ON Semiconductor Slovakia has launched an application test lab, the only one of its kind in the entire corporation. (source: Courtesy of ON Semiconductor Slovakia)
A traditional car, powered by an internal combustion engine, typically contains internal microchips worth around €70. In an electric car their value is about €850. They manage the flow of electricity from the battery, as well as managing various assistant systems.
“Silicon carbide-based semiconductors can extend the range of an e-car by up to 30 percent,” said Andrej Tomášik, general manager of ON Semiconductor Slovakia, based in Piešťany. He added that modern semiconductor devices are essential for highly efficient power conversion in e-cars’ powertrains and charging, as well as applications in renewable energy.
Power management is one sector on which the Slovak arm of the US technological giant ON Semiconductor, which operates under the name Onsemi, focuses. Last November, it advanced its operations to a new level by opening a new state-of-the-art application test lab. The €2.75 million facility features specialised equipment to develop and test next-generation silicon, as well as silicon carbide semiconductor solutions, in collaboration with automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier 1 suppliers and energy infrastructure providers.
“It’s unique and the only one of this kind in the entire corporation,” said Tomášik.
