Key takeaways:
- Infineon says it is the first company to process 300 mm SiC wafers into functional power devices.
- The work was done at its Villach, Austria, fab using existing silicon manufacturing equipment.
- Infineon says a 300 mm wafer holds about 2.3 times as many chips as a 200 mm wafer.
Infineon Technologies has processed 300 mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafers into functional power devices at the German chipmaker's Villach, Austria, fab.
Infineon claims it is the first company to successfully demonstrate this achievement in a full-scale semiconductor fab environment.
The fab used existing silicon manufacturing equipment. The 300 mm SiC wafer has about 2.3 times as many chips per wafer as 200 mm wafers, Infineon said.
“Leadership in power semiconductors means continuously pushing technology to the next level,” said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies. “With silicon, gallium nitride and now silicon carbide 300-millimeter wafers, we are in a leading position to scale semiconductor manufacturing and drive profitable growth.”
The SiC announcement comes on the heels of Infineon's October 2026 decision to invest approximately €1.1 billion (about $1.23 billion) in its Villach fab to expand its production of gallium nitride (GaN) wafers.
Full-scale 300 mm SiC wafers on the horizon
The demonstration opens the door to future full-scale industrialization of 300 mm SiC wafers. Infineon said it will plan the technology and the timing of its production ramp-up in close collaboration with customers.
The SiC 300 mm development means Infineon now has 300 mm wafers for two wide-bandgap materials as well as silicon production lines.
Why Infineon is developing 300 mm SiC wafers
SiC is increasingly being used for applications in the automotive, renewable energy, industrial and AI data center sectors.
SiC is a semiconductor material that enables highly efficient power conversion, with lower power loss, high power density and reliable operation at high voltages and temperatures. This allows SiC materials to be used in traction inverters, on-board chargers, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, large-scale energy storage and industrial drives.
Additionally, demand for SiC devices is rising in AI data centers with SiC playing a role in solid-state transformers, circuit breakers and power supply units.
