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The large picture: Infineon has developed nan world's thinnest silicon powerfulness wafers, measuring conscionable 20 micrometers successful thickness – astir nan aforesaid arsenic a quality hair. These wafers committedness important capacity gains for powerfulness conversion applications crossed AI information centers, user electronics, centrifugal power systems, and computing hardware.
The thinness of silicon wafers is important because it reduces guidance and powerfulness loss. Current-gen wafers measurement 40 to 60 micrometers thick. By astir halving nan wafer's thickness, Infineon has managed to slash substrate guidance by 50 percent. This, successful turn, leads to complete 15 percent little powerfulness nonaccomplishment compared to different solutions.
These benefits are peculiarly useful for powering nan high-performance AI processors successful information halfway servers. Such chips require voltages to beryllium stepped down from 230V AC to nether 1.8V DC, a feat achieved by Infineon's breakthrough technologies, including vertical powerfulness delivery.
Reducing silicon thickness to 20 micrometers posed important method challenges for Infineon's engineers. The emblematic metallic stack holding nan spot connected nan wafer is really thicker than nan target 20-micrometer thickness, truthful they had to get imaginative pinch an innovative wafer-grinding attack to make it work.
Handling these delicate, paper-thin wafers besides presents accumulation challenges, specified arsenic wafer bowing and separation issues during nan back-end assembly processes. However, Infineon has successfully flooded these obstacles while ensuring that nan wafers stay sturdy and robust capable for high-volume manufacturing connected existing accumulation lines.
The ultra-thin wafer exertion has already been qualified and deployed successful Infineon's integrated Smart Power Stages for DC-DC conversion, pinch nan first customers already receiving deliveries. The institution expects this energy-efficient creation to wholly switch existing low-voltage powerfulness converter wafers wrong nan adjacent 3 to 4 years.
With a beardown patent portfolio protecting nan wafer innovation, Infineon is establishing a commanding lead successful precocious semiconductor manufacturing. Coupled pinch its silicon, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride portfolios, nan ultra-thin wafers position Infineon astatine nan forefront of cardinal decarbonization and digitalization technologies.
"The caller ultra-thin wafer exertion drives our ambition to powerfulness different AI server configurations from grid to halfway successful nan astir energy-efficient way," said Adam White, president of powerfulness & sensor systems astatine Infineon. "As power request for AI information centers is rising significantly, power ratio gains much and much importance. For Infineon, this is simply a fast-growing business opportunity. With mid-double-digit maturation rates, we expect our AI business to scope 1 cardinal euros wrong nan adjacent 2 years."
If you want to cheque retired nan world's slimmest silicon wafers successful person, Infineon will beryllium showing them disconnected astatine nan Electronica waste and acquisition show successful Munich moving November 12-15.