centrotherm thermal solutions GmbH has won the largest order to date in its company’s history with the delivery of production systems to manufacture power semiconductors to Chinese company Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric Co. Ltd., (TEG). TEG ordered a total of four horizontal furnaces and one vertical furnace for the thermal treatment of power semiconductors from the technology and process provider based in Swabia, Germany. These semiconductors are utilized in components for the electronic management of high-speed trains and signaling systems, which TEG supplies to its parent company CSR Corporation Limited, one of China’s two largest railway companies. The order volume for centrotherm thermal solutions, a company wholly owned by centrotherm photovoltaics AG and which will soon merge with the AG as part of the centrotherm Group’s restructuring, amounts to a high single-digit figure in millions of euros.
centrotherm won out against competitors primarily with its integrated handling system which enables fully automatic semiconductor processing after one loading with several charges. As the only provider of such a handling system, centrotherm delivers its customers a significant advantage through time and cost savings, while offering tried-and-tested process stability and security at the same time. The vertical furnace Verticoo mini proved persuasive to TEG with regard to processing extremely thin wafers. centrotherm thermal solutions delivered high-temperature furnaces for the thermal treatment of silicon carbide wafers to its customer TEG at the end of 2012. These are utilized in inverters for wind power and solar plants, among other applications.
centrotherm thermal solutions presented its portfolio of products and services at the SEMICON China trade fair last week. Besides horizontal furnaces with fully automated handling systems, other centrotherm products such as the Activator150 and Oxidator150 for the high-growth market for silicon carbide applications formed the focus of the trade fair presence. “Many existing customers who have used our process solutions to conduct research and development to date are now entering mass production with this step. We are currently engaged in contractual negotiations with this customer base,” commented Hans Reichart, Technical Director at the Semiconductor Segment. New centrotherm single wafer processing systems were also presented: the c.PLASMOXLT, whose applications include producing memories and logic blocks for flashcards or RAM modules for computers, and the c.RAPID200, whose applications include manufacturing logic blocks for the automotive industry.
About centrotherm photovoltaics AG
centrotherm photovoltaics AG is a globally leading provider of technology and production solutions to the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. Our core competence consists of the thermal processing and coating of wafers as applied in the manufacturing of crystalline solar cells and power semiconductors, as well as in microelectronics.
