China sees Taiwan supply chain as alternative to IDMs for power IC devices

Find the Latest SoC Solutions
for... Automotive... IoT... Security... Audio... Video

Julian Ho, Taipei; Willis Ke, DIGITIMES, Jun. 19, 2019 – 

China ICT makers are keen on turning to Taiwan supply chain as they seek alternative import sources of discrete power semiconductor devices, especially medium- and high-end ones long dominated by US and Europe IDMs, to counter uncertainties of the US-China tariff war and trade sanctions on Huawei.

HL Chiang, general manager for power semiconductor at Lite-On Semiconductor, said a new supply chain in Asia is quietly taking shape for China ICT firms as they are moving to sharply reduce the ratios of orders placed with US and Europe IDMs by turning to suppliers in Taiwan and other Asia countries.

Many China firms have directly approached Taiwan makers for the supply of diverse discrete power devices, including high-end SiC Schottky diode and IGBT, according to industry sources. In the short term, Taiwan makers of the devices will sustain significant tech superiority over their China peers.

Lite-On Semi has made deployments in fast recovery diodes (FRD), SiC Schottky diodes and IGBT, and will kick off volume production of IGBT modules incorporating FRD for use in white household electrical appliances to fulfill orders from leading China brand vendors within one year, in addition to rolling out IGBT components for industrial control systems, the sources said. Moreover, the company is also developing SiC MOSFET components for automotive applications.

Lite-On has also tapped into the supply chains of China's top-3 makers of auto-use battery management systems (BMS) with its transient-voltage suppression (TVS) diodes, the sources said. The company will roll out system integration solutions such as micro modules combing FRD and MOSFET for automotive applications in 2020.

 Back