GTAT and GlobalWafers sign long term SiC agreement
Agreement marks GTAT's transition from selling equipment to providing advanced materials
GTAT Corporation, and GlobalWafers Corp (GWC), have entered into a long-term agreement whereby the expertise of both companies will combine to forge a new source of supply of SiC wafers.
GW will now add 150mm SiC to its offering, manufactured from bulk SiC crystal produced by GTAT. As the electric vehicle (EV) and power electronics industries shift away from silicon to SiC, GTAT and GWC are bringing their respective capabilities together to increase supply while lowering costs for this high-demand substrate material. This is a bold and forward-thinking step that expanding markets such as EV will welcome.
“The fundamental advantages of SiC are well known and demand for it is high, but it’s a difficult material to make,” said Greg Knight, GTAT’s president and CEO. “Because of our crystal-growth know-how and ability to master this complex process, we can positively shape and influence the SiC wafer industry by diversifying the supply chain, enabling higher wafer volumes and lowering costs significantly for this high-value material,” he continued.
For GTAT, the agreement marks the successful completion of an eighteen-month transition from selling equipment to providing advanced materials. GWC, using this incoming supply of SiC material from GTAT, can now apply years of wafer process development and immediately become a top-tier SiC wafer supplier to complement its other substrate offerings. “The power electronics industry needs supply agreements such as the one we’ve entered into with GWC, and we’re very pleased to make it a reality,” concluded Knight.
Doris Hsu, chairperson and CEO of GWC, sees this long-term agreement with GTAT similarly. “Bringing our companies’ respective technical strengths together will benefit high-growth industries such as EV because we will increase the global supply of SiC wafers,” Hsu noted. “Pairing our expertise in wafers with GTAT’s premiere-quality SiC crystal will enable important, high-growth industries like EV to reach key adoption milestones sooner and at lower cost.”
