STMicroelectronics N.V. will build the world's first fully integrated silicon carbide plant in Italy

STMicroelectronics, the world's leading semiconductor supplier, announced that it will build a new 200mm silicon carbide (" SiC ") high volume production facility in Catania, Italy, for power devices and modules, as well as for testing and packaging. The plant will house SiC substrate manufacturing plants on the same site, which will make up ST's silicon carbide campus. This fulfills the company's vision of a fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility for mass production of SiC in one site. The establishment of the new silicon carbide production site is an important milestone that will support customers of silicon carbide devices in automotive, industrial and cloud infrastructure applications as they transition to electrification and seek greater efficiency.

Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO of ST, said: "The fully integrated capabilities unlocked by the Silicon Carbide campus in Catania will contribute significantly to ST's leadership in silicon carbide technology for automotive and industrial customers for decades to come. "The scale and synergies offered by this project will allow us to better leverage our high-volume production capacity for innovation, benefiting our European and global customers as they transition to electrification and seek more energy efficient solutions to meet their decarbonisation targets," he said.

The Silicon Carbide campus will serve as the hub of ST's global silicon carbide ecosystem, integrating all aspects of the production process, including silicon carbide substrate development, epitaxial growth processes, 200mm front wafer fabrication and module backchannel packaging, as well as process development, product design, advanced R&D LABS for chips, power systems and modules, and comprehensive packaging capabilities. This will enable the mass production of 200mm silicon carbide wafers for the first time in Europe, using 200mm technology for every step of the process - base, epitaxial, front end and back end - to increase yield and performance.

The new facility is scheduled to start production in 2026 and reach full capacity by 2033, capable of producing 15,000 wafers per week when fully completed. The total investment is expected to be around €5 billion, with the Italian government providing around €2 billion in support within the framework of the EU Chip Act. Sustainability practices are an integral part of the design, development and operation of silicon carbide parks to ensure the consumption of resources, including water and electricity.

Extension of information

Silicon carbide (" SiC ") is an important compound material (and technology) composed of silicon and carbon that offers several advantages in power applications compared to traditional silicon. The wide band gap of silicon carbide and its inherent characteristics - better thermal conductivity, higher switching speed, low dissipation - make it particularly suitable for the manufacture of high voltage power devices (especially above 1200V). SiC power devices (SiC MOSFETs sold as bare chips and complete SiC modules) are particularly suitable for electric vehicles, fast charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and a variety of industrial applications, including data centers, because they have higher current and lower leakage compared to traditional silicon semiconductors, resulting in improved energy efficiency. However, compared with silicon chips, silicon carbide chips are more difficult and costly to manufacture, and there are many challenges to overcome in the industrialization of the manufacturing process.

St's leadership in SiC stems from 25 years of focus and investment in research and development, as well as a large portfolio of key patents. Catania has long been an important innovation base for ST, with its largest SiC R&D and manufacturing site successfully contributing to the development of new solutions to produce more and better SiC devices. With an established power electronics ecosystem, including a long and successful collaboration between ST and the University of Catania and the CNR (Italian National Research Council), as well as a large supplier network, this investment will strengthen Catania's role as a global competence center for SiC technology and lead to additional growth opportunities.

St currently mass-produces its flagship silicon carbide products at two 150mm wafer production lines in Catania (Italy) and Ang Mo Kio (Singapore). The third center, a joint venture with SAN 'an Optoelectronics, is building a 200mm plant in Chongqing (China) to serve the Chinese market exclusively for ST. St's wafer production facilities are supported by automotive scale high-volume packaging and testing operations in Bouskoura (Morocco) and Shenzhen (China). R&d and industrialization of SiC substrates are taking place in Norrkoping (Sweden) and Catania, where ST's SiC substrate plants are ramping up production and where the majority of ST's SiC product development and design staff work.

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