Silicon carbide (SiC) is a hard, ceramic material composed of silicon and carbon. Naturally found as moissanite mineral deposits, SiC has been mass produced since 1893 to be used as an abrasive.
SiC is an ideal material for power applications due to its inherent properties. SiC MOSFETs and Schottky diodes packaged both discretely and in power modules deliver outstanding performance with higher current capacity, reduced stray inductance, and enhanced reliability even under harsh environmental conditions.
Power Electronics
Power electronics play an essential role in converting, controlling and transmitting electricity across scales ranging from kilowatts to gigawatts. As multitools for energy sector development towards carbon neutrality they facilitate sector coupling and intelligent energy management while meeting challenges associated with dynamic power flow over broad frequency ranges.
Power semiconductors fabricated using SiC offer significantly greater efficiency and performance than their silicon equivalents, providing cost-effective alternatives for key power systems like inverters, on-board chargers, DC/DC converters and solar inverters. Furthermore, their use supports transportation industry initiatives toward e-mobility by offering more efficient battery charging while improving overall vehicle performance.
Wolfspeed provides the industry with one of the widest selections of n-type SiC materials and epitaxy options available, enabling power devices with very thin drift layers to achieve high withstand voltages.
SiC is one of the lowest thermal expansion compound semiconductor materials, offering low thermal expansion and excellent hard and rigid properties ideal for power applications. Furthermore, its optical properties make it suitable as mirror material in large astronomical telescopes. Industrially speaking, SiC comes in grades (92-98% purity) and particle sizes that make it suitable for abrasive applications like abrasion and blasting as well as precision grinding and lapidary thanks to their durability, low cost and superior wear resistance properties.
Energy Storage
Electrical energy storage systems consist of batteries or fuel cells which store and release chemical charges when needed to increase power grid reliability during peak hours and emergencies, powering businesses and homes during these situations as well as increasing grid resiliency.
Utilizing energy storage to manage demand charges (price spikes) reduces customer electricity bills while simultaneously cutting carbon emissions. Customers can avoid paying high electricity rates during periods of high electricity demand, such as heat waves when air conditioners are operating full tilt, thus saving them money and emissions.
Energy storage when deployed alongside intermittent renewables like solar and wind can maximize their output and help prevent or minimize power outages caused by weather or grid infrastructure issues, helping limit costly imports of fossil fuels while improving security of supply – while opening opportunities for developing new generation facilities in areas without access to clean electricity.
As opposed to conventional generation sources that require complex and costly power plants to function safely and reliably, energy storage systems are instantly dispatchable allowing it to function both as generation and load on the grid – providing improved grid efficiency, relieving transmission congestion and increasing operational flexibility while rarely experiencing fires that produce significant smoke or toxic fumes.
Fordon
Businesses and governments utilize Standard Industrial Classification codes (SIC codes) to classify industries. Companies use SIC codes to identify competitors, potential customers and create targeted marketing campaigns while banks and creditors also look at them when considering credit applications. Furthermore, these standardized government SIC codes can often be found online databases.
SiC power devices have seen incredible demand as new energy vehicles (NEVs) continue their rapid surge. Their high power density enables NEV manufacturers to increase design flexibility while decreasing system costs. CoolSiC(tm) modules boasting such power density have enabled NEV manufacturers to take advantage of reduced size and weight to improve design flexibility while simultaneously cutting system costs.
NEV manufacturers are increasingly turning to SiC technology in their traction inverters, DC-DC converters and onboard chargers in order to improve efficiency and shorten charging time. SiC offers advantages that traditional silicon semiconductors cannot, such as higher power density per weight unit and reduced cooling requirements.
Semikron Danfoss showcased its automotive solutions for electronic motor controllers at PCIM Asia 2024. These included their second-generation 1200 V eMPack(tm) Drive SiC power module motor control products as well as third-generation EiceDRIVER(tm) 1EDI30XX driver chips and non-magnetic core current sensors; providing up to 20% power loss reduction during hard switching applications while increasing onboard charging efficiency through OBC systems and using SiC MOSFETs which greatly reduced heat dissipation which allowed smaller, lighter designs than before.
Military
Military operations demand high-performance equipment that can handle rigorous use in harsh environments. SiC provides an ideal way to decrease size, weight and power consumption in military systems while increasing speed, efficiency and reliability.
Wide-bandgap power semiconductors based on SiC outstrip the performance of conventional silicon (Si) power technology by offering more than double power density and efficiency; however, due to packaging restrictions for conventional power technologies they remain unavailable for military and commercial applications.
Armor with silicon carbide plates provides military personnel, law enforcement agencies and security teams with protection against bullets, shrapnel and armor-piercing rounds. Their lightweight material makes them a favorite material for armor protection as it allows soldiers and law enforcement officers to carry out their missions more freely without being hindered by heavy and cumbersome armor.
Military equipment, such as radar and communications systems, can take advantage of SiC’s ability to manage higher frequency signals with greater bandwidth, range and resolution. SiC can also improve power supplies, RF amplifiers and sensors used in demanding applications like 5G networks as well as improving environmental quality control techniques such as plasma technologies for removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from soil contamination.
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