A conference for third-generation semiconductor enterprises in the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries is held in Xiamen on April 4. [Photo/WeChat account: Xiamen Torch Academy]

The Xiamen Torch Academy held a conference for third-generation semiconductor enterprises in the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries in Xiamen, a coastal city of East China's Fujian province, on April 4.

Compared with traditional semiconductor materials, third-generation semiconductors are mainly represented by silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride materials, which are known for their higher power density, switching speed and heat resistance. They are expected to be widely used in power electronics, photoelectron and new energy sectors.

Together with representatives from seven companies in the Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone, sci-tech and financial experts from the Huixin (Xiamen) Sci-tech Innovation Research Institute, the China Integrated Circuit Innovation Alliance and CAS Venture Capital held in-depth discussions on the innovative strength unleashed by science and technology and capital, and gave proposals for the further development of semiconductors and integrated circuits in the zone.

They held talks on the industrial layout, sci-tech innovation, equipment sharing, the safety of supply chains, and the building of new-type research institutions and laboratories of third-generation semiconductors.

Participants in the conference also visited a SiC industrial park of EpiWorld International Co Ltd - the world’s largest SiC semiconductor epitaxial wafer producer.

An aerial photo of the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries. [Photo/WeChat account: Xiamen Torch Academy]

Over the past few years, the high-tech zone has attached great importance to the development of semiconductors and integrated circuits with businesses covering the design, manufacturing, packaging, testing and application of chips, as well as wafer fabrication.

As a major platform for Xiamen in the development of semiconductor and integrated circuit sectors, the Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone was awarded an honor for its competitive strength in the cultivation of third-generation semiconductors in 2022. This year, the zone has set up four special teams to intensify investment in integrated circuits, sensors, new energy and new materials.

In its next step, the zone will improve services of third-generation semiconductors, deepen cooperation between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, and build an industrial cluster with unique characteristics, according to an official from the zone.