The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is working to build a compound-based power semiconductor ecosystem.
83.6 billion won invested by 2023... 39 billion won already achieved
Plans to promote R&D on next-generation compound-based power semiconductors


On the 21st, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, together with the Korea Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning Institute and the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, reviewed the performance of the 'New Industry Creation Power Semiconductor Commercialization Project.' Additionally, the direction of the 'Compound-based Next-Generation Power Semiconductor Technology Development Project,' a follow-up project to the K-Semiconductor Strategy, was discussed.

The new industry creation power semiconductor commercialization project plans to invest a total of KRW 83.6 billion from 2017 to 2023 to establish a domestic power semiconductor industry base based on compounds such as silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN).

In 2019, the company established the 'Power Semiconductor Commercialization Center' at Pusan National University and Gijang-gun Medical Science Industrial Complex, and is currently providing Korea's only 6-inch SiC foundry prototype manufacturing service.

This inspection, conducted to mark the fifth anniversary of the project, confirmed that product development by participating companies had generated commercialization results worth 39 billion won from 2019 to May of this year.

Company A developed battery management semiconductors for IoT devices, generating cumulative sales of 21 billion won. Company B developed semiconductors for automotive steering and supplied them to automakers, generating cumulative sales of 8 billion won. Several other companies have also generated sales in power semiconductors and are continuing to achieve success in the still-nascent compound semiconductor market.

In addition, the company has secured a foundation for growth for domestic companies in terms of technological competitiveness, such as by developing a 1,200V/1,700V trench-type SiC MOSFET. Based on this, a growth ecosystem for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises in the compound semiconductor market is being established, including attracting large-scale investments related to SiC, expanding the application of SiC semiconductors and modules, and securing GaN process technology.

To sustain growth in the next-generation power semiconductor sector, the government established the "Next-Generation Power Semiconductor Technology Development and Production Capacity Expansion Plan" in April. In May, it announced a plan to foster next-generation power semiconductors in the "K-Semiconductor Strategy." Accordingly, starting next year, the government plans to promote "compound-based next-generation power semiconductor technology development," covering product manufacturing, verification, and process development, to fully commercialize compound semiconductors and secure mass production technology.

Kang Kyung-sung, director of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Industrial Policy Bureau, said, "After five years of dedicated efforts in technological development, we have been able to establish a foundation for the growth of domestic compound semiconductors," and added, "We will actively foster strategic fields such as compound-based power semiconductors to leap forward as a comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse."