Page 53 - NEW Armstrong Book - 2

FIGURE 10: THE PAST 20 YEARS OF SIC DEVELOPMENT
and manufacturing equipment devel- ops, one can predict a switch to mass production with 8-inch wafers in the near future, further improving yield and reducing device cost.
From niche market to
the mainstream
With the technical roadmap in place for the next generation of devices, it is all but guaranteed that SiC MOSFETs and SBDs will become a mainstay in the growing EV market and industrial power applications. As alternative energy sectors mature and power dis- tribution infrastructure continues to evolve, SiC will likely be in a position to enable new products with the highest efficiency and the best performance.
For example, a quick survey of Rohm’s SiC offering and related system solu- tions reveals many products, including SBDs, MOSFETs, power modules, and gate drivers. The SCS2 and SCS3 series of SBDs, for example, are enabled by SiC to achieve blocking voltages of 650–1,200 V and continuous forward currents up to 40 A. Similarly, the SiC trench MOSFET products in the SCT3 series offer up to 1,200-V drain-source
voltages while yielding on-resistances as low as 22 mΩ. The SiC MOSFET prod- uct family will soon be further expanded with the latest fourth-generation trench technology, which enables higher effi- ciency and lower on-resistance ratings. This type of performance in a cost- effective, design-friendly ecosystem was only aspirational until the maturity of SiC was realized.
The widespread adoption of this unique and versatile material has been pre- dicted by many industry pioneers and technology experts over the past 20 years, but every trend today is indicat- ing that its time has come to make real impact for mainstream power electron- ics systems.
Ming Su
is a technical marketing manager at Rohm Semiconductor.
Mitch Van Ochten
is a senior application engineer at Rohm Semiconductor.
As alternative energy sectors mature and power distribution infrastructure continues to evolve, SiC will likely be in a position to enable new products with the highest efficiency and the best performance.
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Technology Analysis Adoption of Silicon Carbide in Power Electronics