100 years of cutting edge engineering at Nexperia Hamburg plant

Semiconductors play a pivotal role in shaping our everyday experiences. From the vehicles we drive to the devices we use, semiconductors are omnipresent, enabling functionalities in computers, smartphones, and various industrial automation technologies. 

Nexperia's Hamburg plant has been at the forefront of semiconductor development for a century, contributing to nearly ten percent of the global semiconductor component production. To celebrate this 100-year milestone, we delve into the captivating history of this institution and the engineers and workers that have enabled its success. 

The Nexperia beginning

The journey started in 1924 when the Valvo radio tube factory was established in Hamburg. Three years after being acquired by the Dutch electronics group Philips, the factory initially focused on manufacturing vacuum tubes, which were essential for the emerging radio technology at the time. The world of electronics was on the verge of a revolution with the invention of the transistor by William Shockley's team at Bell Labs (now Nokia Bell Labs) in New Jersey in 1947. This invention ushered in a new era by offering numerous advantages over traditional vacuum tubes, including smaller sizes, lower energy consumption, and greater reliability.

The team in Hamburg quickly recognized the potential of the new technology, and the site became a center for semiconductor production. The company began developing diodes and transistors as early as 1953. In 1957, large-scale production of transistors began in Hamburg. This innovative work laid the foundation for Hamburg's legacy in transistor technology and established the city as one of the leading locations for the development and manufacture of semiconductor components. The components developed and produced here found their way into a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to industrial control systems, helping to transform entire industries.

In 1969, the first component in the pioneering SOT23 plastic housing was produced in Hamburg. This surface-mountable housing allowed for space-saving on the circuit board compared to the through-hole housings available until then. However, it took time for this technology to gain widespread success. It was only during the boom in consumer electronics in the 1980s and early 1990s that SMT (surface mount technology) really began to catch on. The SOT23 quickly became the standard for a three-pin SMT housing due to its compact size, reliability, and flexibility. Even today, it is widely used across all industries as it can accommodate a variety of electronic components such as diodes, bipolar transistors, field effect transistors (FETs), and ESD protection devices.

Rise to top semiconductor manufacturer

In 1989, the plant produced 2.8 billion semiconductor elements. By 2009, the number had increased to 45 billion, and in 2006, the Philips semiconductor division became NXP Semiconductors. Today, Nexperia, which separated from NXP in 2017 and has been functioning as an independent company, manufactures 100 billion components per year. These components are utilized in a wide range of electronic devices.

Nexperia's success in Hamburg is attributed to the continuous improvement in production efficiency. The production of semiconductors, specifically the manufacturing of wafers, is a highly intricate process that demands precision and reliability. Wafers are thin slices of semiconductor material, typically silicon used as the foundation for making microelectronic components. These wafers are cut or sawn from a single crystalline semiconductor block and then polished to prepare them for the microchip manufacturing process. Through ongoing innovation and optimization, Nexperia has significantly boosted production capacity while upholding top-notch quality standards. Today, the Hamburg factory stands as the world's largest production facility for small signal diodes and transistors, contributing to approximately a quarter of global production.

Focus on energy efficiency and innovation

In addition, continuously increasing the energy efficiency of components is a central aspect of product development at Nexperia. This plays a key role in improving everyday products, such as increasing the range of electric cars. In addition to the diodes and transistors manufactured in Hamburg, Nexperia also offers wide-band-gap semiconductor products made of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), which are known for their energy efficiency.

Since the spin-off from NXP in 2017, Nexperia has invested approximately 260 million US dollars in the Hamburg site. This investment has not only increased the workforce from 950 to around 1,600 but has also modernized the technological infrastructure. The investments were focused on expanding research and development in Hamburg and increasing the capacity of the wafer fab. The majority of this growth occurred in 2019 after Nexperia became part of Wingtech Technology Co. Ltd., a consumer electronics manufacturer listed on the Shanghai stock exchange. In 2023, a design center in Munich was added to complement the development activities of Nexperia Germany GmbH.

Nexperia has a broad product GaN product range that  targets automotive, 5G and datacenter applications. Credit: Nexperia

Recognizing successes and staying the course

The 100th anniversary of Nexperia in Hamburg signifies a significant milestone in the company's history. It is a testament to the power of innovation and human ingenuity and an opportunity to honor the people behind this success story. From the glassblowers of the early days to the engineers and scientists of today, their contributions have made Nexperia a global leader in the semiconductor industry.

The 100th anniversary of Nexperia in Hamburg signifies a significant milestone in the company's history. It is a testament to the power of innovation and human ingenuity and an opportunity to honor the people behind this success story. From the glassblowers of the early days to the engineers and scientists of today, their contributions have made Nexperia a global leader in the semiconductor industry.