Roll up! Two major manufacturers are about to mass produce 8-inch silicon carbide

As the 8-inch silicon carbide (SiC) process matures, many SiC manufacturers have begun to accelerate the transformation from 6-inch to 8-inch. Recently, two international giants, ON Semiconductor and Resonac, have announced new news on the production of 8-inch SiC.

ON Semiconductor will complete 8-inch SiC wafer certification in 2024

According to foreign media reports, ON Semiconductor plans to launch 8-inch SiC wafers later this year and put them into production in 2025.

source: ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor's Q2 revenue was US$1.735 billion, down US$130 million from the first quarter of last year and down US$265 million from the second quarter of last year.

"We remain on track to complete qualification of 8-inch wafers this year, from substrate to fab," said Hassane El-Khoury, president and CEO of ON Semiconductor. "Qualification of 8-inch SiC will be achieved this year, and revenue will begin next year in line with our expectations."

"We are also continuing to strengthen our silicon carbide position in the automotive sector, as reflected in our recent supply agreement with Volkswagen Group, while expanding production with leading global OEMs in Europe, North America and China."

However, ON Semiconductor's inventory increased this quarter, partly due to the sale of wafer fabs in recent years. In times of market uncertainty, many companies are experiencing a decline in demand, so the third quarter forecast is flat.

"We divested four fabs a few years ago, and as demand picks up, we will start producing these products within the existing network, which has a fixed cost of up to $160 million," El-Khoury said. "We have to digest the inventory accumulated by the transformation of these fabs, and as we transfer them into the company's network, we are beginning to see the benefits."

"As noted in the first quarter, demand in our core markets is stabilizing. As customers remain cautious in 2024, destocking continues, and the situation in some regions has improved," he said.

For 8-inch SiC, ON Semiconductor completed the expansion of its advanced SiC ultra-large manufacturing plant in Bucheon, South Korea in October 2023. It is reported that when fully loaded, the plant can produce more than 1 million 8-inch SiC wafers per year. The Bucheon SiC production line currently mainly produces 6-inch wafers, and will switch to the production of 8-inch wafers after the subsequent completion of the 8-inch SiC process verification.

Resonac's 8-inch SiC epitaxial wafers are about to be commercialized

According to Japanese media reports, the quality of Resonac's 8-inch SiC epitaxial wafers has reached the same level as 6-inch products. At present, the company is reducing costs by improving production efficiency, and sample evaluation has entered the final stage of commercialization. It is expected that once the cost advantage exceeds that of 6-inch products, Resonac will begin to transform and produce 8-inch products.

source: Resonac

Resonac has a very considerable market share of SiC epitaxial wafers by virtue of its technical advantages in forming SiC epitaxial layers on SiC single crystal substrates, and supplies SiC epitaxial wafers to the high-end market. The 8-inch products developed by Resonac have the same quality as the 6-inch SiC epitaxial wafers it supplies to the high-end market. The only challenge Resonac currently faces is cost issues. The company is shortening production time and increasing output by setting optimal parameters and materials.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to mass production of 8-inch SiC epitaxial wafers, Resonac will also start mass production of 8-inch silicon carbide substrates in 2025.

In fact, it is worth noting that VeTek Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. is a leading supplier of advanced coating materials for the semiconductor industry. The company has been committed to developing advanced technology and product solutions for the industry.

VeTek Semiconductor's main products include CVD silicon carbide (SiC) coatings, tantalum carbide (TaC) coatings, TaC coating guide rings, half-moon parts, etc. Products that match 8-inch silicon carbide include 8 Inch Halfmoon Part for LPE Reactor, Aixtron G5 MOCVD Susceptors, Silicon Carbide Epitaxy Wafer Carrier,for more details. Please visit our official website.