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Silicon Carbide for Power Devices

Compared to Si, SiC exhibits the following advantages:

  • Significantly lower power losses during power conversion
  • Higher thermal conductivity which enables operation at significantly higher temperatures
  • On-resistance up to two orders of magnitude lower
Merits of Carbide(SiC) over Si
pp n+n-n+ VoltageIsolation Area SourceGateSourceSi SubstanceDrain Electrode ppn+n-n+SourceGateSourceSiC SubstanceDrain Electrode Material Property Comparison between Si and SiCBreakdown Electric Field(MV/cm):SiSiC0.32.8Higher voltage capability withthinner & lower resistance semiconductor layer SiC - MOSFET1/300 Lower Drift ResistanceReduction of Conduction lossSi - MOSFET1/10 Thinnerx100 HigherDoping Concentration

  • High frequency (Si is limited to 10 kHz)
  • Higher energy efficiency due to higher heat resistance
  • Higher temperature operation
  • Larger Thermal Conductivity: High power operation with reduced cooling requirements
Characteristics of WBG material
Substance--> Si SiC GaN
Bandgap(eV) 1.1 3.3 3.4
Electron Mobility(cm2/Vs) 1350 700 1500
Electric Field for breakdown(MV/cm) 0.3 2.8 3.3
Figure of Merit (εμ0Ec3) 1 440 1130
Thermal Conductivity (W/cm-K) 1.5 4.5 1.3
Electron Saturation Velocity(107cm/sec) 1 2 2.5
Applications for Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Devices

SiC based power devices are suitable for high power and moderate to high switching frequency applications such as:

  • Electrical Transmission & Distribution
  • Rail
  • Industrial Drives
  • Electric Vehicles

Sector specific major application of SiC based power elcetronics

Electric vehicle
  • Electric drive
  • Power conversion: DC-DC converter. Inverter
  • Energy storage/ battery
  • Charging infrastructure - onboard and offboard charger
Industrial
  • Variable frequency drive(VFD) / Variable speed drive (VSD)
  • Heavy duty power conversion: inverter, rectifier
  • Solid-state circuit breakers
  • Welders
  • Power tools
Electric grid
  • High voltage DC (HVDC) interface
  • Flexible AC transmission system (FACTS)
  • Microgrids
Renewables
  • Photvoltaic
  • Wind interface: inverter
  • Energy storage / battery
Data Centre
  • Power conversion - rectifier, DC-DC converter, inverter
  • Uninterrupted Power Supply(UPS)
Rail
  • Power conversion: regenerative breaking, auxiliaries
  • VFD
Aerospace and defense
  • Ammunition: Gate Turn-off Thyristor(GTO)/ integrated gate-commutated thyristor(IGCT)
  • Replace electromechanical relays, pneumatics, and hydraulics