Infineon recently announced that it has acquired a startup called Siltectra for $139 million. Through the acquisition, Infineon has acquired Siltectra's innovative technology, ColdSpilt, which is an efficient crystalline material processing process that minimizes material loss. Infineon plans to use this technology for the cutting of SiC wafers, doubling the number of chips that can be produced on a single wafer.

Siltectra was founded in 2010 and currently has a portfolio of intellectual property rights for more than 50 patent families. Compared to conventional sawing technology, Siltectra's technology for decomposing crystalline materials minimizes material loss. This technology can also be applied to semiconductor material SiC, which is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. In the future, SiC will play an increasingly important role in electric vehicles. ColdSplit technology will be used in the existing Siltectra plant in Dresden and the Infineon plant in Villach, Austria, and is expected to be used in mass production within the next five years.

For the acquisition, Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon, said: “This acquisition will help us to utilize new SiC materials and expand our excellent product portfolio. Our systematic understanding and unique expertise in thin wafer technology will complement Siltectra's innovative capabilities and ColdSpilt technology."