-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueDo You Have X-ray Vision?
Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing? Join us in this issue of SMT007 Magazine, where we answer this question and others to bring more efficiency to your bottom line.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
Technical Resources
Key industry organizations–all with knowledge sharing as a part of their mission–share their technical repositories in this issue of SMT007 Magazine. Where can you find information critical to your work? Odds are, right here.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
DENSO, USJC Announce Mass Production Shipment of Automotive IGBT
May 11, 2023 | JCN NewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

DENSO CORPORATION (DENSO), a leading mobility supplier, and United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd. (USJC), a subsidiary of global semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), announced a joint collaboration to produce insulated gate bipolar transistors* (IGBT), which have entered mass production at the 300mm fab of USJC. A first shipment ceremony was held today to mark this important milestone. It comes just one year after the companies announced a strategic partnership for this critical power semiconductor used in electric vehicles.
As adoption of electric vehicles accelerates, automakers are seeking to boost powertrain efficiency while also increasing cost-effectiveness of electrified vehicles. The jointly invested line at USJC supports the production of a new generation of IGBT developed by DENSO, which offers 20% reduction in power losses compared with earlier generation devices. Production is expected to reach 10,000 wafers per month by 2025.
The ceremony was held today at USJC's fab in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Attendees included by DENSO President Koji Arima, UMC Co-President Jason Wang, USJC President Michiari Kawano, Director-General of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Satoshi Nohara, Governor of Mie Prefecture Katsuyuki Ichimi, and Mayor of Kuwana City Narutaka Ito.
"Today, we are thrilled to welcome a memorable shipping ceremony that symbolizes the partnership between DENSO, UMC and USJC. We are from different cultures such as semiconductor industry and automobile industry. However we have worked steadily with mutual respect which is a source of our strong competitiveness. DENSO, together with our trusted partners, will continue to further accelerate electrification through the production of competitive semiconductors in order to preserve the global environment and create a society full of smiles," said Koji Arima, President of DENSO.
"USJC is proud to be the first semiconductor foundry in Japan to manufacture IGBT on 300mm wafers, offering customers greater production efficiency than the standard fabrication on 200mm wafers. Thanks to our dedicated teams and support from DENSO, we were able to complete trial production and reliability testing without delay and honor the mass production date as agreed with the customer," said Michiari Kawano, President of USJC.
"It is an honor to be a strategic partner of DENSO, a leading automotive solution provider to global automakers. This collaboration fully demonstrates UMC's manufacturing capability and our collaborative approach to ensure the success of our foundry customers," said Jason Wang, Co-President of UMC. "The electrification and automation of cars will continue to drive up semiconductor content, particularly for chips manufactured using specialty foundry processes on 28nm and above nodes. As a specialty technology leader, UMC is well positioned to play a bigger role in the automotive value chain and enabling our partners to capture opportunities and win market share in this rapidly evolving industry."
*Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a core device that acts as a switch in inverters to convert DC current from batteries to AC current to drive and control electric vehicle motors. Battery and plug-in electric cars require significantly more IGBT units than conventional ICE cars.
Suggested Items
Serial Production of High-tech Sensor as Saab Expands in Finland
04/01/2025 | SaabThe newly inaugurated serial production facility is a milestone both for Saab’s expansion in Finland and the development of Sirius Compact. Increasing demand for the passive electronic warfare sensor has driven the need for serial production.
Hitachi Announces Completion of New Production Facility for Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
04/01/2025 | JCN NewswireHitachi High-Tech Corporation announced that the new production facility for semiconductormanufacturing equipment (etch systems), which had been under construction since December 2023 in the Kasado area (Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture), was completed and started the operation on March 17, 2025.
LG Display’s Guangzhou LCD Plant Officially Transferred to CSOT, Boosting Its Share of Large-Generation LCD Capacity to 22.9%
04/01/2025 | TrendForceLG Display’s Guangzhou Gen 8.5 LCD line was officially transferred to CSOT today (April 1st) and renamed “T11”.
NAND Flash Prices Begin to Recover in 2Q25 as Production Cuts and Inventory Rebuilding Take Effect
03/26/2025 | TrendForceTrendForce reports that NAND Flash suppliers began reducing production in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the effects are now starting to show. In anticipation of potential U.S. tariff increases, consumer electronics brands have accelerated production, further driving up demand.
AT&S Sets New Standards in the Recycling of Copper and Chemicals
03/25/2025 | AT&SAT&S has been working for years to reduce the ecological footprint of its production sites worldwide with a comprehensive sustainability strategy and considerable investments.