Infineon Unveils 300 Mm Power Gallium Nitride Wafer Technology

(RTTNews) - German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies AG (IFNNY) announced Wednesday the development of the world's first 300 mm power gallium nitride or GaN wafer technology. The groundbreaking technology is expected to help substantially drive the market for GaN-based power semiconductors.

Infineon will present the first 300 mm GaN wafers to the public at the electronica trade show in November 2024 in Munich.

According to the firm, chip production on 300 mm wafers is technologically more advanced and significantly more efficient compared to 200 mm wafers. The bigger wafer diameter offers 2.3 times more chips per wafer.

The company noted that it has succeeded in manufacturing 300 mm GaN wafers on an integrated pilot line in existing 300 mm silicon production in its power fab in Villach, Austria.

The 300 mm GaN technology can utilize existing 300 mm silicon manufacturing equipment, since gallium nitride and silicon are very similar in manufacturing processes.

Infineon said its existing high-volume silicon 300 mm production lines are ideal to pilot reliable GaN technology.

Infineon will further scale GaN capacity aligned with market needs.

GaN-based power semiconductors find fast adoption in industrial, automotive, and consumer, computing & communication applications. These include power supplies for AI systems, solar inverters, chargers and adapters, and motor-control systems.

Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon, said, "The technological breakthrough will be an industry game-changer and enable us to unlock the full potential of gallium nitride. Nearly one year after the acquisition of GaN Systems, we are demonstrating again that we are determined to be a leader in the fast-growing GaN market. As a leader in power systems, Infineon is mastering all three relevant materials: silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitride."

In Germany, Infineon shares were trading at 28.89 euros, up 1.30 percent.