ST to build world’s first fully integrated SiC facility in Italy
High-volume 200mm SiC facility for power devices, modules, test and packaging, to be built in Catania, Italy
STMicroelectronics has announced a new high-volume 200mm SiC anufacturing facility for power devices and modules, as well as test and packaging, to be built in Catania, Italy.
The total investment is expected to be around €5B, with support of around €2B provided by the State of Italy within the framework of the EU Chips Act.
Combined with the SiC substrate manufacturing facility being readied on the same site, these facilities will form ST’s SiC Campus, realizing the Company’s vision of a fully vertically integrated manufacturing facility for the mass production of SiC on one site. ST says the creation of the new SiC Campus is a key milestone to support customers for SiC devices across automotive, industrial and cloud infrastructure applications, as they transition to electrification and seek higher efficiency.
“The fully integrated capabilities unlocked by the SiC Campus in Catania will contribute significantly to ST’s SiC technology leadership for automotive and industrial customers through the next decades,” said Jean-Marc Chery, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics. “The scale and synergies offered by this project will enable us to better innovate with high-volume manufacturing capacity, to the benefit of our European and global customers as they transition to electrification and seek more energy efficient solutions to meet their decarbonization goals.”
The SiC Campus will serve as the center of ST’s global SiC ecosystem, integrating all steps in the production flow, including SiC substrate development, epitaxial growth processes, 200mm front-end wafer fabrication and module back-end assembly, as well as process R&D, product design, advanced R&D labs for dies, power systems and modules, and full packaging capabilities. This will achieve a first of a kind in Europe for the mass production of 200mm SiC wafers with each step of the process – substrate, epitaxy & front-end, and back-end – using 200 mm technologies for enhanced yields and performances.
The new facility is targeted to start production in 2026 and to ramp to full capacity by 2033, with up to 15,000 wafers per week at full build-out. Sustainable practices are integral to the design, development, and operation of the SiC Campus to ensure the responsible consumption of resources including water and power.
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