Nixi Semiconductor Technology, based in the Songjiang Comprehensive Bonded Zone, has rolled out the world’s first production line for 35-micron ultra-thin wafers dedicated to power semiconductors. This breakthrough fills a major gap in China’s capabilities for ultra-thin wafer manufacturing and advanced power device packaging.
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Inside the Innovation
The line handles the full chain from wafer bonding and precision thinning to laser dicing, packaging, and testing marking the first time anyone has achieved mass production of these razor-thin 35-micron power wafers on a fully integrated platform.
Led by Nixi and serving as a major upgrade to Alpha and Omega Semiconductor’s (AOS) China operations, it enables seamless manufacturing from raw wafers to finished, tested devices.
At just 35 microns thick half the width of a human hair these wafers demand extreme precision to avoid breakage and stress issues.?
Wafer Thickness Control at 35 ± 1.5 Microns
Working closely with equipment partners, Nixi is reported to have nailed wafer thickness control at 35 ± 1.5 microns. A chemical etching step wipes out 92% of grinding stress, keeping breakage rates under 0.1%.
They’ve swapped traditional blades for custom laser dicing, shrinking the heat-affected zone and hitting a 98.5% yield overcoming the toughest hurdles in ultra-thin processing.
The setup includes specialized gear: bonding machines with 120-micron alignment accuracy (400 wafers daily), grinders at 0.1-micron precision (under 2-micron thickness variation), and lasers with an 11-micron kerf that boosts usable chip area by ~10%.
Final testing cranks out 120,000 devices per day, proving it’s ready for high-volume commercial runs. Crucially, core tools like bonding, grinding, cutting, and debonding were co-developed with Chinese suppliers, securing domestic control over this critical tech.?
Real-World Impact
These ultra-thin wafers slash on-resistance and thermal resistance, cutting carrier transit time by 40%. Compared to standard 100-micron wafers, thermal resistance drops 60%, and paired with double-sided cooling packages, module-level resistance falls another 30% with power cycling life jumping fivefold.
That means better energy efficiency and heat management for demanding apps like EVs and 5G base stations, paving the way for Chinese-made power devices in high-voltage, fast-charging markets.
Nixi, founded in 2007 as a key AOS base and owned by its Hong Kong arm, just boosted its edge in power semis.
