Product demand exceeds supply, cost reduction continues, and the silicon carbide industry enters the fast lane of development
2023/5/25
According to research conducted by reporters, the current supply of silicon carbide products is indeed unable to meet the demand, and automotive-grade devices are particularly in short supply. In the face of tight supply, major domestic and foreign companies are seeking to sign long-term contracts, which has become the "new normal" in the industry. The latest example is Infineon, which signed a long-term agreement with domestic silicon carbide companies Tianke Heda and Tianyue Advanced to obtain high-quality and competitive 6-inch silicon carbide wafers and ingots.
"To achieve high-quality development in this industry, the key lies in reducing the cost and improving the quality of silicon carbide substrates." When discussing how the silicon carbide industry can develop faster and on a larger scale, Lin Zhidong believes that reducing the cost and improving the quality of silicon carbide substrates is crucial for development, following the development path of the silicon semiconductor industry. Referring to the experience of reducing costs and improving quality in the LED industry, he believes that an annual cost reduction of 5% for silicon carbide substrates is achievable. As substrate costs decrease, the prices of silicon carbide devices, including those used in photovoltaic and energy storage applications, are expected to decrease rapidly, driving accelerated development of the silicon carbide industry.
Demand: Shortage of automotive-grade products, long-term contracts becoming common
"Our factory covers an area of 1,000 acres, with six buildings planned in a row, connected by corridors. The overall plan for Phase I and II is to have an annual capacity of 500,000 6-inch silicon carbide wafers..." On the tour corridor of Hunan Sanan, Lin Zhidong pointed to the planned layout of the integrated silicon carbide super factory, stating that the company's products are currently in high demand, with a large number of pending orders.
Sanan Optoelectronics is determined and confident in developing its silicon carbide business. According to Lin Zhidong, Hunan Sanan is an integrated silicon carbide super factory that encompasses the entire industry chain, including silicon carbide crystal growth, silicon carbide substrates, silicon carbide epitaxy, silicon carbide chips, and silicon carbide packaging and testing. The project has a total investment of 16 billion yuan. In addition, Hunan Sanan has also established a joint venture with Ideal Automotive in Suzhou, called Suzhou Sico Semiconductor, planning to produce 2.4 million silicon carbide half-bridge power modules annually. The basic construction of the project has been completed.
With such a large planned production capacity, is the company not worried about the sales of its products? "We can't even deliver the customer orders on time!" Lin Zhidong laughed and said that Sanan Optoelectronics currently has over 7 billion yuan worth of long-term procurement orders for silicon carbide MOSFETs, including a strategic procurement intention agreement worth 3.8 billion yuan with a well-known automobile company, and several other intentions for cooperation with new energy vehicle customers are also being followed up.
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