Renesas Electronics plans to achieve mass production of SIC power devices in 2025

     Japanese semiconductor giant Renesas Electronics has announced that it will start producing next-generation power semiconductors using silicon carbide (SiC) to reduce losses in 2025, foreign media reported. The plant in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, which currently produces silicon-based power semiconductors, will be mass-produced, but the exact amount of investment and the scale of production have not yet been determined.

     According to the report, silicon carbide has better heat and pressure resistance than traditional silicon. Power semiconductors using SiC have minimal power loss and, if used in electric vehicles, can extend range. In addition to electric vehicles, renewable energy applications such as batteries are also expected to expand.

     Renesas Electronics was a late comer in the field of traditional power semiconductors, but now it is highly respected for its high efficiency. SiC can do the same, CEO Hideki Shibata said at a press conference.

     Renesas is currently relying on foundries to produce products such as advanced logic chips for computing and power semiconductors, which are easy to use with its own technology, at its own factories. In addition to SiC, Renesas will actively invest in power semiconductors such as silicon IGBTs, which are currently used in EV. The Gabu plant, which was closed in 2014, is expected to reopen in the first half of 2024 to produce silicon power semiconductors.

     Shibata expressed confidence, saying, "Customers have been very positive about Renesas IGBT and will apply these positive comments to the SiC business. The SiC market is still small now, but will undoubtedly become very large in the future. "Customer inquiries for Renesas SiC products, even those that have not yet been produced, are strong, and the business will proceed smoothly if production starts in 2025."

     Compared with silicon power semiconductor, SiC power semiconductor has better heat/voltage resistance, less power consumption, and can improve the driving distance when mounted on EV. In addition to EV, the demand from renewable energy such as batteries is also bullish.