Dow Corning Corp of Midland, MI, USA, which provides silicones and silicon-based technology, has appointed Tang Yong Ang ('TY') as vice president of Dow Corning's Compound Semiconductor Solutions business, a provider of silicon carbide (SiC) wafer and epitaxy products.
In the newly created role, TY is leading the firm's expanding Compound Semiconductor Solutions business, reporting to the general manager of the Specialty Chemicals business. The firm says that this signals a major strategic step for Dow Corning, and highlights its increased focus and support for the SiC power electronics market.
"Dow Corning is strongly committed to a leadership role in high-growth SiC technology as it enables a new generation of ever more reliable and efficient power electronic devices," says Tom Cook, general manager, Specialty Chemicals business, and chief commercial officer of Dow Corning. "TY's strong record of proven management skills and deep industry expertise make him exceptionally qualified to leverage our Compound Semiconductor Solutions' strong foundation, and build semiconductor substrate supply capabilities that will support sustainable and unfettered growth of high-quality SiC substrates for our customers' next-generation power electronics applications," he adds.
TY joined Dow Corning from Lam Research, where he held key positions including region VP, Southeast Asia; VP, Asia Pacific Region Operations; and VP & general manager strategic account. Previously, he worked 13 years at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, where he held key positions including fab operation VP, purchasing & facilities VP, and quality VP. He also spent some years running a business as president, Engineering Solutions at Ellipsiz.
Earlier, TY held positions of increasing responsibility at Texas Instruments and AT&T Consumer Products (which included a period at AT&T HQ in New Jersey), beginning his career in 1980 as a utility engineer for Hitachi Electronics. He holds a master's in Business Administration from the State University of New York/Singapore Institute of Management.
SiC offers inherently superior performance compared to silicon, making them well suited for high-temperature, high-frequency power electronics applications in transportation, industrial and energy. Through its Compound Semiconductor business, Dow Corning has been developing high-crystal-quality SiC wafers and epitaxy with steadily increasing diameters, and is now positioned for high-volume production of large-area SiC substrates.
Dow Corning created its Compound Semiconductor business – formerly Power Electronics – in 2003 with an initial investment of $70m. Until now, it was a key part of Dow Corning's Electronics Solutions group. The Compound Semiconductor business has commercial operations in Auburn, MI, USA; Seneffe, Belgium; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea; and Taipei, Taiwan.
