Axiro invests in ThinSiC to develop high-voltage power devices
Axiro Semiconductor has joined ThinSiC’s latest financing round as lead investor and entered a long-term partnership to support development and commercialisation of its silicon carbide power-device technology.
CG Power, which owns Axiro, disclosed the move in a stock-exchange filing dated 29 October. The announcement identifies rail traction, industrial drives and power infrastructure as target applications, without disclosing investment value or product delivery commitments.
ThinSiC’s own technology description centres on lateral epitaxy and separation of very thin device layers from their substrate. The company says this could permit substrate reuse of up to ten times, reducing material consumption. ThinSiC has not provided the production yield, results across successive reuse cycles or qualified device specifications in the public material inspected.
Reusing a substrate can only deliver the intended manufacturing benefit if the resulting device layers remain suitable for subsequent processing and operation. The separation step, handling of the thin layer and condition of the reused surface therefore enter the cost calculation alongside the substrate itself. Finished-device cost depends on how those steps affect yield as well as how often the substrate can be used.
The commercial partnership gives ThinSiC a potential route towards industrial applications through Axiro and CG Power’s market presence. It does not announce a released device range, customer qualification or production allocation.
Sources
- CG Power: 29 October issuer filing enclosing Axiro’s announcement
- ThinSiC: technology description and substrate-reuse claim
Image: A silicon wafer in close-up. Illustrative semiconductor fabrication photograph, not ThinSiC’s silicon carbide material or devices. Photo: Rob Bulmahn / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Image source. Licence.
