German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon has acquired Dresden-based startup Siltectra for €124 million. Founded in 2010, Siltectra is an R&D-heavy startup that has developed the “cold split” technology that allows processing of crystal material efficiently and with minimal loss. Infineon will now use the technology “to split silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, thus doubling the number of chips out of one wafer,” it stated in a press release.
“This acquisition will help us expand our excellent portfolio with the new material silicon carbide as well,” said Dr Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon. “Our system understanding and our unique know-how on thin wafer technology will be ideally complemented by the Cold Split technology and the innovative capacity of Siltectra. Thanks to the Cold Split technology, the higher number of SiC wafers will make the ramp-up of our SiC products much easier, especially regarding further expansion of renewable energies and the increasing adaptation of SiC for use in the drive train of electrical vehicles.”
Infineon will work together with the startup team on the industrialisation of the technology at the existing Siltectra site in Dresden and at the Infineon site in Villach, Austria. The company expects to start using cold split in mass production within the next five years.
Image credit: Jason Leung on Unsplash
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