Soitec Seals Partnership with Zensemi on 300 mm BCD-on-SOI Substrates
Soitec announced on Monday a strategic partnership with Chinese specialized foundry ZenSemi to develop and mass produce 300mm BCD-on-SOI substrates for next-generation power electronics. This collaboration comes after several weeks of significant volatility in the stock.
A Partnership for Power Electronics in Data Centers and Electric Vehicles
Soitec will supply ZenSemi with its advanced 300mm Power-SOI substrates to support the development and scaling of a new BCD-on-SOI (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS on Silicon-on-Insulator) process. This technology combines Soitec's expertise in semiconductor substrates with ZenSemi's specialized foundry capabilities to deliver a high-performance manufacturing platform tailored to market needs.
The BCD-on-SOI meets demanding applications: high-efficiency power supplies for AI-equipped data centers, automotive and robotic systems subject to stringent functional safety standards (FuSa), as well as battery management systems (BMS) for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
A Demonstrated 30% Reduction in Chip Area During Validation
Compared to traditional BCD-on-bulk solutions, the BCD-on-SOI technology offers complete dielectric isolation which naturally eliminates parasitic latch-up and drastically reduces electrical crosstalk and noise. This allows for dense integration of high-voltage power stages and low-voltage control circuitry on the same chip.
ZenSemi reports a successful first silicon validation with a flagship client: for an 18-channel analog front-end (AFE), the SOI-based implementation achieved a chip area reduction of about 30% compared to traditional bulk silicon BCD processes.
300mm Capacity Ramp-Up Planned Following Initial Results
ZenSemi plans a rapid ramp-up of its 300mm BCD-on-SOI manufacturing capacity. Once the platforms are in full volume production, the foundry aims to serve both Chinese design offices and global clients for the design of more compact, robust, and cost-optimized power integrated circuits, targeting automotive, artificial intelligence, and industrial markets.
