Axcelis and GE Aerospace Launch Joint Program to Advance High-Voltage Silicon Carbide Power Devices

Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a leading supplier of enabling ion implantation solutions for the semiconductor industry, announced a Joint Development Program (JDP) with GE Aerospace focused on the development of production-worthy 6.5 to 10kV superjunction power devices. Processes will be developed on Axcelis' Purion XEmax^™ high energy implanter, which provides the industry's highest beam currents over the broadest energy range — up to 15MeV.

This JDP supports the 'Advanced High Voltage Silicon Carbide Switches' project led by GE Aerospace as part of the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub, which is headed by North Carolina State University. This project will aim to improve the performance of power switches used in important emerging applications.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) wide bandgap semiconductors deliver higher voltages, operating temperatures and frequencies compared to traditional Silicon (Si) devices. These semiconductor devices are enabling for many applications in the aerospace and defense sector through reduced power consumption and smaller packaging of critical systems. On the commercial side, high voltage wide bandgap semiconductors are expected to play an important role in emerging critical technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles and a more resilient power grid.

President and CEO Russell Low commented, "We are proud to collaborate with GE Aerospace in this endeavor, which has the potential to accelerate superjunction technology adoption. Axcelis is committed to providing equipment and process expertise that enables our customers' superjunction device roadmaps."