Turning ideas into series ready SiC technology

As Project Leadfor SiC Gen 3, I act as the central interface between customers, management, and the involved development teams. I am responsible for cost, quality, schedule, and overall project performance. This also includes deciding which design elements should be further developed to continuously improve the technology. Further key tasks include structuring the overall project into work packages, organizing the respective sub‑teams, and conducting regular reviews.

Over the past few years, the team has grown significantly. What started as a small core team consisting of simulation experts, developers, and characterization engineers has evolved into an organization of around 40 colleagues, now primarily focused on developing and bringing silicon carbide technologies to series readiness. Along with this growth, the complexity of the tasks has increased substantially.

One of the key decisions is determining which work packages have reached the required level of maturity to move into a prototype phase. In addition, I prioritize the further development of individual design elements, particularly in the interaction of processing, packaging, and characterization of prototype lots. It is equally important to decide which activities should no longer be pursued, for example when they no longer fit into the schedule or if their cost‑benefit ratio is not convincing.

A deep understanding of semiconductor devices and experience with semiconductor processes are essential. Curiosity for new ideas, strong networking within the semiconductor domain, and a fundamentally positive attitude towards both technology and people are also key prerequisites for successfully leading complex projects.

What excites me is working in a large team of highly motivated people to develop truly unique solutions and strengthen Bosch’s global competitiveness through technology. This combination of teamwork, technical excellence, and visible impact is particularly motivating for me.

Customers benefit from the fact that I not only have a comprehensive overview of the technology but also understand the practical challenges users are facing. My goal is to reduce these challenges with each new SiC generation and systematically incorporate solutions into development.

With each new generation, my role continues to evolve. For Gen 3, we placed a strong focus on avoiding known application issues from previous generations. The objective is to address these topics early and fully resolve them before start of production. This results in significantly fewer ramp‑up and application issues in customer projects.

Since our main market is traction inverters for electric vehicles, our work is closely aligned with trends in automotive electrification. This environment currently offers new opportunities and exciting technological changes that directly influence our development activities.

In our project, we collaborate with both internal Bosch customers who integrate our chips into modules and inverters and external customers who source our chips directly. From internal customers, we receive detailed feedback on current improvement requests, while external customers provide insight into important future requirements. Combining both perspectives enables us to prepare early for upcoming challenges.

Close collaboration with manufacturing, quality departments, and customer‑facing business units is essential for successfully developing our products. In addition to daily project activities such as reviews, stand‑ups, and one‑on‑one discussions, we have established a format known as “marketplaces.” In these sessions, we regularly dive deep into selected technical topics, similar to a poster session at a conference. This format is very well received and provides a solid basis for informed decision‑making.

What matters most to me is a motivated and positive attitude toward new topics and our joint work. Approaching discussions, alignments, and presentations with this mindset significantly increases the likelihood of successful outcomes and ultimately leads to both project success and more enjoyment in collaboration.