Excellence from the idea through to the product

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Knowledge-based production

Synergies in research, development and production at the site drive the development of new, pioneering products to production maturity. To strengthen global competitiveness, production technologies and manufacturing competencies are continuously developed, most of all by employing digital technologies. This modern environment makes Infineon Austria a pioneer when it comes to smart production.

Innovative semiconductor manufacturing in Villach

How is a chip produced? What is a wafer? Take a look at the Production department in Villach.

Power300: the success story continues

The best example for the recipe for success of the innovation factory Villach is the world's first production of power semiconductors in 300-millimeter thin wafer technology. These particularly thin energy-saving chips ensure even more efficient energy conversion in electronic systems. At the same time, mass production is made much more productive. And the success story continues.

A 300-millimeter wafer allows the production of more than twice as many chips in one production run as a 200-millimeter wafer.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

A milestone in European industry history

By investing around €1.6 billion in a new, fully-automated chip factory for the production of 300-millimeter thin wafers at the Villach site, Infineon is laying the foundations for long-term, profitable growth in the field of power semiconductors. The official opening took place on 17 September 2021. When operating at full capacity, it is estimated to have an additional revenue potential of around €1.8 billion per year. Around 400 additional jobs will be created for highly-qualified employees.

A 300-millimeter wafer allows the production of more than twice as many chips in one production run as a 200-millimeter wafer.

 

More productivity             

Impressions from our newest fab for power semiconductors on 300mm thin wafers

 

Two technological world firsts

In 2024, two technological world firsts were unveiled, in which teams from Villach played a significant role: With the world’s first 300-millimeter Gallium Nitride (GaN) power technology, Infineon set a forward-looking milestone in the industry. The second unique global breakthrough was achieved with the production and processing of the world's thinnest silicon power 300-millimeter MOSFET technology, with a thickness of 20 micrometers. These silicon thin wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as the currently most advanced wafers in mass production.

 

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

The factory of the future

Industry 4.0, which comprises networked and knowledge-intensive production, offers the opportunity of accelerating innovation and improving productivity and quality. Infineon Austria is implementing this as a pioneer in Austria.

Faster learning

Special facilities for manufacturing semiconductors - ion implantation machines - have been consolidated within a defined area of the Industry 4.0 pilot area in Villach. Here, various systems, such as energy consumption, intelligent product steering and mobile maintenance, are optimized incrementally and then rolled out for the remaining production. The use of sensor technology in combination with communication and data processing systems makes it possible for decisions to increasingly be taken autonomously during production.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Data for greater competitiveness

In future, the greater interlacing of development and production will enable new products or processes to be shown in dynamic simulations. These findings will be used to accelerate development processes and improve prediction accuracy and the quality of decision-making, which will in turn improve productivity. Suppliers and other sites will be increasingly integrated into the overall process.

Examples of the jobs of the future

Infineon Austria is carefully analyzing the changes that the digital revolution is bringing to production jobs. The training programs for apprentices and forepersons ("Apprenticeship 4.0") have been redesigned and targeted qualification measures have been introduced for existing staff.

New job profiles have been created: data scientists analyze large data volume and utilize the resulting information in cooperation with the relevant experts. Control center technicians monitor production with mobile control stands and steer the systems.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

New materials for new markets

The use of new semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) enables particularly high-performance and fast-switching systems solutions to be produced with maximum reliability and low electricity consumption. Products from these technologies are used in markets that are key for the future, such as solar energy and wind power, charging stations for electric cars, and mobile infrastructure for 5G networks.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

The driving force for technology leadership

The development and production activities for silicon carbide are being steadily expanded in Villach. This involves advancing semiconductor process technologies, creating state-of-the-art production facilities and expanding the existing production infrastructure. This makes the Villach innovation factory the global competence center for silicon carbide and gallium nitride within the Infineon Group.

Read more about Silicon Carbide (SiC)

Production and development at one location

In 2023, Infineon launched the global EPI Competence Center for new semiconductor materials at the Villach site. In addition to epitaxy (EPI), a crucial production step in semiconductor manufacturing, the clear innovation focus lies on equipment evaluations and the transfer to the largest possible wafer diameters in SiC and GaN. With this, Infineon has established a global competence center that enables even better and faster integration of research and production. This accelerates innovations and allows new system concepts to be tested at an early stage.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Interconnectivity as an optimization factor

Our new highly automated 300-millimeter chip factory is currently the most modern in Europe and incorporates all available mechanisms and concepts of a learning factory. Through the use of sensor technology in combination with communication and data processing systems, decisions are increasingly made in a self-controlling manner.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Data for greater competitiveness

In the future, new products or processes can be run through in dynamic simulations as a result of the greater interlinking of development and production. The aim is to exploit the added value from a wide range of data generated in the company on a daily basis. Based on this knowledge, development processes will be accelerated, the ability to make forecasts and decisions will be increased, and productivity will be improved.

New fields of work

The new requirements not only change existing functions, but also create new job profiles. Infineon Austria carefully examines and designs, among other things within the framework of structured change processes, the changes of functions in manufacturing due to the digital transformation. Plant foreman and apprentice training ("Apprenticeship 4.0") have been realigned in the past and targeted qualification measures for existing personnel have been initiated. The data scientist analyzes large volumes of data and evaluates information together with technical experts. Specially trained technicians monitor production in control stations and operate the systems. Specially trained production logistics specialists control the processes of an automated factory. Here we are networking closely with production in Dresden, which is based on the same standardized production and digitization concepts, especially for the automated 300-millimeter production line, and are learning from our colleagues in the production network.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Towards the future with digitalization

In 2023, the "Remote Operation Control Center" was launched in Villach. From this state-of-the-art control center, the fully automated 300-millimeter production in the new chip factory is centrally controlled. Specially trained technicians monitor the production and operate the systems in these control centers. Specially trained production logisticians manage the processes of an automated factory. Here, we establish strong networking with the production in Dresden, which is based on the same standardized manufacturing and digitalization concepts, and learn from our colleagues in the manufacturing network.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Knowledge-based production

Synergies in research, development and production at the site drive the development of new, pioneering products to production maturity. To strengthen global competitiveness, production technologies and manufacturing competencies are continuously developed, most of all by employing digital technologies. This modern environment makes Infineon Austria a pioneer when it comes to smart production.

Innovative semiconductor manufacturing in Villach

How is a chip produced? What is a wafer? Take a look at the Production department in Villach.

Power300: the success story continues

The best example for the recipe for success of the innovation factory Villach is the world's first production of power semiconductors in 300-millimeter thin wafer technology. These particularly thin energy-saving chips ensure even more efficient energy conversion in electronic systems. At the same time, mass production is made much more productive. And the success story continues.

A 300-millimeter wafer allows the production of more than twice as many chips in one production run as a 200-millimeter wafer.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

A milestone in European industry history

By investing around €1.6 billion in a new, fully-automated chip factory for the production of 300-millimeter thin wafers at the Villach site, Infineon is laying the foundations for long-term, profitable growth in the field of power semiconductors. The official opening took place on 17 September 2021. When operating at full capacity, it is estimated to have an additional revenue potential of around €1.8 billion per year. Around 400 additional jobs will be created for highly-qualified employees.

A 300-millimeter wafer allows the production of more than twice as many chips in one production run as a 200-millimeter wafer.

 

More productivity             

Impressions from our newest fab for power semiconductors on 300mm thin wafers

 

Two technological world firsts

In 2024, two technological world firsts were unveiled, in which teams from Villach played a significant role: With the world’s first 300-millimeter Gallium Nitride (GaN) power technology, Infineon set a forward-looking milestone in the industry. The second unique global breakthrough was achieved with the production and processing of the world's thinnest silicon power 300-millimeter MOSFET technology, with a thickness of 20 micrometers. These silicon thin wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as the currently most advanced wafers in mass production.

 

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

The factory of the future

Industry 4.0, which comprises networked and knowledge-intensive production, offers the opportunity of accelerating innovation and improving productivity and quality. Infineon Austria is implementing this as a pioneer in Austria.

Faster learning

Special facilities for manufacturing semiconductors - ion implantation machines - have been consolidated within a defined area of the Industry 4.0 pilot area in Villach. Here, various systems, such as energy consumption, intelligent product steering and mobile maintenance, are optimized incrementally and then rolled out for the remaining production. The use of sensor technology in combination with communication and data processing systems makes it possible for decisions to increasingly be taken autonomously during production.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Data for greater competitiveness

In future, the greater interlacing of development and production will enable new products or processes to be shown in dynamic simulations. These findings will be used to accelerate development processes and improve prediction accuracy and the quality of decision-making, which will in turn improve productivity. Suppliers and other sites will be increasingly integrated into the overall process.

Examples of the jobs of the future

Infineon Austria is carefully analyzing the changes that the digital revolution is bringing to production jobs. The training programs for apprentices and forepersons ("Apprenticeship 4.0") have been redesigned and targeted qualification measures have been introduced for existing staff.

New job profiles have been created: data scientists analyze large data volume and utilize the resulting information in cooperation with the relevant experts. Control center technicians monitor production with mobile control stands and steer the systems.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

New materials for new markets

The use of new semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) enables particularly high-performance and fast-switching systems solutions to be produced with maximum reliability and low electricity consumption. Products from these technologies are used in markets that are key for the future, such as solar energy and wind power, charging stations for electric cars, and mobile infrastructure for 5G networks.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

The driving force for technology leadership

The development and production activities for silicon carbide are being steadily expanded in Villach. This involves advancing semiconductor process technologies, creating state-of-the-art production facilities and expanding the existing production infrastructure. This makes the Villach innovation factory the global competence center for silicon carbide and gallium nitride within the Infineon Group.

Read more about Silicon Carbide (SiC)

Production and development at one location

In 2023, Infineon launched the global EPI Competence Center for new semiconductor materials at the Villach site. In addition to epitaxy (EPI), a crucial production step in semiconductor manufacturing, the clear innovation focus lies on equipment evaluations and the transfer to the largest possible wafer diameters in SiC and GaN. With this, Infineon has established a global competence center that enables even better and faster integration of research and production. This accelerates innovations and allows new system concepts to be tested at an early stage.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Interconnectivity as an optimization factor

Our new highly automated 300-millimeter chip factory is currently the most modern in Europe and incorporates all available mechanisms and concepts of a learning factory. Through the use of sensor technology in combination with communication and data processing systems, decisions are increasingly made in a self-controlling manner.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Data for greater competitiveness

In the future, new products or processes can be run through in dynamic simulations as a result of the greater interlinking of development and production. The aim is to exploit the added value from a wide range of data generated in the company on a daily basis. Based on this knowledge, development processes will be accelerated, the ability to make forecasts and decisions will be increased, and productivity will be improved.

New fields of work

The new requirements not only change existing functions, but also create new job profiles. Infineon Austria carefully examines and designs, among other things within the framework of structured change processes, the changes of functions in manufacturing due to the digital transformation. Plant foreman and apprentice training ("Apprenticeship 4.0") have been realigned in the past and targeted qualification measures for existing personnel have been initiated. The data scientist analyzes large volumes of data and evaluates information together with technical experts. Specially trained technicians monitor production in control stations and operate the systems. Specially trained production logistics specialists control the processes of an automated factory. Here we are networking closely with production in Dresden, which is based on the same standardized production and digitization concepts, especially for the automated 300-millimeter production line, and are learning from our colleagues in the production network.

Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability

Towards the future with digitalization

In 2023, the "Remote Operation Control Center" was launched in Villach. From this state-of-the-art control center, the fully automated 300-millimeter production in the new chip factory is centrally controlled. Specially trained technicians monitor the production and operate the systems in these control centers. Specially trained production logisticians manage the processes of an automated factory. Here, we establish strong networking with the production in Dresden, which is based on the same standardized manufacturing and digitalization concepts, and learn from our colleagues in the manufacturing network.

Impres Logo
Impres Logo
Impres Logo

The thinner the better

Infineon Austria has expertise that is unique in the world: it produces up to 20-micrometer (0.02 millimeters) thin silicon wafers in high volumes. For comparison: a normal sheet of paper is around 110 micrometers (0.11 millimeters) thick.

EMAS Logo
EMAS Logo
EMAS Logo

Purity as the highest requirements

Villach uses clean rooms up to class 1, which means that 28 liters of air contain no more than one dust particle over 0.5 micrometers in diameter. By comparison, a hospital operating theater contains 1,000 to 10,000 particles.

msci keyvisual
msci keyvisual
msci keyvisual

On the test bench

Every single chip goes through comprehensive inspections throughout the production process, and is subsequently thouroughly tested. Continuous certification of our production in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard and the IATF 16949:2016 automotive standard supports us in doing this.