STMicroelectronics: Catania becomes a pole for the European chip
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STMicroelectronics: Catania becomes a pole for the European chip
The Italian-French company specialized in semiconductors has confirmed an investment of 750 million euros for the creation of a new state-of-the-art plant in Sicily
By Dario d’Elia
STMicroelectronics, the Italian-French colossus in the semiconductor sector, will build a new plant in Catania with an investment of approximately 750 million euros. Specifically, a line dedicated to the production of silicon carbide (SiC) substrates is planned for 2023. In practice, these are key components for power supplies, wind and solar inverters, industrial engines, hybrid and next-generation electric vehicles. An alternative to more conventional silicon solutions.
An Italian story too
STMicroelectronics was born in 1987 from the merger of the French Thomson Semiconducteurs and the Italian SGS Microelettronica. The latter is the heir of a very high lineage, as it is the result of the joint experiences of Società Generale Semiconduttori, created by Olivetti in 1957, and ATES, initially specialized in thermionic valves. In summary we talk about the history of Italian IT and an important chapter for the production of semiconductors.
Federico Faggin, the Italian scientist who started the era of personal computers, also recently told the Italian Tech Week and in his book Irreducible, of his experience at Fairchild Semiconductor which later merged into STM. “In 1968 I moved to Silicon Valley, California to work at Fairchild Semiconductor, where I developed the silicon gate MOS technology that made microprocessors, dynamic random access memories, non-volatile memories and CCD image sensors possible. : the key components of the information revolution. In 1970 I went to work at Intel, and here I designed the world’s first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, ”he recalled.
Net of the other acquisitions that have taken place over time, the landing at Euronext Paris, the New York Stock Exchange and the Milan Stock Exchange, it is STM’s hand in newspaper products that leaves its mark on the collective imagination. Think of one of the first CMOS image sensors of webcams and cameras, the technologies behind smartcards and wireless lan, flash memories and video processing technologies for LCD televisions. Even the Telepass of our cars had a transponder made by STMicroelectronics. And how can we forget the processors made for Motorola and which made the success of the first Macintoshes and the Amiga.
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Apple’s help
An important chapter also concerns the long association with Apple. With the launch of the iPhone in 2007, STM initially stood out as a supplier of sensors – specifically the accelerometer. Since the iPhone 7 it has started providing a custom proximity sensor. And since the iPhone X the number of Italian-French members has increased; think for example of the time-of-flight (ToF) sensors to measure the depth in the shots, the infrared unit of the camera and the energy management circuit of the OLED panels.
Today the company says it is made up of “48,000 creators and manufacturers of semiconductor technologies, devices and solutions”. They are focused on chips that are hidden in electric cars, large industrial machines, data centers, hard drives, smartphones, and even electric washing machines and toothbrushes.
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The advantages of SiC
Silicon carbide-based devices enable “higher system efficiency, faster switching, fewer losses and better thermal management”. Smaller and lighter power supply units with higher power density can therefore be designed. STM estimates that with this approach an electric vehicle can exceed 600 km of autonomy, reduce the weight on average by 150/200 kg and put less stress on the batteries. In industrial and robotic environments, as well as in server power supplies and solar energy conversion systems, compared to silicon, there can be less power losses, a reduction in the size and weight of the systems, and a reduction in the cost of ownership 20%.
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European excellence
The new plant will be built next to the STMicroelectronics plant in Catania, which today produces SiC devices and has long been a point of reference in research and development for the company. “It will be the first of its kind in Europe for the volume production of 150 mm SiC epitaxial substrates, and will integrate all steps of the production flow”, underlines the Italian-French group.
The so-called epitaxial growth it is defined as the first step during the manufacturing process that allows on the substrate to establish the final characteristics of the (final) power device to be manufactured. The intent is to satisfy both the demand of companies that need the finished product, and of those that produce independently. Not to mention the internal demand for SiC. “We are expanding our operations in Catania, the center of our expertise in power semiconductors and where we have already integrated research, development and production activities for SiC in close collaboration with Italian research institutes, universities and suppliers,” he said. Jean-Marc Chery, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics.
The overall investment will be spread over five years and will also have the financial support of the Italian State as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Also because the Ministry of Finance is present in the shareholder structure with 13.75% of the shares. When fully operational, 700 new jobs are also planned. Excellent news, which is on par with Intel’s recent decision to open a production plant in Italy: it is not yet clear, however, whether in Piedmont or Veneto.
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