Wide Band Gap Pilot Line: a major boost for Europe’s innovation and competitiveness

The European semiconductor industry excels in market segments driven by wide bandgap material capabilities, such as automotive, industrial, and specific telecommunication areas. The growth projections of industry & automotive market segments outperform the growth of the semiconductor industry. Between 2021 and 2030, McKinsey estimated a CAGR of respectively 13% for automotive electronics and 9% for industrial electronics. Through its strong position, the European Union should drive the growth and maturation of WBG material platforms in power and telecommunication applications. A pilot line can help the Union to drive the necessary process, architecture & material innovations from lab to fab effectively. Furthermore, the ultra-wide-band gap (UWBG) semiconductors, e.g., Ga2O3, AlN and diamond, have become the subject of intense research with an expected increasing interest due to the compounds' outstanding physical properties. The goal of the Pilot Line is to significantly expand the competitiveness of the European semiconductors industry by strengthening the entire value chain and enabling a fast adoption of advanced WBG technologies to high-value applications. The first results coming from the WBG pilot line will be the improvement of the efficiency of the high–end portion of the advanced power discrete device portfolio in Europe, and the development of the related value chain based in Europe. The second effect will be the creation of new and very innovative product families based on modern semiconductor materials and power devices having features and performance not covered by the current market. The WBG pilot line will build on the current facilities operating in Finland, Italy, Poland, France, Germany, Austria, and Sweden, where industrial processes will be defined and optimised, and demonstrators will be qualified to be then tested on the market.