ROHM at PCIM 2022: New power highlights and investments in SiC production capacities

On top, the company announces its European and global business activities, strategies, and silicon carbide (SiC) investment plans.

One of ROHM’s new power innovations is its 4th generation of SiC MOSFETs: It achieves up to 50% lower switching loss and 40 % reduction of ON resistance without sacrificing short-circuit ruggedness. On top, the latest generation offers a more flexible gate voltage range (15 -18V) and supports turn-off with zero volt – enabling simple gate drive circuits with unipolar supply to be used.

“The demand for SiC will continue to grow, and ROHM will also increase sales. We will accelerate further investment and product development based on the technology we have cultivated as a leading SiC manufacturer. In addition, our company will continue to propose solutions that combine not only SiC products but also peripheral components and customer support," states Dr. Kazuhide Ino, Managing Executive Officer, CSO of ROHM Co., Ltd..

Recently, ROHM increased its production capacity for SiC power semiconductors with the completion of a new building at its Apollo plant in Chikugo, Japan. “As a vertically integrated semiconductor manufacturer we are largely independent of suppliers and can respond more flexibly to market changes. The high degree of integration of our fabs gives us an advantage over other manufacturers who outsource many production steps. In addition, we are making great efforts to further optimize our supply chains, including our production system, and to achieve stable supplies for our customers,” says Wolfram Harnack, President of ROHM Semiconductor Europe.

As the demand for silicon carbide semiconductor wafers will continue to grow in the future, ROHM plans to expand its investments and production capacities. In addition, ROHM’s production subsidiary SiCrystal, located in Nuremberg, Germany, plans to strongly grow its capacities and manpower. “SiCrystal’s intermediate goal is to achieve nine-figure sales by producing several 100,000 substrates a year,” says Dr. Robert Eckstein, CEO of SiCrystal.

Isao Matsumoto, President and CEO of ROHM Co., Ltd., is satisfied with the ROHM group’s overall achievements and looks optimistically into the future: “We were able to achieve record sales in the last fiscal term and expect to continue strong performance in the current fiscal term. Accordingly, we revised the medium-term management plan upward and ahead of schedule. Among the global markets, we recognize Europe as a priority market to focus on, with many companies leading technological innovation in automotive and industrial equipment. Also, ROHM will continue to provide customers with solutions centered on power and analog products, which are ROHM's specialties,” concludes Isao Matsumoto, President and CEO of ROHM Co., Ltd..

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