All articles tagged with #silicon carbide
Wolfspeed emerged from Chapter 11 with significantly reduced debt and a new board, but shareholders faced an 85% loss in value due to massive stock dilution; the company is focusing on AI, EV, and energy markets with new manufacturing investments and government support to drive a turnaround.
Wolfspeed's shares surged over 1,700% to nearly $21 after completing a major restructuring and share swap related to its bankruptcy, significantly reducing its share float and aiming to strengthen its position in silicon carbide technology and U.S. chip manufacturing.
A recent study challenges the conventional definition of crystals by revealing that crystal structures are not always regularly arranged. The discovery of the random stacking of hexagonal layers (RHCP) as a stable structure overturns previous beliefs and has implications for materials science, particularly in semiconductors, solar panels, and electric vehicle technologies. The study provides insights into polytypism and suggests that polytypic materials like silicon carbide may have continuous structural transitions with new useful properties. The research was conducted using X-ray scattering data and advanced computation techniques.
Semiconductor company Wolfspeed has secured a 10-year contract with Renesas Electronics, receiving a $2 billion cash infusion. The deal involves the production of chips using silicon carbide technology at a semiconductor plant in Chatham County. Wolfspeed's shares soared 15% following the announcement. Renesas will use the chips in various industries, including automotive and industrial sectors. The agreement strengthens Wolfspeed's position in the growing silicon carbide market.
Renesas Electronics Corporation and Wolfspeed have signed a 10-year wafer supply agreement, with Renesas depositing $2 billion to secure a supply commitment of silicon carbide wafers from Wolfspeed. The agreement supports the adoption of silicon carbide in automotive, industrial, and energy markets and reinforces Renesas' commitment to boost its power semiconductor roadmap. The supply of high-quality silicon carbide wafers will enable Renesas to scale production of silicon carbide power semiconductors starting in 2025. Silicon carbide devices offer higher energy efficiency, greater power density, and lower system costs compared to conventional silicon power semiconductors.
Wolfspeed's shares fell over 15% in pre-market trading after the semiconductor company issued weaker-than-expected guidance, citing issues at its Mohawk Valley facility. The delay at the facility stems from its inability to ramp its 200mm substrate capacity, leading to a lowered fiscal 2024 revenue guidance. Analysts are questioning whether silicon carbide might be "too hard to scale" given the continued missteps and whether Tesla was right to question its ability to meet the demands for electrification of the economy.
A joint research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of China has developed a research platform to study superconducting magnetic detection and magnetic phase transitions of hydrides under high pressure. The researchers have for the first time realized high-pressure in-situ quantum magnetic detection based on the silicon vacancy (VSi) defects in silicon carbide and solved the problem of high-pressure magnetic detection. This technique is of great significance to the field of high-pressure superconductivity and magnetic materials.