Applications of Silicon Carbide

Among the core components of electric vehicles, automotive power modules—primarily utilizing IGBT technology—play a crucial role. These modules not only determine the key performance of the electric drive system but also account for over 40% of the cost of the motor inverter. Due to the significant advantages of silicon carbide (SiC) over traditional silicon (Si) materials, SiC modules have been increasingly adopted and promoted within the automotive industry. Electric vehicles are now utilizing SiC modules.

The field of new energy vehicles is becoming a crucial battleground for the widespread adoption of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices and modules. Key semiconductor manufacturers are actively deploying solutions like SiC MOS parallel configurations, three-phase full-bridge electronic control modules, and automotive-grade SiC MOS modules, which highlight the significant potential of SiC materials. The high power, high frequency, and high power density characteristics of SiC materials allow for a substantial reduction in the size of electronic control systems. Additionally, the excellent high-temperature properties of SiC have garnered considerable attention within the new energy vehicle sector, leading to vigorous development and interest.

Currently, the most common SiC-based devices are SiC Schottky diodes (SBD) and SiC MOSFETs. While insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) combine the advantages of both MOSFETs and bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), SiC, as a third-generation wide-bandgap semiconductor material, offers better overall performance compared to traditional silicon (Si). However, most discussions focus on SiC MOSFETs, while SiC IGBTs receive little attention. This disparity is primarily due to the dominance of silicon-based IGBTs in the market despite the numerous benefits of SiC technology.

As third-generation wide-bandgap semiconductor materials gain traction, SiC devices and modules are emerging as potential alternatives to IGBTs in various industries. Nevertheless, SiC has not fully replaced IGBTs. The main barrier to adoption is cost; SiC power devices are approximately six to nine times more expensive than their silicon counterparts. Presently, the mainstream SiC wafer size is six inches, necessitating the prior manufacture of Si substrates. The higher defect rate associated with these wafers contributes to their elevated costs, limiting their price advantages.

While some efforts have been made to develop SiC IGBTs, their prices are generally unappealing for most market applications. In industries where cost is paramount, the technological advantages of SiC may not be as compelling as the cost benefits of traditional silicon devices. However, in sectors like the automotive industry, which are less sensitive to price, SiC MOSFET applications have progressed further. Despite this, SiC MOSFETs do indeed offer performance advantages over Si IGBTs in certain areas. For the foreseeable future, both technologies are expected to coexist, although the current lack of market incentives or technical demand limits the development of higher-performance SiC IGBTs.

In the future, silicon carbide (SiC) insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are expected to be implemented primarily in power electronic transformers (PETs). PETs are crucial in the field of power conversion technology, especially for medium and high voltage applications, including smart grid construction, energy internet integration, distributed renewable energy integration, and electric locomotive traction inverters. They have gained widespread recognition for their excellent controllability, high system compatibility, and superior power quality performance.

However, traditional PET technology faces several challenges, including low conversion efficiency, difficulties in enhancing power density, high costs, and inadequate reliability. Many of these issues stem from the voltage resistance limitations of power semiconductor devices, which necessitate the use of complex multi-stage series structures in high voltage applications (such as those approaching or exceeding 10 kV). This complexity leads to an increased number of power components, energy storage elements, and inductors.

To address these challenges, the industry is actively investigating the adoption of high-performance semiconductor materials, specifically SiC IGBTs. As a third-generation wide bandgap semiconductor material, SiC meets the requirements for high voltage, high frequency, and high power applications due to its remarkably high breakdown electric field strength, wide bandgap, fast electron saturation migration rate, and excellent thermal conductivity. SiC IGBTs have already demonstrated exceptional performance in the medium and high voltage range (including but not limited to 10 kV and below) within the power electronics field, thanks to their superior conduction characteristics, ultra-fast switching speeds, and wide safe operating area.

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