A Core Domestic and Global Substitute Supplier for ESD Protection Semiconductor Chips

Specialized semiconductor company Sigetronics (429270) announced that it is “drawing attention as a key alternative supplier of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection semiconductor chips amid the recent global supply chain instability triggered by Nexperia.”

As the U.S. and Europe strengthen semiconductor export controls against China, the Netherlands-based semiconductor firm Nexperia has been added to their sanctions lists. This has caused growing concerns over semiconductor supply disruptions across the global automotive and electronics industries.

Since Nexperia holds a dominant share in the ESD protection and TVS diode markets, the resulting supply gap could potentially lead to production setbacks across various sectors.

Earlier, the Dutch government, citing the Goods Availability Act (GAA), imposed management restrictions on executives of Nexperia’s parent company, Wingtech. In response, China restricted Nexperia’s exports abroad.

As a result, concerns have risen over potential interruptions in the supply of automotive-grade semiconductors and ESD/TVS protection devices for IT applications.

Nexperia’s high-performance TVS products are widely used to protect power and signal interfaces in nearly all electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops, TVs, automotive ECUs, and communication equipment.

Against this backdrop, Korean semiconductor specialist Sigetronics has emerged as one of the leading alternative suppliers. The company explained that it has supplied ESD and TVS protection chips for GaN (gallium nitride) LEDs for over a decade, securing the No. 1 domestic market share and ranking among the top 3 globally.

GaN LEDs are a core component of advanced lighting and display technologies, and are used in next-generation micro-LED TVs launched by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

To meet growing market demand, the company has been diversifying its product portfolio to include low-capacitance TVS diodes, chip-scale packages (CSP), and miniaturized surface-mount devices (SMD), while also expanding into automotive, IT, and industrial automation protection components.

A Sigetronics spokesperson stated:

“Amid growing global supply chain uncertainty, we are contributing to the localization and stabilization of ESD protection device technology,”

adding that the company will “continue to expand its global market share by focusing on high-performance, miniaturized, and high-reliability products.”

EDaily, October 28, 2025