Switzerland-based semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics plans to build a new high-volume silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing facility for power devices and modules, as well as test and packaging, alongside its SiC substrate manufacturing facility in Catania, Italy.
The two facilities will form ST’s Silicon Carbide Campus, fulfilling the company’s strategy to create a fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility for the mass production of SiC on one site. The campus will support customers for SiC devices across automotive, industrial and cloud infrastructure applications.
The Silicon Carbide Campus will serve as the center of ST’s global SiC ecosystem, integrating all steps in the production flow, including substrate development, epitaxial growth processes, 200 mm front-end wafer fabrication and module back-end assembly, as well as process R&D, product design, advanced R&D labs for dies, power systems and modules, and full packaging capabilities.
The new facility is targeted to start production in 2026 and to ramp to full capacity by 2033, producing up to 15,000 wafers per week at full buildout. The company expects the total investment to be around €5 billion, including around €2 billion provided by the Italian government within the framework of the EU Chips Act.
“The scale and synergies offered by this project will enable us to better innovate with high-volume manufacturing capacity, to the benefit of our European and global customers as they transition to electrification,” said Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics.
Source: ST Microelectronics
