RFsemi Begins Full-Scale Production of Korea's First 1700V SiC Power Semiconductors for Electric Vehicles and Chargers

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Semiconductor manufacturer RF Semi announced on the 4th that it has jointly developed and started mass production of 1700V Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors with Yes Power Technics.

The 1700V grade SiC is the first product developed domestically, and commercializing it has been challenging not only in manufacturing SiC wafers but also in high-voltage measurement at 1700V, ion implantation, activation processes, and surface treatment technologies.

Since last year, RF Semi has been supplying 650V and 1200V grade SiC products to Yes Power Technics as a foundry and is collaborating to enhance quality. The 1700V SiC power semiconductor was designed and partially processed by Yes Power Technics, and commercialized by RF Semi.

Many domestic companies are developing 650V and 1200V grade SiC products, while 1700V grade products are produced overseas by Infineon, Cree, Onsemi, and others.

Power semiconductors are essential semiconductors that control current direction and power conversion in electrical products requiring high power, electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and 5G communication networks.

Power semiconductors using SiC (Silicon Carbide) and GaN (Gallium Nitride) can withstand voltages more than twice as high as those using conventional Si (Silicon) power semiconductors and can operate normally at high temperatures.

RF Semi’s 1700V grade SiC power semiconductors are used in electric vehicles that require stability and in automobile chargers that need high voltage and high current for short charging times. Since SiC and GaN materials are hard and difficult to process, and wafer prices are more than 20 times higher than Si, a yield of over 85% must be met to maintain product competitiveness.

RF Semi CEO Jin-Hyo Lee explained, "We have operated a 6-inch wafer fab for over 20 years at the Jeonju plant, possessing process, production, development, and equipment technologies," adding, "Through two years of process development, we secured a production yield of over 95%."