November 1, 2023 — onsemi recently held a completion ceremony for the S5 production line at its Bucheon factory in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The production line is part of ON Semiconductor’s 1.4 trillion won (approximately US$1.04 billion) investment announced in July 2022. At present, some equipment has been introduced into the S5 production line and has begun operation.
According to onsemi, the Bucheon factory will be the world’s largest silicon carbide (SiC) production facility, with the goal of completing equipment installation in 2024, making Bucheon City a global SiC production center. By 2025, the Bucheon factory’s annual SiC semiconductor production capacity is expected to reach 1 million pieces, accounting for 35% to 40% of onsemi’s total output.
The Bucheon factory was once the chip production base of Samsung Electronics. However, in 1999, Samsung sold its power semiconductor division to Fairchild Semiconductor, and the Bucheon factory was transferred as part of the deal. Later, in 2016, onsemi acquired Fairchild Semiconductor.
onsemi will produce 6-inch SiC semiconductors at the S5 production line, with the goal of completing 8-inch process verification and conversion by 2025, expanding production capacity to 10 times the current scale.
onsemi said that if all production equipment in Bucheon City can be put into operation, the annual production capacity will reach 1 million pieces. To achieve this goal, the company also plans to expand its workforce. In the next three years, the company plans to hire up to 1,000 employees for its Korean operations.
onsemi emphasized that the Bucheon factory is the core asset of its SiC semiconductor business. It not only serves customers in the Asia-Pacific region, but also in North America and Europe.