Semiconductor has been out of stock seriously over the past several years. Market demands on semiconductor continue to rise in the upstream but the production capacity becomes intense and overseas component manufacturers also prolong their delivery time. As a global manufacturing center, China poses huge demands on chips. More seriously, the European and American countries set restrictions on chips against China. In the face of the above, domestic terminal customers have accelerated their speed in introducing local brands, which means a golden chance for local power semiconductor manufacturers. Shenzhen SlkorMicro Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (“Slkor”), as a typical representative striving for “domestication”, is working hard to enhance its competence to improve the weaknesses in the domestic power semiconductor industry chain.

Slkor (www.slkormicro.com)’s technical R&D team consisting of the backbones from Tsinghua University and Yonsei University (Korea) as well as senior semiconductor talents coming back home from overseas. They have grasped the world’s leading 3^rd generation of semiconductor SiC power device technology, and also have realized volume production of the 5^th generation ultra-fast recovery power diodes. The main products include three series of integrated circuits, such as diodes and triodes, power device mode transistor and power management chip, which have been gradually authenticated and adopted by many renowned enterprises such as Xiaomi supply chain, BYD, Nanjing King Long Bus, China Heavy Duty Truck and Beijing Electric Vehicle through technological innovation and product iteration update.

Song Shiqiang, Slkor’s General Manager

Transformation from a trader in Huaqiang North to a giant manufacture with specialized technology

Song Shiqiang, Slkor’s GM, has been recognized as the “expert of Huaqiang North business research”. His company, Shenzhen Kinghelm Electronics Co., Ltd., was mainly specialized in electronic components in Huaqiang North at the very beginning by transferring goods to end clients. According to Song’s analysis, “The business model of Huajiang North essentially means order allocation, goods transfer, stockpiling, speculation, and is always at the bottom of the industry chain. Such mode is easy to learn and yields an income quickly. In comparison with upstream original manufacturers and agents, Huaqiang North has no bargaining rights, pricing right or the premise of games with an unstable supply chain so it is not promising at all.” This is actually the most sincere summary of Song, who dealt with business in the Huaqiang North component market many years ago and then decided to set up Slkor in power semiconductor field with higher technical contents.

Kinghelm then started its independent R & D and sales of Beidou GPS antenna microwave signal RF connector products, and created the brand “Kinghelm” to substitute the products such as GPS navigation and positioning antennas from the US. In 2014, Song came across the R&D team from Yonsei University (Korea) in a party that he attended together with his classmates in senior grade and colleagues working in BYD Semiconductor. They worked together to establish Slkor, and register “Slkor” brand to explore the “domestication” market of silicon carbide power devices, so as to replace the products from CREE, ROHM, ON, etc.

Slkor’s technologies in early stage were originated from the R&D team of Yonsei University (Korea), which was focusing on the R & D of the 3^rd generation semiconductor silicon carbide MOSFET, whose max voltage and current could reach 1,900V and 80A with a world’s leading status. In BYD’s new energy vehicle l test, its electrical data ranked only second to the US CREE and was almost in the same level with Japan ROHM. By virtue of Mr. Song’s strong interpersonal relationship in NEV industry, Professor Leon, the technology leader of Yonsei University, made up his mind to work together with Song in order to promote his main research of silicon carbide MOS transistors (SiC MOS and SiC SBD transistors) to NEVs in the Chinese market.

Slkor has been dedicated to the SiC power device industry, and introduced the senior semiconductor talents from Tsinghua University and returnees one after another, making it a high-tech company focusing on technology and new products. Slkor’s product layout at present includes a comprehensive range of high, medium and low end products: high-end products such as SiC diodes, SiC MOS transistors and IGBT diodes, all of which meet the high performance requirements of NEVs, high-end devices, communication power devices, solar photovoltaic products, medical devices and industrial and military products; while the low and mid-end products include consumer power devices such as field effect transistors of high, medium and low voltage and thyristors, bridge stacks (rectifier bridge); Schottky diodes, ESD electrostatic protection diodes, TVS transient suppression diodes, general-purpose diode triodes, and power management chips, HALL sensors, high-speed optocouplers, etc.

As introduced by Song Shiqiang, “Slkor deals with its R&D, production, “Slkor” brand operation and market in domestic China to realize “domestication” and finally substitute the foreign brands.” Slkor has already mastered the generic technology of power devices, accumulated supply chain resources in “domestication” process and developed new products for clients. Meanwhile, it would further cooperate with the founder team of Slkor (South Korea).

Slkor’s corporate culture: “Integrity, Progress, Toughness and Detail”

Sales volume realized a QoQ growth of 40% after exploring incremental market  

Mr. Song believes that overseas manufacturers such as Infineon and ON Semiconductor play a dominant role in the traditional solar photovoltaic, inverter, welding machine and industrial server market but they have no absolute strengths in the emerging incremental market. Slkor’s development is targeted at emerging markets and scenarios that domestic and foreign giants have not involved yet, so as to make great-leap-forward development after breakthroughs from single points. Domestic brands such as Slkor will penetrate our domestic market that has been mostly occupied by overseas brands gradually mainly through high-cost performance products, fast response and excellent services and use the income to develop their own technologies. Certainly, many “domestication” manufacturers are taking advantage of capital from investment and subsidies from the state!

In consumer electronics field, the wireless Bluetooth headset (TWS) market has been a rising market attracting the attentions of domestic brands. According to the latest statistics from Canalys, its shipments grew by 21% by reaching 103.8 million units in 2021 q4, exceeding 100 million units for the first time and becoming another popular consumer product. In virtue of such an emerging market, Slkor has developed MOSFET products applied to Bluetooth headsets independently, such as SL2302, SL2301, 2N7002 and SL3401 MOSFET, all of which have been verified and sold in batch. Song Shiqiang’s Kinghelm has also focused on the R & D and production of “Kinghelm” Bluetooth headset ceramic Bluetooth antenna, Type C charger interface, spring thimble, charger spring shrapnel and other connector plug-ins, and it also tries to explore the market in partnership with Slkor so as to realize dual-driven effect. The results prove to be excellent!

Slkor field effect transistor (FET) for high-speed hair dryer and curling iron above, as well as silicon controllers and rectifier bridges for dishwasher have been delivered in batch, which are well received by customers. Song told the reporter Zheng Lizhu from XinSanBan media that Slkor would further improve diversity of its products in the future, and would produce more new products, such as silicon controlled Hall components, power management ICs and so on. All these new products would be the company’s business growth points.

In 2021, Slkor accumulated solid strengths, with a QOQ growth of 40% in its sales volume. The products above include MOS diodes field effect transistors, diode triodes and Hall components that are commonly used in the commercial electronics market, as well as a small number of NEVs parts and industrial grade silicon carbide tube MOS transistors, IGBT transistors, new power management chips, etc.

Comply with the trend of “localization” and pursue a long-term development

The domestic power semiconductor companies are certainly competitive in the low and middle end consumer electronics field but their performance in high-end market and among overseas big brands is far from satisfaction. Domestic brands represented by Slkor have price advantage and could provide services for domestic customers within a short distance.

In the preliminary stage of “domestication”, Slkor has confronted many challenges with its peers, such as difficulties in attracting customers, poor verification data, and failure in comply with the world’s leading trend in terms of technology development. Song expressed that the technical standards of the high-end market was relatively high, the technical gap between our products and the products of foreign dominant manufacturers was large. All these needed certain time. Furthermore, we needed to win customer’s trust gradually and spend more time and energy in studying client; the above led to high cost and risk and uncertainty. However, Slkor’s team consisting of members from both China and Korea finally made it. How hard the process is!

Slkor keeps up with the world’s latest technology development trend, upgrades products with technological innovation, penetrates into the middle and high-end market positively and accelerates its “domestication”. Slkor has been launching new products in virtue of silicon carbide power device technology it grasped in early stage and the 5^th generation of mature ultra-fast recovery power diode technology, so as to serve as a benchmark for replacing overseas brand products. For instance, Slkor IGBT single tube “SL60T65FL” can replace Infineon “FGH60N60SFDTU”; Slkor “BTA41-800B” is compatible with ST’s “BTA41-800BRG” and “BT138S-800E” is compatible with WeEn’s “BT138S-800E”; all the above products have been tested and compared in many rounds on the client and have been used by many renowned companies such as Haihe PCBA, Johnson Electric, Shennan Circuit and Xiaomi Supply Chain.

Slkor’s training materials

Conclusion

Song Shiqiang said he was a typical entrepreneur, who has suffered failures and started from scratch again. In the process of exploration from central cities to Shenzhen, and from an engineer to his current status, he has accumulated rich technical management and business experience. Upon establishment, Slkor not only paid attention to the design and development of new products and IP cores, but also worked hard to build “Slkor” brand, construct knowledge engineering, integrate into the semiconductor industry ecology, establish agent channels and Huaqiang North image stores, cooperate with domestic foundries and packaging and testing factories, trying to penetrate into the core of the domestic semiconductor value chain. Mr. Song believes it necessary to build “Slkor” brand. It is especially essential to exploit the Internet in the era of information and data. According to him, online promotion and publicity have many advantages, such as low marginal cost, accurate information docking, fast transmission, high conversion rate, wide diffusion, and online information can be accumulated and reach a certain scale quickly. Promoting and selling on the Internet actually changes the traditional offline model substantially. To study the fundamental logic of brand promotion online thoroughly would yield a better outcome.

Along with the advancement of technology and integration with the supply chain, Slkor has exerted a more significant role and developed better. Slkor’s team building work is also mature. The company has shortened its gap with international brands and enhanced its confidence and capacity. Song said, with the growing performance, Slkor had started to make profits, and it was a significant milestone for a semiconductor company in its start-up stage.

Advertising poster on Slkor’s official website

Slkor’s corporate vision is to become the “leader in domestic semiconductor industry”. With a strong focus on corporate culture and corporate ethics, Mr. Song led the team to construct the corporate culture of Kinghelm and Slkor in 2022. Both companies’ teams behave by following the code of conduct of “Integrity, Progress, Toughness and Detail”, so as to build a team with wolf spirit, with integrity, progress, perseverance and details. By adhering to the corporate ethics that “do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire”, it endeavors to create a healthy industry chain and ecological chain. By complying with the trend of “domestication”, Slkor is committed to taking the lead in growing power device market and offering assistance for domestic semiconductor manufacturers.