Power Electronics Modules

Power electronics module manufacturing converts discrete semiconductor devices into qualified power modules used across vehicles, charging infrastructure, energy storage, microgrids, robotics, and industrial systems. This layer sits downstream of semiconductor fabrication and upstream of inverter and converter integration. At scale, module manufacturing is a primary bottleneck because packaging, thermal design, and qualification regimes determine real-world efficiency, reliability, and lifetime.

Device inputs to module manufacturing

Power modules are built using three primary device families fabricated on different wafer materials. These devices are inputs to module assembly, where packaging quality and thermal design translate device capability into deployable system performance.

Si IGBT (Silicon Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor)

Si IGBTs are mature, cost-effective silicon devices optimized for high current and high voltage operation. They are widely deployed where robustness and cost outweigh peak efficiency.

• Fabricated on silicon wafers
• Lower switching frequency than SiC or GaN
• Very mature, cost-effective, and widely deployed

SiC MOSFET (Silicon Carbide Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor FET)

SiC MOSFETs are wide-bandgap devices fabricated on silicon carbide wafers. They enable higher switching frequency, higher operating temperature, and lower losses than silicon power devices.

• Fabricated on SiC wafers
• Higher efficiency and power density
• Reduced cooling requirements at a given power level

GaN HEMT (Gallium Nitride High-Electron-Mobility Transistor)

GaN devices are wide-bandgap transistors optimized for very fast switching and high efficiency at lower-to-mid voltages. They are commonly implemented as GaN-on-silicon wafers and excel in compact, high-frequency power conversion.

• Fabricated on GaN wafers (often GaN-on-Si)
• Extremely fast switching and high power density
• Typically deployed at lower voltage classes than SiC

Where each technology is used

Passenger and commercial EVs

• Traction inverters: SiC (increasingly standard), Si IGBT (cost-sensitive platforms)
• Onboard chargers: SiC and GaN
• DC-DC converters: GaN and SiC

Autonomous vehicles and robotics

• High-density power supplies for compute: GaN
• Actuator drives and motor controllers: SiC and Si IGBT

Charging infrastructure

• DC fast chargers: SiC
• AC charging and PFC stages: GaN and Si IGBT

Energy storage and microgrids

• Battery inverters: Si IGBT and SiC
• Bidirectional converters and grid-forming stages: SiC and Si IGBT

Industrial, rail, and heavy equipment

• Industrial motor drives: Si IGBT
• Rail traction inverters: Si IGBT and SiC

Automotive vs industrial use

Power electronics modules used in vehicles and those used in industrial or energy systems share similar semiconductor devices but differ substantially in qualification requirements, operating profiles, and validation timelines.

Automotive use

• Designed for high-volume production with strict cost, yield, and traceability requirements
• Qualified for vibration, shock, and wide thermal cycling typical of mobile environments
• Long lifetime expectations under frequent load transients and start-stop operation
• Standards-driven qualification processes (for example, AEC-Q101 / AEC-Q102 at the device level, OEM-specific module testing at the system level)

p>Automotive modules prioritize compact packaging, low parasitics, and repeatable mass manufacturability. Once qualified, designs are typically frozen for long production runs.

Industrial, microgrid, and energy storage use

• Designed for continuous or semi-continuous operation with higher average duty cycles
• Less exposure to vibration and shock, but higher steady-state thermal stress
• Greater tolerance for larger module form factors and heavier cooling solutions
• More flexibility in design updates and shorter qualification cycles

Modules for microgrids, BESS, and industrial power conversion often emphasize absolute reliability, serviceability, and thermal robustness over size or mass optimization.

While the underlying semiconductor technologies overlap, the divergence in qualification regimes means that automotive-grade power modules cannot be assumed interchangeable with industrial or energy-grade modules without requalification.

Why module manufacturing is a choke point

Even with sufficient wafer supply, electrification and autonomy scale are constrained by module-level realities. Module manufacturing determines thermal performance, parasitics, reliability under thermal cycling, and qualification readiness. Automotive, industrial, and grid modules are not interchangeable without requalification.

• Thermal management limits continuous power output
• Packaging quality limits switching speed and lifetime
• Qualification cycles prevent rapid cross-market substitution
• Automotive, industrial, and grid modules are not interchangeable

Power module manufacturing facilities

The table below lists representative power electronics module manufacturing facilities producing SiC and/or IGBT modules. These sites assemble and qualify power modules but do not fabricate semiconductor wafers.

The U.S. has strong domestic production of power semiconductor devices for energy systems, including BESS, microgrids, charging infrastructure, and smart switchgear. While automotive traction modules remain concentrated in Europe and Asia, energy applications are already well aligned with U.S. Si, SiC, and GaN device supply and industrial-grade module manufacturing.

Company / Operator	Facility	Location	Module types	Primary markets
Infineon Technologies	Warstein Module Manufacturing	Warstein, Germany	IGBT and SiC power modules	EV traction inverters, industrial drives
Infineon Technologies	Wuxi Power Module Facility	Wuxi, China	IGBT and SiC power modules	EV and industrial
STMicroelectronics	Bouskoura Power Module Plant	Bouskoura, Morocco	Power modules (IGBT and SiC)	Automotive, industrial
Semikron Danfoss	Power Module Manufacturing Facilities	Germany / Global	IGBT and SiC modules	Automotive, industrial
Mitsubishi Electric	Power Module Manufacturing Plants	Japan	IGBT and SiC power modules	Rail, industrial, energy
Fuji Electric	Power Module Plants	Japan	IGBT and SiC modules	Industrial, energy
Powerex	Power Module Manufacturing Facility	Pennsylvania, United States	IGBT power modules	Energy systems, industrial drives, rail
onsemi	Power Module Assembly (multiple sites)	United States (multiple)	Si IGBT and SiC power modules	BESS, charging infrastructure, industrial energy
Microchip Technology	Power Module Manufacturing Facilities	United States	IGBT and MOSFET-based modules	Industrial power, energy systems, aerospace
Wolfspeed	Specialty Power Module Assembly	United States	SiC power modules (limited volume)	Energy, industrial, reference designs
Navitas Semiconductor	GaN Power Module Assembly	United States	GaN power modules	Fast chargers, power supplies, energy conversion

Supply chain issues and constraints

Power module supply chains are constrained by a combination of materials, process capacity, and qualification regimes. These constraints often dominate over raw semiconductor device availability.

• SiC packaging complexity: high switching speed and temperature require advanced substrates, die attach, and interconnects
• Qualification lock-in: designs are frozen for long periods once qualified, limiting rapid supply rebalancing
• Materials dependencies: DBC/AMB ceramic substrates, sintered-silver attach, and copper-clip processes can be capacity-limited
• Geographic concentration: advanced module production is concentrated in a limited set of regions and suppliers
• Asymmetric scaling: device fabs can scale faster than module lines because module yield and reliability screening are gating steps

Market outlook

Power module demand is rising across electrification and autonomy deployments. Growth is segmented by voltage class and application environment, which prevents simple substitution between technology families.

• 1) SiC power modules: fastest growth, driven by EV traction, fast charging, and grid-scale power conversion
• 2) GaN modules: rapid adoption at lower voltages, driven by onboard chargers, DC-DC conversion, robotics, and high-density power supplies
• 3) Si IGBT modules: stable, cost-driven demand across industrial, rail, and cost-sensitive energy systems
• 4) Higher integration: increasing adoption of half-bridge, full-bridge, and highly integrated automotive modules
• 5) Regionalization pressure: OEMs increasingly pursue allied-region module capacity to reduce supply risk

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