Magnachip improves power distribution and functionality with new semiconductors

Magnachip is a designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platform solutions for communications, IoT, consumer, industrial and automotive applications. The company provides a broad range of standard products to customers worldwide.

As demand for semiconductor chips and other electrical components increases globally, Magnachip continues to design and develop analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platform solutions for communications, IoT, consumer, industrial and automotive applications.

For example, for automotive semiconductors in the electric and autonomous vehicle industry, Magnachip recently announced an expansion of its organic light-emitting diode display driver integrated circuit (OLED DDIC) product lineup by developing a next-generation OLED DDIC for automotive displays.

The next-generation DDIC supports a wide range of resolutions including the full head display and it is also suited for both rigid and flexible OLED displays. The company plans to supply the new product to premium European car manufacturers in the first half of 2023.

Magnachip keeps semiconductor industry going with new innovations

In the mobile phone industry, Magnachip launched a new generation of Low-Voltage Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (LV MOSFETs) featuring lower Rss(on) for battery Protection Circuit Modules (PCMs) in smartphones.

As demand for high-end 5G and LTE smartphones increases, extended battery life and strengthened protection features for batteries are becoming important. 5G phones, in particular, need long-lasting batteries with high endurance to process a large amount of data for fast download and upload.

Magnachip developed the new generation LV MOSFETs with advanced overvoltage and overcurrent protection features to extend battery life and reduce overheating issues. Magnachip began mass production of this new 6.5^th generation (6.5G) product last month and it is being used in a new 2022 flagship model from one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers.

The Rss(on) of this new 6.5G product is 20% lower than the previous version with the same chip size to reduce current loss and improve heat dissipation. This lower Rss(on) controls a high power density above 25W to prevent a battery from overheating and protect the PCM while the battery is being fast-charged. Along with this powerful battery protection, the size of the chip was significantly reduced to better meet the requirements of new smartphone models.

According to Omdia, a market research firm, the global smartphone market will grow 6.3%, with more than 1.4 billion units sold in 2022. The wireless earphone market is also rapidly growing, which will further drive up the demand for LV MOSFETs.

Magnachip has sold more than 1.3 billion units of LV MOSFETs in the last 10 years and more than 900 million units of MOSFETs for battery PCMs. Leveraging its industry-leading technological know-how and business expertise, the company plans to reinforce its market leadership commensurate with the growth of the high-end 5G smartphone market.

For YJ Kim, CEO of Magnachip, despite the current global chip shortage, they are confident they can maintain a strong supplier capability for customers as an integrated device manufacturer for these new 6.5G products.

Supporting a wide range of consumer products and industrial applications

Magnachip has also launched 11 new generation high-voltage 600V Super Junction Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (SJ MOSFETs). The company has already released product samples and plans to begin mass production of them in March 2022.

The new 2.5^th generation (2.5G) 600V SJ MOSFETs were developed using new designs based on the latest process technology to improve switching functionality by more than 10% compared to previous generations. As a result, Magnachip has achieved lower switching loss and better power efficiency. For applications requiring high Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) ruggedness, a Zener diode is embedded between a gate and source in order to avoid damage to a MOSFET from an external surge or ESD.

These new 2.5G products can be widely used in products and applications including TVs, lighting infrastructure, fast chargers, adapters, PC power, and industrial power supplies. They are also well suited for hard- and soft-switching topologies. Magnachip has supplied its current flagship 600V SJ MOSFETs to the world’s largest TV manufacturers and solidified its competitive edge in the SJ MOSFET market.

“With industry-proven technologies and products, Magnachip has satisfied the latest design requirements for both consumer and industrial markets. We will continue to develop cutting-edge power solutions like high-voltage SJ MOSFETs for automotive to expand our product portfolio and bring new capabilities to more applications,” added Kim.

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