What Is Silicon Carbide (SiC)?

Semiconductor materials can be divided into three generations according to the time sequence. The first generation of germanium, silicon and other common monomaterials, which is characterised by convenient switching, generally used in integrated circuits. The second generation of gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and other compound semiconductors, mainly used for light-emitting and communication materials. The third generation of semiconductors mainly includes silicon carbide, gallium nitride and other compound semiconductors and diamond and other special monomaterials. Third-generation semiconductors have better voltage resistance and are ideal materials for high-power devices. Third-generation semiconductors are mainly silicon carbide and gallium nitride materials. As the third generation of semiconductors generally wider band gap, so the pressure, heat resistance is better, commonly used in high-power devices. Among them, silicon carbide has gradually come into large-scale use, in the field of power devices, silicon carbide diodes, MOSFETs have begun commercial applications.

Advantages of silicon carbide

1, stronger high-voltage characteristics: the breakdown field strength of silicon carbide is more than 10 times that of silicon, making silicon carbide devices significantly higher than the equivalent high-voltage characteristics of silicon devices.

2, better high-temperature characteristics: silicon carbide compared to silicon has a higher thermal conductivity, making the device easier to dissipate heat, the limit of the working temperature is higher. High temperature characteristics can bring a significant increase in power density, while reducing the requirements of the cooling system, so that the terminal can be more lightweight and miniaturisation.

3, lower energy loss: silicon carbide has 2 times the saturation electron drift rate of silicon, making silicon carbide devices have very low on-resistance, low on-state loss; silicon carbide has 3 times the forbidden band width of silicon, making silicon carbide devices leakage current than silicon devices to significantly reduce the power loss; silicon carbide devices in the shutdown process does not exist in the current trailing phenomenon, switching loss is low, greatly improving the actual The switching frequency of the application is greatly improved.