Contributing to carbon neutrality in the automotive industry and other areas shifting towards electrification

Kwansei Gakuin Educational Foundation ("Kwansei Gakuin University") and Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") held a press conference on March 22 to announce  that they have established QureDA Research Co., Ltd. ("QureDA Research"), a research and development company for silicon carbide (SiC) wafers for power semiconductors.

QureDA Research will conduct research and development to enhance the quality of SiC wafers, improve their productivity, and make them larger in diameter (eight inches). They will do this based on the "creation" of Dynamic AGE-ing®*, a surface nano process technology developed by Kwansei Gakuin University and Toyota Tsusho that neutralizes defects in SiC wafers for power semiconductors, and the "view" of measurement technology, which makes it possible to see damage to crystal surfaces that occurs during the wafer manufacturing process.
* A technology created by Kwansei Gakuin University (Professor Tadaaki Kaneko, School of Engineering). It is a new method of wafer manufacturing which incorporates a non-contact processing technology that rearranges the atomic structure of wafer surfaces by heating at high temperatures. This new method achieves both improved wafer quality and lower cost, which had previously been an issue.

1. Background and Purpose of Establishment

SiC is a next-generation power semiconductor material that can significantly reduce power loss compared to its currently popular silicon (Si) counterpart, enabling more efficient use of electricity and making cooling devices more compact. Demand for SiC wafers is particularly high for electric vehicles (EVs, HEVs, FCEVs), and is expected to grow rapidly in the automotive industry both in Japan and overseas.
However, an SiC wafer is harder and more brittle than an Si wafer, and with current production technology, a considerable amount of material loss occurs in the manufacturing process. Therefore, there was a strong desire for innovative technology based on knowledge of material properties.
Kwansei Gakuin University and Toyota Tsusho have been working together to build a development platform that allows a wide range of user companies and manufacturers to participate in the development and demonstration of SiC technologies, utilizing the SiC-related technologies that Kwansei Gakuin University has developed over the past 25 years and Toyota Tsusho's corporate network.
The two organizations have decided to establish QureDA Research with the aim of accelerating the industrialization of SiC power semiconductors and the practical application of Dynamic AGE-ing® technology by leveraging this development platform.

2. Business Policy

QureDA Research will expand the development platform established by the two organizations, and collaborate with domestic and overseas companies to commercialize a new manufacturing process for power semiconductor SiC wafers for future larger-diameter (eight-inch) SiC wafers by 2025. QureDA Research will also provide optimal solutions and intellectual property licenses for various market challenges, such as improving the quality and productivity of SiC wafers. Kwansei Gakuin University and Toyota Tsusho will work together with QureDA Research in science-based R&D and the creation of new value chains, respectively, to contribute to energy efficiency and carbon neutrality.

[Overview of new company]