DB HiTek achieves reliability qualification for 8-inch 1,200V SiC MOSFET process

DB HiTek has successfully completed reliability qualification for its 1,200V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET process on 8-inch (200mm) wafers, marking a step forward in the company's push into the 8-inch SiC foundry market, with volume production targeted for 2027. Following this qualification, DB HiTek plans to strengthen product development support for customers, pursue new customer relationships, and accelerate preparations for volume production.

Silicon carbide is a next-generation power semiconductor material that outperforms conventional silicon in high-temperature and high-voltage conditions, making it well suited for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and industrial power equipment. While 6-inch wafers currently dominate the SiC market, major global semiconductor manufacturers are transitioning to 8-inch wafers to improve manufacturing efficiency and cost competitiveness. DB HiTek has responded to this shift by developing its own 8-inch SiC process technology and building out its foundry service capabilities.

By optimizing its high-power SiC MOSFET process, DB HiTek says it has achieved competitive electrical performance along with a high level of reliability. The company describes itself as having established the world's first complete 1,200V, 8-inch SiC foundry process flow, creating a foundry service platform that can support customers across design, manufacturing, electrical characterization, and reliability qualification.

To support the commercial rollout of its 8-inch SiC foundry business, DB HiTek is providing customers with Process Design Kits (PDKs), the toolsets that let customers design chips for a specific manufacturing process, for its proprietary first- and second-generation 1,200V SiC MOSFET processes. A third-generation PDK is scheduled for release this November. Using these PDKs, customers can reduce the resources needed during early development, speed up prototype fabrication, and shorten overall product development time by more than a year.

The second-generation process covered by the current PDK achieves a specific on-resistance (a measure of how much the transistor resists current flow when switched on, normalized for chip area) of 2.5 mΩ·cm² or less, along with a threshold voltage of 3V or higher at an on-state gate voltage of 18V. This process has also completed reliability qualification, considered one of the more demanding stages of process development.

The upcoming third-generation process, scheduled for release in November, is being qualified with a goal of achieving a specific on-resistance of 2.3 mΩ·cm² or less at the same 18V gate voltage, along with a short-circuit withstand time of at least 2.5 microseconds within the short-circuit safe operating area, meaning how long the device can survive a short-circuit fault without being damaged. Once qualification is complete, DB HiTek plans to make the third-generation PDK available to customers.

DB HiTek plans to complete process preparations and provide access to longstanding customers in the third quarter of this year, with the service made available to all customers starting in the second quarter of 2027.

A DB HiTek representative said the completion of reliability qualification for the 1,200V SiC MOSFET process is significant because it demonstrates the company has secured the core process technology and manufacturing foundation needed to offer what it describes as the world's first 8-inch SiC foundry service. The representative said DB HiTek will continue preparing for 8-inch SiC volume production in 2027, aiming to establish a strong market position and strengthen its competitiveness in the next-generation power semiconductor foundry sector.