Paul Taylor, President and CEO of Dynex Commented:

“Since the acquisition of Dynex by CSR Times Electric in 2008 there has been a rapid development in our IGBT capability. We began with 4-inch wafers, then up graded to 6-inch at our plant in Lincoln. We then extended our technology to support the design of this new facility. It complements our base in the UK by giving us access to a world leading 8-inch IGBT wafer fabrication facility and a high volume module assembly line”

 “Our rapid development does not stop there “continued Dr Taylor “the new line has been kitted out with the latest equipment, and the next phase of expansion is already being planned. This targets key markets such as electric automotive and renewable energy. So at our UK R&D Center we are already working on designing the next generation of advanced silicon and silicon carbide power devices, and are busy recruiting new staff to expand our multinational research, design and development teams to meet this exciting new challenge”

Source: http://www.powerpulse.net/story.php?storyID=30347

Infineon Technologies AG is expanding its Austrian site in Villach. Core emphasis is the on the expansion of expertise for the manufacturing of the future as well as research and development (R&D). “Pilot Space Industry 4.0” will realize and put to the test an innovative concept for networked and knowledge-intensive production. Research on new materials and technologies will also be intensified. Infineon’s expansion plans foresee investments and research costs amounting to a total of € 290 million, creating approximately 200 new jobs in the period from 2014 to 2017, primarily in R&D.

Peter Schiefer, President of Operations at Infineon Technologies and responsible for the worldwide production sites, explains:

“The continuing development of Villach is a part of our group-wide manufacturing strategy. At the site, important developments will be advanced and production-ready innovative technologies will be transferred by Infineon to other sites. At the same time our strategy will include expansion of our volume manufacturing on 300 millimeter thin wafers in Dresden and on 200 millimeter wafers in Kulim, Malaysia.”

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG, says:

“With the expansion concept Villach is reinforcing its important role as a factory of innovation and a competence center for power electronics within the corporate group. We’re making an important contribution to the success of the company by coupling the innovation factory in Villach with volume production in Dresden using the example of 300 millimeter thin wafer production for power semiconductors.”

Herlitschka added that this move will also develop a unique production cluster in Austria and Germany that is prominently visible throughout Europe.

Industry 4.0 Pilot Space

Infineon will construct a leading-edge building complex for research, production and measurement technology workstations. Logistics, miscellaneous infrastructures and the plant equipment will also be expanded to meet future demand. This will let Infineon mobilize the productivity and automation called for in international competition, while at the same time increasing flexibility.

Infineon has been actively engaged in the Industry 4.0 initiative from the very beginning; its pilot space in Villach is another step towards realizing this vision. Industry 4.0 embodies a paradigm shift in value creation and brings enormous opportunities to European industry. The Infineon Austria project is an important contribution towards increasing European competitive strength. The pilot operation in Villach will feature production based on a cyber-physical system with highly modern production control and automation systems. Under the prerequisite of the highest possible data security and data integrity levels, the interaction of man and machine will attain a new dimension in the pilot facility. At the same time, Infineon will continue to pursue its goal of increased energy efficiency in production.

New Materials and Technologies

A wide-scale research program with innovations in materials, processes, technologies and system expertise is the second pillar of the Villach site expansion, supporting development of the next generation of energy-efficient products. Here the program focuses on the integration of innovative substrates such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide, on MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and sensor technologies as well as on the continuing development of 300 millimeter thin wafer technology.

Regional Expertise

The many years of growth at Infineon Technologies Austria AG have been supported by a tightly knit collaborative network connecting the company, the city of Villach, the Austrian province of Carinthia, the Republic of Austria and European institutions. As a result it has been possible to turn southern Austria into a high-tech region and to contribute to raising the region’s profile and increasing its competitive strength in the sense of “Smart Specialization”. With the “Pilot Space Industry 4.0” project Infineon is taking the next step in development, meaning it will also collaborate even more intensively with research partners, universities, technical institutes and SMEs in the innovation system. Peter Kaiser, Governor of the Austrian province of Carinthia, comments: “Carinthia and Infineon are an excellent fit, in terms of Innovation, Investment and Internationality. This Triple-I is the spirit of Carinthia in international competition and also stands exactly for Infineon as one of the internationally successful corporate leaders of our province. Together we’ll write many success stories like ‘Pilot Space Industry 4.0’. Such investments are proof of confidence in reforms and continuing development plans for our attractive, future-oriented business location Austria.”

GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a fabless developer of gallium nitride (GaN)-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications, has moved into its new headquarters and R&D facility at 1145 Innovation Drive, in the heart of Kanata’s high-tech community.

The firm says the move was necessitated by its expansion over the past 12 months, and it plans for continued rapid growth as GaN devices replace legacy silicon-based semiconductors in power conversion and control applications worldwide.

“These new facilities will provide the resources and capabilities we need as we move rapidly from R&D to commercialization this year,”

says CEO Jim Witham. The new HQ and R&D facility is three times larger than the previous premises, with a tenfold increase in laboratory space. The labs have dedicated power and cooling.

“When you produce devices that can switch 200A or more, it calls for some highly specialized facilities to fully test them,” explains co-founder & president Girvan Patterson. “The power available in this location and our custom-designed labs will enable us to fully explore higher-power applications and substantially accelerate the long-term reliability testing of our devices.”

Staffing has already increased significantly over the past six months, and GaN Systems has expanded its global team as its power conversion devices (based on its proprietary Island Technology) are commercialized.

 Source: http://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2014/JUN/GANSYSTEMS_240614.shtml?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=Twitter