(2)
(a) 黃女瑛, （獨家）台積斬斷GaN代工另一篇章; 驚傳比亞迪「黯然神傷」. 電子時報 Digitimes, July 11, 2025
https://www.digitimes.com.tw/tec ... X8E29V87UJEY2XLIVM9
, which came out on the same day as
(b) Exclusive: TSMC's GaN Exit Pulls Rug from Under BYD. DigiTimes, July 11, 2025 (In English).
Note:
(a)
(i) 納微半導體 Navitas Semiconductor, Inc (2014- ; based in City of Torrance, Los Angeles County, California)
(ii) About Us. Navitas Semiconductor, undated
https://navitassemi.com/about-navitas/
("The name Navitas derives from the Latin word for energy * * * GaN is growing in importance because of its ability to offer significantly improved performance over conventional silicon semiconductors while reducing the energy and the physical space needed to deliver that performance. * * * Navitas is the industry leader in GaN with drive, control and protection in a single easy-to-use integrated circuit (IC). Navitas GaNFast [trademarked] ICs are easy-to-use 'digital in, power out' building blocks that enable up to one hundred times faster switching speeds while increasing energy savings by as much as 40%. * * * [We are] the only pure-play, next-generation power semiconductor company")
(iii) Latin-English dictionary:
* navitas (noun feminine; from [adjective masculine] nāvus + [suffix] -tās [used to form noun (feminine)]): "promptness, assiduity, zeal"
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/navitas
(iv) What the heck is power electronics?
(A) Navitas Semiconductor also runs a website https://ganfast.com/ whose home page is succinct: "GaN is the Future [which is page title:]
Silicon chips are history.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) revolutionizes fast charging for all mobile devices: phones, tablets and laptops. Charge 3x faster in half the size and weight")
So Navitas products are chargers, converting AC to DC.
(B) power electronics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_electronics
The end of introduction in this Wiki page listed four types of power electronics in which "AC to DC (rectifier)" -- that is, the device to convert AC to DC is "rectifier" in jargon. (There is little chance to convert DC to AC, another kind of power electronics.)
(b) 力積電 Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC; 1994- ; based in Hsinchu; world's 8th largest semiconductor foundry)
(c) The report states, "雙方 [Navitas and PowerChip] 其實原在GaN低壓產品，已合作多時。2026年已達100伏產品，未來1~2年內，可望再拉升至中高壓領域合作。 另外，力積電本身並無GaN磊晶（Epi）製程，外傳將交由環球晶（GWC）、蘇州晶湛（ENKRIS）操刀。
(i)
(A) It is clear that 低壓 means lower voltage, and that 高壓 is need to charge electric vehicles fast. No doubt that more chargers for electric vehicles will be needed in the future.
(B) Electric vehicles (EVs) anywhere in the world and by all makers uses DC, so a rectifier is needed to convert AC to DC. All EVs has an "onboard charger" (OBC) to do the task. However, to do the charging faster, a bigger charger will be needed that is housed in charging station which uses voltages higher than 120V AC that the charging station itself converts to DC which is supplied to EVs bypassing EVs' OBC. The highest voltage in a charging station worldwide is 400V AC, though in North America thta is 350V AC.
(ii)
(A) epitaxy 磊晶 or 外延
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaxy
("The term epitaxy comes from the Greek roots epi (ἐπί), meaning 'above,' and [noun feminine] taxis (τάξις), meaning 'an ordered manner.' One of the main commercial applications of epitaxial growth is in the semiconductor industry, where semiconductor films are grown epitaxially on semiconductor substrate wafers.[4] For the case of epitaxial growth of a planar film atop a substrate wafer, the epitaxial film's [crystalline] lattice will have a specific orientation relative to the substrate wafer's crystalline lattice * * * In the simplest case, the epitaxial layer can be a continuation of the same semiconductor compound as the substrate; this is referred to as homoepitaxy [eg, epitaxial growth of highly pure silicon over substrate silicon or different levels of doping for film and substrate]. Otherwise, the epitaxial layer will be composed of a different compound; this is referred to as heteroepitaxy")
(B)
• GaN-on-Si is a film of Gallium nitride on silicon SUBSTRATE. Silicon is used because it is cheap and stable.
• GaN-on-Si is used mainly in power electronics, radio fequency (RF) semiconductor and LED.
• gallium nitride
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium_nitride
("GaN transistors can operate at much higher temperatures and work at much higher voltages than gallium arsenide (GaAs) transistors")
(iii) What is the place of epitaxy in semiconductor fabrication? (For Example, is epitaxy done befor etching?) Well, I research for hours and find noting about epitaxy in semiconductor (say, logic or memory chips) and that epitaxy seems to be associated with GaN-on-Si (but more, which ahain is not related to logic or memory chip. This turns out to be correct.
Pete Singer, Epitaxy: An Epic Growth. Semiconductor Digest, Sept 3, 2020 (Singer is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the journal; The top illustration in this page is attributed to Amadine Pizzagalli of Yole Développement, who was not the author of this article).
https://www.semiconductor-digest.com/epitaxy-an-epic-growth/
Quote:
(A) "The overall semiconductor equipment market is worth several billion dollars. By contrast, the lithography equipment market for the More-than-Moore (MtM) industry is a small niche representing millions of dollars. However, new emerging markets push MtM devices to new levels of complexity, resulting in big investments.
"The semiconductor industry has traditionally been dominated by silicon substrates. Although silicon is by far the most dominant substrate with more than 80% of the market [1], alternative non-silicon-based substrates like GaAs, GaN, SiC and InP are gaining momentum within the MtM industry.
(B) "All these semiconductor substrate materials, silicon-based devices but also in the III-V compound semiconductor industry, require an epitaxy process step which is one of the first stages in manufacturing electronic and optical components consisting of depositing a mono-crystalline film on a mono-crystalline substrate. * * *
• SiC is silicon carbide.
• Jamie Oberdick and Ashley WennersHerron, Integrating Dimensions to Get More out of Moore's Law and Advance Electronics. Materials Research Institute, Penn State University, Jan 10, 2024
https://www.psu.edu/news/materia ... res-law-and-advance
(" 'More Than Moore' refers to a concept in the tech world where we are not just making computer chips smaller and faster, but also with more functionalities,' said Muhtasim Ul Karim Sadaf, graduate research assistant in engineering science and mechanics and co-author of the study. 'It is about adding new and useful features to our electronic devices, like better sensors, improved battery management or other special functions, to make our gadgets smarter and more versatile' ")
(iv) In the Web, some advocates GaN as important new frontier in semiconductor (occasionally asserting that China is also pursuing this), while some others says thare are many challenges in technology to deploy GaN.
(v) 環球晶圓股份有限公司 (環球晶) GlobalWafers Co, Ltd (spin off in 201 from Sino-American Silicon Products, Inc 中美矽晶製品股份有限公司 (1981- ; based in Hsinchu); also based in Hsinchu; world's third largest silicon wafer supplier)
(vi)
(A) 苏州晶湛半导体有限公司 Enkris Semiconductor Inc
http://www.enkris.com/
("晶湛半导体由业界公认的硅基氮化镓（GaN-on-Si）外延技术的开拓者程凯博士于2012年3月回国创办，坐落于苏州市工业园区，拥有国际先进的氮化镓外延材料研发和产业化基地")
(B)
• Ancient Greek-English dictionary:
* ἐγκρίς (noun feminine; romanization enkrís): a cake made with oil and honey, similar to the modern loukoumas or doughnut"
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/% ... A%CF%81%CE%AF%CF%82
• Elani Temperance (female blogger), Ancient Hellenic Cakes. Baring the Aegis (a blog since 2012), Apr 26, 2015
https://baringtheaegis.blogspot. ... hellenic-cakes.html
("Enkris[:] This was a doughnut, fried in oil or lard and dipped in honey")
(C) Kai CHENG 程凯
https://www.semiconchina.org/zh/1417
("清华大学电子工程系本科硕士，比利时鲁汶大学和IMEC联合培养博士（2008年）。曾任IMEC GaN项目资深科学家，2012年回国创办晶湛半导体并任总裁，致力于氮化镓外延材料的产业化。 程博士是业界公认的硅上氮化镓外延技术的开拓者之一，分别于2006年、2011年和2021年首次研制出6英寸、8英寸、12英寸GaN-on-Si外延材料，拥有非常丰富的材料生长经验，能够在不同衬底上(Si/Sapphire/GaN等)实现高质量GaN外延。累计申请国内外专利近500项，已授权100余项。 GaN被认为是下一代电力电子与新型显示技术的核心材料，尤其在新能源汽车领域，转换器、OBC、数字座舱等都得到了市场的广泛关注。 晶湛半导体提供的高质量硅基GaN HEMT外延片，可涵盖40—1200V功率应用；并在全球首次将GaN-on-Si晶圆尺寸成功扩展至300mm")
(D) IMEC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMEC
(1984- ; full name: Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre; based in Leuven, Belgium)
The eu in Leuven is pronounced the same as ur in English verb hurl. Leuven has population 87,000/ It is hard to believe that Dr Cheng could do so much within four years after receiving PhD. Besides, nowhere in the Web that says he is the inventor of such things.
`````````````````````
台北
台積電證實在未來2年內，逐步退出第三類半導體之一的氮化鎵（GaN）領域，引發市場震撼。事實上，台積電目前就是全球的GaN晶圓代工龍頭。
該事件使市場目光聚焦在台積電GaN大客戶納微半導體（Navitas）身上，訊息更是由Navitas率先揭露，台積電被動證實，而Navitas在淚別台積電的同時，還得積極找尋其他替代方案。
除了「轉單說」，讓力積電大受鼓舞之外，業界更傳出，中系電動車龍頭比亞迪才是真正大受內傷的業者，頗有「黯然銷魂」之感。
訂單結構丕變 兩原因讓台積難以樂觀
事實上，Navitas GaN代工訂單轉向力積電，其來有自。
雙方其實原在GaN低壓產品，已合作多時。2026年已達100伏產品，未來1~2年內，可望再拉升至中高壓領域合作。
另外，力積電本身並無GaN磊晶（Epi）製程，外傳將交由環球晶（GWC）、蘇州晶湛（ENKRIS）操刀。
然而，供應鏈業者透露，促使台積電收攤主因，包括訂單結構改變，以及對未來實在難以樂觀，主要有兩大面向。
其一，中系廠下單量拉升。
近幾年中系業者下單台積電的GaN代工訂單，正逐步攀升，尤其是電動車龍頭比亞迪，市場傳出，已是台積電GaN的前三大客戶之一。
而Navitas在中系廠低價競爭下，壓力拉升。雖然仍是從低壓領域，逐步朝中高壓GaN發展，但市場推估，以其下單量觀察，恐掉出台積GaN的前三大客戶外。
其二，是未來利潤率不明。
其實自2025年以來，外傳台積電的中系客戶訂單量明顯增加。可想而知，這促使台積電當機立斷，著手GaN的收攤計畫。
這其實是「壯士斷腕」策略，因為可預見的未來，GaN毛利率只有持續下跌，主因GaN訂單結構變化，使台積電間接被捲入中國的內耗狂潮中。
尤其中國從電動車產業內耗達到巔峰，間接傳導到GaN產業，力道也持續加大。
GaN是問題兒童？ 台積專業代工仍受肯定
相較於矽基（Si）先進製程，台積電擁有絕佳話語權，甚至在動盪環境中都有漲價本錢。也因為這張先進半導體技術王牌，業者透露，連其他相對成熟的製程，客戶端也不輕易撼動。
相較之下，GaN成了「問題兒童」，產能、營收都難與Si相當，更別提毛利率及獲利。
不過，令市場好奇的是，比亞迪的GaN元件，為何不是下單給價格最具優勢的中國GaN龍頭英諾賽科，或其他中系廠，反而低調交由台積電代工，且訂單還相當可觀？
業者解釋，因為英諾賽科是垂直整合的IDM廠，比亞迪以及其他中系廠，「基於技術外流」等顧慮，當然選擇代工地位鮮明，且未曾動搖的台積電。
中系業者不是只有價格內耗，其實技術、專利亦然。
合作中更需要提防專利技術出現破口，這是必要的生存之道。特別是比亞迪除了電動車，也涉及諸多關鍵零組件自製，要顧慮的層面多且雜。
因此，若可以找到「護城河」，像台積電這般，讓比亞迪無後顧之憂，就更能專注於關鍵戰場的競爭。
中系GaN業者技術、品質仍有提升空間
另外，中系GaN業者的技術及品質，是否能與台積電比拚？也是考量之一。
尤其比亞迪多數用於汽車領域，不論是電動車內，或是充電樁，都要求一定的可靠性及穩定度，甚至為國際手機品牌代工，同樣要求高品質。
據了解，比亞迪在台積電GaN下單，主以高壓GaN為主，顯見GaN在充電樁、電動車等領域正逐步被引入，而非由碳化矽（SiC）強勢打壓，特別是比亞迪也耕耘SiC。
上述由供應鏈業者所提供訊息，細節以相關業者的公告為主。
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