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Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Companies

The technological revolution has transformed many industries to new levels and produced revolutionary technologies that benefit mankind in many ways.

Power devices made of silicon carbide are rapidly revolutionizing the market. Their key advantages include higher switching performance and reduced losses; smaller power designs with greater efficiency; lighter designs; and increased switchgear lifecycle cost-cutting benefits.

On Semiconductors

Silicon carbide semiconductors are essential components for numerous high-tech products, including electric vehicle chargers, power conversion systems and energy infrastructure. Engineered to be more energy-efficient than their silicon counterparts, silicon carbide chips allow higher voltages with reduced energy consumption – improving battery life and driving distance simultaneously.

Semiconductors are materials with properties that allow them to switch between conducting and insulating states depending on their internal structure. A key indicator of semiconductors’ conductivity or ininsulation abilities is their bandgap, which measures how much energy is required to transition between conducting and insulating states. Silicon carbide has a much wider bandgap than traditional silicon, making it more suitable for electrical applications.

Silicon carbide can be utilized in many different applications. Available both as powder and single crystal form, silicon carbide can be doped with nitrogen and phosphorus to create n-type semiconductors; or combined with beryllium gallium and boron to make p-type semiconductors; furthermore it is often used as an effective replacement for metals in high temperature electronic devices.

As of 2018, 75% of global semiconductor production took place in East Asia. This concentration presents significant risks to the industry; any natural disaster or trade embargo could seriously interrupt supply chain operations. High-purity graphite is essential in epitaxial growth processes because it ensures reactor chambers remain free from contaminants necessary for producing high-quality epitaxial layers.

Infineon Technologies

Infineon Technologies of Germany provides semiconductors for an array of applications. Their selection includes microcontrollers and power management integrated circuits that help manufacturers create energy-efficient products, with chips capable of handling voltages of up to 650 V – ideal for automotive and industrial uses. Infineon has become an international leader in power electronics – an area crucial to lowering carbon emissions.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET chips from CoolSiC enable customers to control the speed and power of electrical motors for improved fuel efficiency, particularly those operating at very high temperatures and in harsh environments. Furthermore, CoolSiC technology boasts higher efficiency and reliability compared to its silicon counterparts while being smaller in size for use in small packages that weigh less and produce less heat.

Infineon’s wide bandgap semiconductors deliver enhanced power efficiency that promotes decarbonization. Their CoolSiC XHP2 high-performance modules boast up to 10 times greater thermomechanical stress protection and higher power density compared to comparable silicon products.

As global efforts to reduce carbon emissions become more intensive, Infineon is investing heavily in its capacity for SiC devices based on gallium nitride (GaN). As part of this expansion effort, their Kulim, Malaysia fab will become the world’s largest 200mm SiC Power Fab; design wins worth $5 billion are secured from existing and new customers including six automotive OEMs as well as those engaged in charging, solar panel installation and battery formation – totalling EUR1 billion of prepayments already received for its expansion efforts.

STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) is an international semiconductor company with an industry-leading portfolio that serves a range of electronic applications. Created through the merger in 1987 between famed Italian semiconductor companies SGS Microelettronica and Thomson-CSF of France, this global chipmaker now ranks ninth globally by revenue and boasts one of the most complete semiconductor product lineups on the market – sensing and power technologies, automotive products and embedded-processing solutions are among its extensive product offerings. STMicroelectronics operates globally through front-end (wafer fabrication and back end assembly and test) plants as well as advanced R&D centers and sales offices around the world.

Silicon carbide, more commonly referred to by its industrial name of carborundum, is a hard chemical compound made up of silicon and carbon that acts as a wide bandgap semiconductor, meaning it alternates more smoothly between conducting and insulating states than conventional semiconductor silicon used for things such as copper electrical wires or ceramic bulletproof vest plates. While naturally found as moissanite gemstone, silicon carbide production also takes place for use as abrasives materials, electronic devices like crystal radio detector diodes or solar power cells – or nuclear fuel kernels.

ST was the pioneer to introduce SiC diodes and MOSFETs into the market back in 2004 and 2009 respectively, and today produces a broad portfolio of medium and high voltage SiC power semiconductors ranging from JFETs rated up to 650 V and Schottky diodes up to 1200 V – in addition to other power devices – for mass production.

Wolfspeed

Wolfspeed, a Triangle-based semiconductor manufacturer, produces silicon carbide semiconductors which offer improved efficiency, reduced size and lower system costs across numerous industries. Their power devices can be found in electric vehicles and fast charging stations; renewable energy applications; power electronics systems and power electronics applications as well as military use; while their RF devices serve telecommunications, military and RF applications. Wolfspeed’s pioneered the production of 200mm wafers which allow more chips (die) from each substrate.

Government recognizes the significance of domestic production of silicon carbide, one of 17 critical materials identified by the Department of Commerce as critical to clean energy technologies and national security. In May 2022, Biden-Harris administration announced its plans to invest more than $1 billion into building a 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) fabrication facility at Marcy Nanocenter on State University of New York Polytechnic Institute campus located in upstate Oneida County.

Wolfspeed may experience short-term setbacks, but long-term prospects and its presence in an expanding market could eventually lead to better profitability and share price gains. However, it should be remembered that semiconductor industries tend to be highly cyclical – any decline in demand could slow its expansion.

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