As of February 8, 2022, it has been 3 months since Russia began amassing troops on its border with Ukraine and tensions have yet to ease. Since Ukraine is a major producer of gases required for semiconductor manufacturing, once the two sides go to war, some gases may be in short supply.

Ukraine primarily produces neon, krypton, and xenon, which are key materials for exposure and etching processes

According to TrendForce research, Ukraine supplies approximately 70% of the world’s neon gas. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, neon gas can be used in KrF lasers utilized during exposure. In addition to neon gas, Ukraine also supplies approximately 40% of the world’s krypton gas. Krypton gas is also used in KrF lasers and both neon and krypton gas are closely tied to the exposure process. Furthermore, Ukraine produces xenon which can be used in semiconductor etching processes, accounting for approximately 30% of the world’s supply. Since Ukraine is a major supplier in the neon, krypton, and xenon markets, if a war breaks out, shortages of neon, krypton, and xenon are likely to follow. Even if the market is quick to find new gas suppliers or expand gas production capacity, product certification will take several months or even more than half a year, plunging the supply of electronic gas required for semiconductor manufacturing processes into scarcity.

A shortage of neon and krypton due to the war will affect the shipment of mature process products

TrendForce indicates, the large supply of neon and krypton in Ukraine is primarily used in KrF lasers and KrF lasers are utilized in mature 8-inch wafer 250-130nm nodes. At present, products manufactured at the 250-130nm nodes include power management chips (PMIC), micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and power semiconductor components such as MOSFET components and IGBTs. Once Ukraine and Russia go to war and the war expands into a stalemate, the shortage of neon and krypton will affect shipments of the aforementioned products to varying degrees. From the perspective of end-user products, the automotive industry, which requires large quantities of power management chips and power semiconductors, will face a new wave of material shortages.

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As seen from the market, components of power semiconductors are mostly used in industrial fields, including motor control, rail transit, wireless power supply, energy control, and smart grid, which occupy more than 30% in the long run that is expected to arrive at 35% in 2021, followed by automotive applications at 29% that will gradually expand the automotive and high voltage MOSFET markets alongside the development of NEVs and EVs. In addition, consumer electronics also account for 18% of the elevated demand for notebooks, smartphones, wearable, and quick chargers. Communication and computing each take up 10% and 7%.

Demand for Consumer Electronics Applications: Quick Charging

The faster transmission of 5G smartphones compared to that of 4G requires additional radio frequency components, thus an increase in power consumption and the speed of battery drainage becomes inevitable. Brands have been releasing USB-PD quick charging products that are currently most adopted with Type-C under the rising requirements of consumers in charging efficiency, and a support of transmission voltage from higher specifications will require an integration with synchronous rectification MOSFET that is essential in adjusting optimization, as well as an increase in the quantity of MOSFET. In terms of materials, small chargers of high power density are steadily becoming market mainstream amidst the development and popularization of GaN technology, as well as the ever-changing market of USB Type-C PD chargers, and GaN that has a low calorific value and small dimension has become the optimal material for MOSFET pertaining to quick charging.

Demand for Communication Applications: 5G Base Station

5G base stations, adopted with the Massive MIMO technology, and require multi-channel architectures such as 32 channels (32T32R) and 64 channels (64T64R), are the core equipment of 5G network, and an increase in channel density will also lead to an increment in power consumption and cost for 5G base stations at the same time. 5G base stations consume double the power than 4G, while the demand for lowering power consumption has risen the demand for low depletion and high thermostability. In addition, the establishment of 5G network has elevated the scale of data centers and cloud services, while the installation of servers has also stimulated the demand for power management modules such as AC/DC converters and DC/DC converters. Hence, communication MOSFET is now one of the major demands.

Demand for Automotive Applications: NEV

The transition of the existing automotive industry that marches from traditional fossil fuel vehicles to NEVs requires extra power semiconductor components such as MOSFET to operate synergistically. For traditional fossil fuel vehicles, various power supply components are powered by the battery, which usually comes in either 24V or 12V. The voltage for the power battery of NEVs is usually 336V or 384V and can go up to 580-600V for large electric passenger cars, which is why power semiconductor components are necessary between high and low voltage systems of NEVs to implement voltage adjustments and achieve flowing of current between two systems that allow each electronic component to function.

The electronic components that complement the battery system of a NEV operate at different voltage levels, so voltage conversion is required as electric power moves through different components. As a MOSFET continuously switches, it gradually raises or lowers the voltage. Hence, the important considerations in MOSFET designs include current strength and withstand voltage. Additionally, different applications have their own design needs with respect to switching frequency, switching noise, oscillation damping, and DPM.

As the number of electronic components in a car increases, the number of automotive applications grows for power semiconductor components such as MOSFETs. Originally, a car with a traditional ICE has at least 90 MOSFET chips. As for NEVs, the number of MOSFET chips per vehicle is usually around 200 but can reach up to around 400 for high-end models. With more functions and features being added into a NEV, the chip number is expected to rise further in the future.

Demand for Industrial Applications: Automation and Charging Piles for NEVs

The industrial segment of the market for power semiconductor components has the widest range of applications. Most kinds of industrial equipment contain MOSFETs. At the same time, many manufacturing and processing sectors are adopting automation technologies in order to shorten process cycle time, reduce production costs, and minimize equipment idling. Besides the ongoing trend toward Industry 4.0, the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the progress in industrial automation during recent years because manufacturers have been compelled to find ways to keep their production lines running with limited manpower.

Compared with traditional Si-based MOSFETs and IGBTs, SiC-based MOSFETs have significant advantages in the industrial segment of the power semiconductor market because they are able to withstand higher voltages, perform faster switching, and offer lower on-resistance. Furthermore, the adoption of SiC can contribute to a reduction in power consumption and a more compact system. Hence, SiC-based solutions have become the focus of product development for power component suppliers.

Regarding charging piles for NEVs, these are considered industrial equipment and therefore have to conform to the certifications of the major industry bodies. Playing a key role in the proliferation of NEVs, charging piles are being developed to provide a shorter charging period as well as higher-power charging in different scenarios. In this application field, power semiconductor components are essential to electric power conversion. Electromechanical devices including AC/DC converter and DC/DC converter are the key parts of a charging pile because they perform voltage and frequency conversions. Due to the demand for an ever shorter charging period, power components have to achieve a higher standard in terms of withstand voltage. Hence, SiC-based MOSFETs are trickling into the charging pile market as component suppliers develop solutions that minimize both thermal resistance and switching loss that occurs during high-frequency switching.

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