EM Coretech will the world’s first to mass-produce EMIC next year with a domestic 8-inch semiconductor foundry. EMIC blocks electromagnetic waves from electronic components, and prevents device malfunction. EM Coretech will install the first products on solar inverters and TV power converters in the second half of next year.
EM Coretech manufactured and tested a prototype using Taiwanese TSMC’s 8-inch process. The actual product will be mass-produced with a domestic 8-inch semiconductor manufacturer. Beginning the production in early May next year, EM Coretech plans to produce 20,000 units.
Youngwook Ko, CEO of EM Coretech, said, "We are now able to produce our products using the domestic foundry process after evaluating 1,000 test chips from a Taiwanese foundry.”
EMIC is an integrated circuit (IC) that prevents malfunction by blocking electromagnetic waves generated from electronic devices. The EMI shielding filter was initially attached to the device for use. EM Coretech succeeded in implementing a semiconductor chip form for the first time in the world by responding to the trend of high output and miniaturization of devices.
The current EMIC for testing has a width of 10 mm and a length of 10 mm, which is a size of fingernail. The size of the IC can be reduced down to 7 mm using the 8-inch process compared to the existing design. When the chip is used, it can block the electromagnetic interference standard of 56dBuV to 66dBuV or even less. The first mass-produced product will be mounted on a solar inverter. The size of the solar inverter market in 2030 is estimated to be 79 gigawatt hours (GWh) according to market research company SNE Research. For 0.5 megawatt hour (MWh) grade, it needs 360,000 products.
After being recognized for its EMIC production capability, EM Coretech received a series investment worth KRW 3 billion from domestic investment funds such as L&S Venture Capital and Lighthouse Combined Investment. EM Coretech secured additional development costs through getting a certification for its electromagnetic wave shielding technology as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's new excellent technology (NET), and plans to speed up the development.
EM Coretech is promoting to supply the products in TVs and home appliances as well. The company is negotiating with a large domestic company on how to apply them to TVs and home appliances.
By Staff Reporter Jiwoong Kim (jw0316@etnews.com)