Semikron and the world's leading semiconductor manufacturer, Rohm, have been working together for more than a decade in developing silicon carbide (SiC) power modules.
This time, Rohm's 4th generation SiC MOSFETs are being used in SEMIKRON's automotive-grade power module "eMPack®", starting a new chapter of cooperation between the two companies. In addition, SEMIKRON announced that it has signed a €1 billion contract with a major German automotive manufacturer to supply this innovative power module "eMPack®" to this customer starting in 2025, and that in the future, Rohm and SEMIKR will continue to work together to provide high quality services to customers worldwide.
SEMIKRON and Rohm start a new cooperation on silicon carbide power components
The eMPack® power module is designed to take full advantage of the properties of new semiconductor materials and is designed for medium to high power silicon carbide inverters. Using SEMIKRON's double-sided sintering technology and "direct die-deposit technology (DPD)," automotive inverters can be designed to be compact in size, highly reliable, and scalable. In addition, SEMIKRON offers evaluation boards for the eMPack® equipped with Roma gate driver ICs, which will help customers save time in evaluation and design. In addition, SEMIKRON plans to use Rohm's IGBT products in industrial grade power modules.
SEMIKRON and Rohm launch new collaboration on silicon carbide power components
With Rohm's silicon carbide technology, Semikron's innovative eMPack® power modules will make a significant contribution to reducing emissions in the field of electric mobility," said Karl-Heinz Gaubatz, CEO and CTO of Semikron. We will continue to use Rohm's silicon carbide power components to deliver higher efficiency, performance and reliability for automotive and industrial equipment applications."
We are pleased that Rohm has been selected as a supplier of silicon carbide power components for Semikron's in-vehicle eMPack®," said Yasushi Matsumoto, President of Rohm Corporation. The new partnership will provide a very competitive solution for host inverters in electric vehicles. Rohm has a broad portfolio of silicon carbide products ranging from bare chips to packaged products. As an advanced semiconductor manufacturer for a long time, Rohm has accumulated rich technical strength, and as the market demand for silicon carbide power components continues to grow, Rohm will build on these technical accumulations to further accelerate investment and product development, and provide more solutions and customer support in the future."
As the first company in the world to start mass production of SiC MOSFETs, Rohm has been an industry leader in the development of silicon carbide product technology. The new 4th generation SiC MOSFETs adopted by SEMIKRON this time not only have a longer short-circuit withstand time than previous products, but also achieve the industry's ultra-low on-resistance, which will be very helpful for electric vehicles to extend the range and reduce the size of the battery when installed in the vehicle host inverter.
By developing advanced silicon carbide products that reduce environmental impact and utilizing a vertically integrated production system, we are able to provide customers with a stable supply of high-quality, energy-efficient products. To meet growing demand, group companies such as SiCrystal (headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany), which produces silicon carbide wafers, are also planning to significantly increase production capacity.
By combining Rohm's silicon carbide products and control technology with SEMIKRON's module technology, the two companies will continue to contribute to automotive technology innovation by providing outstanding power solutions that meet market needs.
