ASM introduces a new PE2O8 silicon carbide epitaxial machine

     ASM has introduced PE2O8, a new two-cavity machine for silicon carbide epitaxy. Designed to meet the manufacturing needs of advanced silicon carbide power devices, this product is a benchmark epitaxial machine with low defect rate and high process consistency, which can be widely used in the manufacture of various types of silicon carbide devices to achieve increased production while reducing the cost of ownership.

     As the electrification trend continues to evolve, more and more power device manufacturers choose to use silicon carbide in high-power devices  with increasing demand, including electric vehicles, green energy and advanced data center industries. At the same time, more and more industries have also put forward low-cost requirements for the application of silicon carbide devices, which has further accelerated the upgrade of silicon carbide wafers from 6 inches to 8 inches. In addition, benefiting from today's more advanced silicon carbide epitaxy technology, silicon carbide equipment manufacturers have been enhanced to design more powerful devices.

     Thanks to its unique dual-cavity design, the PE2O8 machine can deposit silicon carbide in a particularly precise and controlled manner, achieving higher yields and throughput. Its highly compact, independent dual chamber design also ensures high productivity and low operating costs. In addition, the PE2O8 machine incorporates easier preventive maintenance measures to help increase equipment uptime and reduce unplanned downtime. ASM has delivered PE2O8 units to several industry-leading silicon carbide power device manufacturers around the world.

     Steven Reiter, ASM corporate vice president and head of the Plasma and Epitaxial Business unit, said: "Silicon carbide power products are undergoing a critical technology transition period. Customers are gradually transitioning from 6-inch wafers to 8-inch wafers, which is bound to place higher requirements on yield, epitaxial processes, and product defect control. With its innovative chamber design, ASM has become an industry benchmark for process consistency in silicon carbide. With the introduction of the PE2O8 machine, our portfolio is further upgraded, enabling improved process control at a lower cost of ownership and higher value for our customers."

     Since 2022, ASM has been developing and refining single-chip silicon carbide epitaxy equipment through the company's newly planned Silicon Carbide epitaxy Products group. With the growth of structural demand in the electric vehicle market, as well as the continuous improvement of silicon carbide wafers and device yields, the silicon carbide epitaxial equipment market has achieved substantial growth in recent years.