Infineon Technologies AG (Korea CEO Seung-Soo Lee), which announced the industry's first 300mm power GaN (gallium nitride) wafer and opened the world's largest 200mm SiC (silicon carbide) power fab in Kulim, Malaysia, has succeeded in producing ultra-thin 20㎛ wafers for the first time in the industry, reducing power loss by up to 15% compared to the previous level and maximizing energy efficiency, which is the biggest topic in AI semiconductors.

Infineon announced on the 30th that it has recently produced the thinnest silicon power wafer ever, measuring just 300mm in diameter and 20㎛ (micrometers) thick, in a large-scale semiconductor fab, and has verified the technology and begun supplying it to customers.

This ultra-thin silicon wafer is just one-quarter the thickness of a human hair and half the current state-of-the-art wafer thickness of 40 to 60 micrometers.

“The world’s thinnest silicon wafer demonstrates Infineon’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of power semiconductor technology and delivering exceptional value to our customers,” said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. “Infineon’s breakthrough in ultra-thin wafer technology represents a major step forward for energy-efficient power solutions. “Infineon has further strengthened its position as an innovation leader, supplying all three semiconductor materials: Si, SiC and GaN,” he said.

This innovation is expected to contribute to improving energy efficiency, power density, and reliability of power conversion solutions for AI data centers as well as consumer, motor control, and computing applications.

Reducing wafer thickness by half reduces wafer substrate resistance by 50 percent, reducing power losses in power systems by more than 15 percent compared to conventional silicon wafer-based solutions.

For high-end AI server applications where energy demands are increasing at high current levels, power conversion is especially important where voltages must be reduced from 230 V to processor voltages of 1.8 V or lower.

Ultra-thin wafer technology enhances vertical power supply design based on vertical trench MOSFET technology, reducing power loss and improving overall efficiency by connecting very closely to AI chip processors.

“The new ultra-thin wafer technology supports Infineon’s goal to power diverse AI server configurations from grid to core in the most energy-efficient way,” said Adam White, President of Infineon’s Power & Sensor Systems division. “As the energy demands of AI data centers increase significantly, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important. This is a fast-growing business opportunity for Infineon, and we expect our AI business to reach €1 billion within the next two years.”

Because the metal stack that holds the chips on the wafer is thicker than 20㎛, an innovative and unique wafer grinding method had to be developed to reduce the wafer thickness to 20㎛.

This has a major impact on handling and processing the back side of thin wafers. Additionally, technical and production challenges such as wafer warpage and separation have a significant impact on back-end assembly processes.

The 20 µm thin wafer process builds on Infineon’s established manufacturing expertise and allows seamless integration of the new technology into existing high-volume Si production lines, ensuring highest yields and supply stability.

This technology has already been verified and applied to Infineon’s IPS (Integrated Smart Power Stage, DC-DC converter) supplied to the first customer.

This demonstrates Infineon’s leadership in semiconductor manufacturing innovation, with a strong patent portfolio related to 20㎛ wafer technology.

Infineon expects that the ramp-up of ultra-thin wafer technology will replace existing wafer technologies for low-voltage power converters within the next three to four years.

These innovations further strengthen Infineon’s market position with the broadest portfolio of products and technologies, including Si, SiC and GaN-based devices that are key enablers of decarbonization and digitalization.