This is the third in a series of articles about SK Siltron CSS and what its investment in Bay County means for the Great Lakes Bay Region. On April 13, Route Bay City will highlight Edward Sanchez, Vice President of Operations and Technology.
Eric Moore can’t say enough good things about SK Siltron CSS.
“This is really a fast-growing company that’s only going to continue to rise in the coming years,” says Moore, 33. “So if you’re looking for a job where you feel satisfied leaving work every day and knowing the job security is there, come to SK Siltron CSS.”
Headquartered in Bay County, SK Siltron CSS is Michigan’s only producer of silicon carbide wafers and one of only about 10 globally. As automakers scramble to enter the electric vehicle market, demand is skyrocketing for semiconductor chips made from these wafers.
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Eric MooreTo meet that demand, SK Siltron CSS invested in two manufacturing plants in Bay County: An existing facility in Williams Township it purchased from DuPont in 2019 and a second one it constructed in 2022 in Monitor Township’s Valley Center Technology Park.
The company has already doubled its local workforce to 240 employees and has plans to grow exponentially in the coming years.
Moore, a lifelong Bay County resident who graduated from John Glenn High School in 2008, joined the company in 2019 and is now a lead operator in the department where silicon carbide crystals are grown.
Growth is the start of the production process, says Matthew Gave, research and development manager.
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Graphic courtesy of SK Ciltron CSS“In order for us to make high-quality wafers, the first step is to grow a crystal. We later process that crystal with a series of steps to shape, slice, grind, polish and clean it. But we can’t do any of that until we have a good, high-quality crystal in our hands,” Gave says.
Operators assemble crystal growth packages, which have dozens of components and require exceptional attention to detail. Then they load and run the crystal growth furnaces, unload and harvest grown crystals, and perform a series of inspections to ensure the process was successful.
The growth process occurs at temperatures much hotter than volcano lava.
“If somehow a volcano popped up in Bay City and lava rained down on our furnaces, it would actually cool down the furnaces, that’s how hot they are,” Gave says.
The crystals are formed into 6-inch diameter wafers. One SK Siltron CSS can be used by other companies to make 450 semiconductor chips — enough to support the power systems of up to eight electric vehicles.
Moore says he enjoys working in the fast-paced growth department.
“I’m passionate about what I do, and seeing the results of your hard work makes me happy because I know it’s helping to keep the company alive and growing,” he says.
For more information about SK Siltron CSS careers, visit their website here.
Other articles in this series include:
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