Japanese mobility provider DENSO and United Semiconductor Japan Corporation (USJC), a subsidiary of global semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), are collaborating to produce insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).

A year after the companies announced their partnership, USJC’s 300 mm fabrication plant has started mass production of IGBTs using 300 mm wafers, which the company says offer higher manufacturing efficiency than 200 mm wafers. The jointly financed production line manufactures DENSO’s new IGBTs, which reduce power losses by 20% when compared with previous-generation devices. Production is projected to ramp up to 10,000 wafers per month by 2025.

“The electrification and automation of cars will continue to drive up semiconductor content, particularly for chips manufactured using specialty foundry processes on 28 nm and above nodes,” said Jason Wang, Co-President of UMC.

Source: DENSO