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ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY

ENABLES 3D-PRINTED WORLD’S THINNEST

ACTIVE ELECTRONICS SILICON POWER WAFER

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute The material operates through an effect The thinnest silicon power wafers ever Adam White, Division President Power and
of Technology (MIT) made an accidental known as the polymeric positive temperature manufactured, with a thickness of just Sensor Systems for Infineon, states:
discovery whilst working on a project coefficient, or PPTC, such that when the material 20 micrometers, and a diameter of 300
“ The new ultra-thin wafer technology drives
fabricating magnetic coils which could have heats up due to the flow of electrical current, millimetres, have been unveiled by Infineon.
our ambition to power different AI server
major implications for the electronics industry. its resistance increases dramatically causing
Produced in a high-scale semiconductor configurations from grid to core in the most
the current to cease. The material then cools,
Whilst the team was using extrusion printing, fabrication facility, the new ultra-thin silicon energy efficient way. As energy demand for
resistance falls, and current begins to flow again.
it noticed a spike in resistance when a large wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human AI data centres is rising significantly, energy
amount of electrical current passed through the Traditional fabrication of components such hair and half as thick as current ultra-thin wafers efficiency gains more and more importance.
material being used, namely a polymer filament as transistors typically requires expensive of 40 to 60 micrometres. For Infineon, this is a fast-growing business
doped with copper nanoparticles. This spike specialised equipment, hence the ability to opportunity. With mid-double-digit growth rates,
Halving the thickness of a wafer reduces its
was then followed by a return to normal levels, 3D-print active electronics marks an important we expect our AI business to reach one billion
substrate resistance by 50 per cent, which
a property that is normally associated with step forward. euros within the next two years.”
reduces power loss by over 15 per cent in
semiconductors.
Whilst the performance of these 3D-printed power systems relative to solutions based on The company anticipates a replacement of
This discovery prompted further investigation components still lags behind that of silicon- conventional silicon wafers. This is especially the existing conventional wafer technology for
which later revealed that this material was in fact based transistors, basic control applications, relevant in high-end AI server applications low voltage power converters within the next
exhibiting behaviour that was characteristic of such as turning motors on and off, can be where growing energy demand is driven by ever four years.
transistors, which are fundamental components achieved. As the technology advances further higher current levels, most notably in power Reference: Tyler, N., ‘Infineon unveils World’s thinnest Silicon Power
for controlling electrical signals in active applications are envisaged in areas such as conversion where voltages have to be reduced Wafer’, New Electronics, 29th. October.
electronics. The fact that this material could space exploration where spare parts and from 230V to a processor voltage of under 1.8V.
be processed using standard 3D-printing electronic components could be printed directly
The new technology in particular boosts the
rather than involving the use of traditional on spacecraft, helping reduce large inventories.
vertical power delivery design, which is based
semiconductors made it a significant discovery. Looking further ahead, fully functional 3D-printed Visit our
on vertical Trench MOSFET and allows a very
electronic systems that combine both
Investigation followed into whether the effect close connection to the AI chip processor,
mechanical and electronic components in a
observed could be applied more widely in the reducing power loss and enhancing website!
single manufacturing step, may be possible
field of electronics and it was found that it was overall efficiency.
so revolutionising how electronic systems are Why not head down to our
possible to 3D-print resettable fuses and logic
designed and produced. In order to achieve the 20 micrometre thickness website and read more
gates using copper-doped polylactic acid that news in our blog section?
engineers developed an innovative wafer
allowed for current control similar to that of Reference: Miles, S., ‘3D-printed Active Electronics’, Electronic
Specifier, 23rd. October. grinding technique that compensated for the Updated daily with hand-picked
semiconductor-based transistors,
fact that the metal stack that holds the chip articles from around the web...
but without the requirement for silicon
on the wafer is thicker that 20 micrometres,
or cleanroom conditions.
significantly influencing the handling and institutionofelectronics.ac.uk
processing of the back side of the wafer.
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