Which Zhangjiang enterprise will become the protagonist of the “C position” on the third-generation semiconductor station

According to industry authorities, my country plans to include strong support for the development of the third-generation semiconductor industry in the “14th Five-Year Plan”. It is planned that during the period 2021-2025, in education, scientific research, development, financing, applications, etc., Vigorously support the development of the third-generation semiconductor industry with a view to achieving industry independence.

At present, the information related to third-generation semiconductors has been swiped in the circle of friends, but what is the third-generation semiconductor? What are its advantages and highlights? Where are its future opportunities? In Zhangjiang, which companies are related to third-generation semiconductors? Let’s get to know it together~

What is the third-generation semiconductor?

The first-generation semiconductor materials, represented by silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), especially Si, constitute the basis of all logic devices. The computing power of our CPU and GPU is inseparable from the credit of Si.

The second-generation semiconductor materials mainly refer to compound semiconductor materials, represented by gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP). Among them, GaAs plays an important role in RF power amplifier devices, and InP is widely used in optical communication devices…

The third-generation semiconductors were invented and used in the early years of this century. Silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), zinc oxide (ZnO), diamond (C), aluminum nitride (AlN), etc. emerged Emerging semiconductor materials with wide band gap (Eg>2.3eV) characteristics, so they are also called wide band gap semiconductor materials.

The third-generation semiconductor has the characteristics of high breakdown electric field, high saturated electron velocity, high thermal conductivity, high electron density, high mobility, and high power tolerance. It is widely used in the production of high temperature, high frequency, high power and anti-radiation Electronic devices , Used in semiconductor lighting, 5G communications, satellite communications, optical communications, power electronics, aerospace and other fields. The third generation of semiconductor materials has been considered as a new driving force for the development of today’s electronics industry.

The third-generation semiconductor belongs to the concept of post-Moore’s law, and the requirements for manufacturing process and equipment are relatively low. The difficulty lies in the preparation of the third-generation semiconductor materials, and at the same time, there must be advantages in design.

Opportunities for third-generation semiconductors

With the emergence of new markets such as 5G and new energy vehicles, the performance of silicon (Si)-based semiconductors can no longer fully meet the demand, and the advantages of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), the third-generation semiconductors, have been amplified.

In addition, advances in manufacturing technology have led to the continuous decline in the cost of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices, and the cost-effective advantages of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) will fully emerge, which is the core growth point of the third-generation semiconductor in the future Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) have their own advantages.

1. Silicon Carbide (SiC)

It is often used in power devices, suitable for high-voltage scenarios under 600V, and widely used in power electronics fields such as new energy vehicles, charging piles, rail transit, photovoltaics, and wind power. It is estimated that by 2023, the market size of SiC power devices will exceed 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of 31%.

1.【New Energy Vehicles】

In the field of new energy vehicles, silicon carbide (SiC) devices can be mainly used in power control units, inverters, and on-board chargers. The light weight, high efficiency, and high temperature resistance of SiC power devices help to effectively reduce the cost of new energy vehicle systems.

In 2018, Tesla Model 3 adopted a SiC inverter produced by STMicroelectronics and was the first car company to integrate a full SiC power module in the main inverter. In addition, the newly launched BYD Han EV is also equipped with a high-performance SiC-MOSFET control module independently developed and manufactured by BYD.

2.[Rail Transit]

In the field of rail transit, SiC devices are mainly used in rail transit traction converters, which can greatly improve the efficiency of traction converter devices, which is in line with the development trend of green rail transit, miniaturization, and light weight.

2. Gallium Nitride (GaN)

Focusing on high frequency performance, it is widely used in base station, radar, industry, and consumer electronics fields:

1.[5G base station]

GaN radio frequency devices can more effectively meet the requirements of 5G high power and high communication frequency bands. The compound growth rate of 5G base station and fast charging is relatively fast, and it is expected to become the main driving force for the rapid growth of the GaN market. The proportion of base stations based on GaN technology will increase from 50% to 58%, bringing a large amount of GaN demand. It is estimated that by 2022, the market size of gallium nitride (GaN) devices will exceed 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, with a compound annual growth rate of 17%.

2.[Quick Charge]

GaN has the advantages of low on-resistance, low loss, and high energy conversion efficiency. Chargers made of GaN can also achieve a smaller volume. The Android side is the first to introduce GaN technology into the fast charging field. With the rapid decline of GaN production costs, GaN fast charging is expected to become the next killer application in the consumer electronics field. The global GaN power semiconductor market is expected to grow from 8.73 million U.S. dollars in 2018 to 350 million U.S. dollars in 2024, with a compound growth rate of 85%.

In September 2019, OPPO released SuperVOOC 2.0, the first domestic GaN charger, with a charging power of 65W; in February 2020, Xiaomi launched a 65W GaN charger, which is 48% smaller than the Xiaomi notebook charger and has a new low price in the industry.

What are the third-generation semiconductor companies in Zhangjiang

Zhangjiang has the most complete and complete integrated circuit industry layout in China, and there is still no shortage of Zhangjiang enterprises in the field of materials for the integrated circuit industry. Around the third generation of semiconductors, incomplete statistics, Zhangjiang has a number of enterprises.

Zhangjiang has not only the start-up company Chenxin Technology, but also the industry evangelist, Blu-ray Technology, which has been working hard for 20 years. In addition, many companies have developed rapidly, and Xinyuanji Semiconductor has made major innovation breakthroughs in the field of gallium nitride materials. As a third-generation semiconductor R&D equipment provider, Zhongsheng Semiconductor has also made new technological progress.

01 Chipset Semiconductor

Shanghai Xinyuanji Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xinyuanji Semiconductor” for short) was established in October 2014. It specializes in the R&D and production of the third-generation semiconductor material GaN technology and devices. It has a composite patterned lining with independent intellectual property rights. LED chip innovation technologies such as DPSS, chemical stripping of sapphire substrate and wafer-level chip packaging.

The company is headquartered in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, and has an R&D center in the Lingang New Area of ​​Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone. Xinyuanji Semiconductor has completed multiple rounds of financing, with investors including China Micro, Chuangtu Conglin, Jiazhan Investment, Zhangjiang Technology Investment, etc.

At present, it has entered the stage of rapid industrialization of products. In March of this year, based on its original DPSS substrate technology (sapphire composite pattern substrate), the company developed a high-resistance GaN (gallium nitride) material with low dislocation density, which can be used in electronic power devices and microwave radio frequency devices. preparation.

The quality of GaN epitaxial crystal developed by Xinyuanji is higher than that of GaN crystal on sapphire substrate. At the same time, combined with the company’s unique chemical lift-off technology, it can perfectly solve the heat dissipation problem of sapphire substrate and is a high-end optoelectronic device and electronic power device. And microwave radio frequency devices provide a new direction.

02 Zhongsheng Optoelectronics

Zhongsheng Optoelectronics Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“Zhongsheng Optoelectronics” for short) was established in May 2011. It is an upstream equipment manufacturer in the semiconductor industry chain. It has been engaged in the production of key equipment MOCVD (metal Organic chemical vapor deposition) equipment R&D, production, sales and service.

Zhongsheng Optoelectronics has independent innovation of MOCVD key core technology. In the fields of LED lighting and deep ultraviolet (DUV) applications, the company’s MOCVD equipment has completed market-oriented operation and localized substitution. The third-generation semiconductor GaN discrete device application ProMaxy? PD The equipment is in the stage of market evaluation and verification, and the ProMaxy PE equipment for GaAs/InP photoelectric communication and other applications is also in the stage of R&D/industrialization.

In August of this year, Zhongsheng Optoelectronics announced the completion of a new round of directional stock issuance, led by Zhangjiang Torch Ventures (a subsidiary of Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd.), with a total raised capital of 113 million yuan, which will be mainly used for R&D and production High-end equipment for second and third generation semiconductor discrete devices.

03 Chenxin Technology

Founded in 2020, Chenxin Technology mainly provides end customers with complete “module +” customized application solutions including silicon carbide power semiconductor modules, drive circuits and silicon carbide power electronic system application services.

As one of the pioneers in the domestic silicon carbide field, Chenxin Technology has developed a variety of all-silicon carbide MOSFET modules. SiC MOSFET modules can be used as the main switch of the power system to better take advantage of the low-loss characteristics of SiC, compared to SBD modules , Its application scope is wider and the technical barriers are higher. Chenxin Technology will also launch hybrid module products of silicon carbide-based MOSFET and silicon-based IGBT in the future to provide customers with high price sensitivity.

In addition, in order to solve the customer’s silicon carbide power module system application problems in a one-stop manner, Chenxin Technology has also developed a SiC power module drive circuit based on the latest generation of NXP GD3100 drive chip.

Also in August this year, Chenxin Technology completed an angel round of financing of tens of millions of yuan, which was exclusively invested by Atomic Ventures.

04 Blu-ray Technology

Shanghai Blu-ray Technology Co., Ltd. was established in April 2000. It is the first domestic enterprise engaged in the research and development and industrial production of GaN-based LED epitaxial wafers and chips with a registered capital of 275 million yuan. The main products are: GaN-based high-brightness blue and green epitaxial wafers and chips.

The main shareholders of the company are the state-owned enterprise Rainbow Group, Heilongjiang Dazheng Investment Group Co., Ltd., Peking University, Hefei Xincheng State-owned Assets Management Co., Ltd., Shanghai Pudong Technology Investment Co., Ltd., etc. The company is headquartered in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, with total assets of 1 billion yuan, more than 700 employees, 20 MOCVD production lines, and an annual production capacity of 10 billion blue and green chips.

In August 2010, the company established a subsidiary—Hefei Rainbow Blu-ray Technology Co., Ltd. in Anhui Province. The total investment of the project is 8.9 billion yuan, covering an area of ​​516 acres, and building a total of 200 MOCVD (45 or more chips) and supporting chip production lines. , With an annual output of 10.2 million ultra-high-brightness epitaxy, an annual output of 200 billion full-color chips, and an annual output value of 11.5 billion yuan. It is the largest LED industrialization base in China.

As of the end of 2010, the company has a large-scale industrial base of approximately 35,000 square meters, a professional ultra-clean production workshop of 7,000 square meters, total assets of 870 million yuan, 20 MOCVD production lines, and an annual production capacity of 10 billion chips, which can provide users with Standard chip with high antistatic and low attenuation and power type lighting chip.

The clarion call for the development of third-generation semiconductors has been sounded, and Zhangjiang Enterprise has been on the way.