Silicon carbide chips are one of the hottest semiconductors automakers are competing to secure. Found primarily in BEV powertrains, these semiconductors help save energy and extend driving range.
SiC semiconductors process electricity more efficiently than their silicon counterparts. Their faster switching speed and reduced heat generation reduce the need for complex cooling, making components smaller and lighter than ever before.
Improved Efficiency
Silicon carbide is an extremely efficient semiconductor material, capable of increasing the efficiency of BEVs by converting more electrical energy to motion. This increases range and decreases charging times significantly.
SiC chips have an edge over pure silicon semiconductors in terms of operating at higher temperatures while switching much faster and losing half as much energy as heat during switching, increasing battery power by 6% and increasing driving range by an equal amount.
Manufacturers produce SiC wafers using either physical or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Both techniques require significant equipment and expertise to produce high-grade cubic silicon carbide. To meet rising demand for SiC wafers, Wolfspeed is expanding production at their Siler City North Carolina plant.
Wolfspeed’s expansion includes increasing production of 200mm wafers that power electric vehicles and other advanced devices, adding equipment and personnel, including a training program designed to attract women veterans, and minority manufacturing workers.
Wolfspeed is revolutionizing manufacturing through partnerships with local career organizations to offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in silicon carbide device engineering and manufacturing – an example of how companies in the clean energy industry can utilize their expertise for economic development and social change.
Longer Driving Ranges
Silicon carbide (SiC) chips, made up of silicon and carbon, have quickly become one of the key elements in electric vehicle industry. Used extensively in power electronics systems like onboard chargers and inverters, their use can reduce size and weight compared to traditional silicon components, increasing system efficiency while expanding driving ranges.
SiC is an extremely hard and durable material that can withstand high temperatures, making cooling systems smaller and more energy-efficient. SiC chips also switch more quickly resulting in up to 50% lower energy loss as heat than traditional silicon components allowing for smaller batteries with extended driving ranges on one charge.
As more and more of us move toward electric vehicles, demand for SiC microchips has skyrocketed. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s CHIPS and Science Act, Wolfspeed can build one of the world’s largest SiC wafer manufacturing plants – this means American jobs created while providing reliable domestic supply of semiconductors that will power tomorrow’s economy.
Allison Suba, 26, a process engineer at Wolfspeed’s Roseville plant in California is learning the new 8-inch wafers. These will increase production capacity more than fivefold and allow Wolfspeed to better serve its customers. She is learning from Tobias Huschitt (30), an experienced process engineer at two years of experience at Roseville.
More Compact Design
Silicon carbide chips are essential components of electro mobility, helping EVs reach farther distances on one charge. Furthermore, they make up much of an EV’s on-board systems such as DC-DC converters and chargers.
As demand for silicon carbide devices grows, Bosch is expanding the clean room space at its wafer fab in Reutlingen to accommodate additional equipment that can handle their higher voltage needs. This space expansion will also facilitate future investments into advanced wafer fabrication technologies that utilize silicon carbide devices.
According to Hackaday, silicon carbide devices offer greater energy efficiency, enhanced reliability and reduced noise compared with silicon semiconductors – qualities especially important in automotive applications. Their higher breakdown voltage also results in greater energy efficiency while being capable of withstanding high di/dt switching frequencies allowing it to create less noise pollution than silicon semiconductors do.
Silicon carbide’s wide bandgap allows it to withstand greater electric field strength than silicon, meaning devices can run hotter without losing performance; saving energy while opening up more applications.
Silicon carbide’s ability to operate at higher temperatures reduces cooling system size, freeing up space in vehicles for increased cargo capacity or sleeker designs with greater aerodynamic performance. To learn more about its benefits, watch this interview with Cree’s CTO John Palmour.
Lower Weight
As the world moves toward smart electrification, silicon carbide chips may quickly capture an increasing share of the power semiconductor market. They offer significant advantages including higher fuel efficiency and longer driving ranges while simultaneously making vehicles smaller and lighter.
Carbide chips don’t produce binary electrical signals like digital chips do; rather, they control current flow by opening and closing circuits at just the right times to switch between direct (DC) and alternating current (AC), making them suitable for use in anything from headphone amplifiers to high-voltage power lines.
SiC power semiconductors offer improved energy efficiency and reduced device size due to higher voltages and switching frequencies, as well as their tolerance of higher temperatures – helping reduce cooling costs while prolonging component lifespan.
Silicon carbide’s many advantages have led to its rapid rise and demand exceeds supply, prompting onsemi to develop its EliteSiC modules which offer increased performance, improved efficiency and higher power density in similar packaging solutions.
Tobias Huschitt is a process engineer at our Roseville facility and part of onsemi Power Team. Working alongside one coworker, Tobias is learning the complexities of silicon carbide production – including mounting wafers on frames for processing in the dicing machine before inspecting chips produced from this process for defects.
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