Silicon carbide is a highly durable semiconductor material with a broad bandgap, capable of withstanding higher temperatures and voltages than standard silicon semiconductors and thus helping manufacturers lower energy losses and energy expenditure.
EAG Laboratories has extensive experience analyzing SiC using both bulk and spatially resolved analytical techniques, with 4H-SiC hexagonal structure being optimal for high power applications.
High-Voltage Applications
Silicon Carbide (SiC) is an increasingly important semiconducting material made from silicon and carbon atoms arranged into crystal structures that is quickly becoming an essential part of electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, telecommunication infrastructure, and microelectronics. SiC is more robust than silicon and can tolerate higher temperatures; thus providing the ability to operate at greater voltage levels with reduced component sizes and weight for increased system efficiency and power density.
SiC has up to 10x the breakdown electric field strength of silicon, enabling devices with extremely low ON resistance per area and high withstand voltages to achieve high voltage withstand capabilities – perfect for power applications. Furthermore, SiC switches at nearly ten times faster than silicon thus reducing power loss and permitting smaller control circuitry designs.
Natural SiC is rare and expensive gemstone, while semiconductor-grade SiC can be synthesized from various silicon and carbon precursors by chemical vapor deposition. Unfortunately, current manufacturing process limits commercially usable SiC wafers to six inches which increases production costs relative to similar silicon wafer-based devices.
EAG Laboratories has extensive experience analyzing silicon carbide using both bulk techniques, like Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry and X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry, as well as spatially resolved analytic methods like Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy-EDS). Our experts can help you understand your silicon carbide components to optimize performance and maximize potential potential.
Automotive Applications
Designers of electric vehicle (EV) systems can reduce battery size and weight, extend driving range per charge and decrease overall energy consumption by using power semiconductors made of silicon carbide. Silicon carbide provides faster switching speeds and higher power density compared to its silicon counterpart while its better thermal performance cuts losses and allows components to work at higher temperatures for extended life span.
SiC can withstand high voltages and operate at much higher frequencies than silicon devices, making it ideal for high-efficiency power converters that power electric vehicles. As such, its use will likely revolutionize the power electronics market for at least another decade or more.
St. Gobain and Wolfspeed are the only silicon carbide manufacturers offering an extensive portfolio of automotive-grade silicon carbide devices designed for use in electric vehicle inverters and other on-board and off-board power conversion applications. Their silicon carbide MOSFETs and diodes are AEC-Q101 certified and PPAP capable, as well as designed to withstand harsh environments with temperature cycling capabilities.
As global demand for electric vehicles (EVs) surges, a shift toward wider-bandgap materials like gallium nitride and silicon carbide has increased steadily. These materials boast larger bandgaps that enable electronic circuits to run more reliably at higher temperatures, voltages, and frequencies than their silicon-based counterparts – something OEMs are quickly taking note of and adopting into their designs, driving sales.
Energy Storage Applications
Silicon carbide semiconductors are more effective at turning electrical energy into usable power for devices than the more commonly used silicon semiconductors, producing far less heat in turn saving electricity while enabling smaller and lighter devices with lower capital, installation and maintenance costs.
Silicon carbide semiconductors are an ideal choice for numerous applications, including data center power supplies, solar or wind energy conversion modules and electric vehicle inverter drive converters. Their ability to withstand higher voltages, currents and operating temperatures than silicon counterparts helps minimize overall system power losses and help lower overall system power losses.
Silicon carbide semiconductors also have lower “on” resistances than their silicon counterparts, requiring significantly smaller components. This translates into smaller form factors that allow for easier implementation into circuit boards or battery packs with multiple cells.
SiC is a semiconducting material created from powdered silicon and carbon atoms assembled into crystals. Though natural forms such as moissanite can contain it, most silicon carbide used in electronic devices is synthetic. SiC plays an essential role in modern technologies including electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, telecommunication infrastructure and offers superior performance to silicon (Si). To further advance SiC technology Penn State established the Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance to establish itself as a research and development hub.
Fast Charging Applications
Silicon carbide semiconductors can help meet this growing energy consumption from electric vehicles by minimizing system loss and power density while improving speed and reliability.
Silicon carbide is a combination of silicon and carbon with an electrical breakdown field nearly 10 times greater than silicon. This allows for higher voltage withstand, more efficient operation, and shorter switching times. Additionally, its bandgap is wider than most insulators but narrower than conductors so electrons can jump from their valence band into conduction band with much less energy; furthermore its electron drift velocity doubles that of silicon for smaller devices with faster switching speeds.
Silicon carbide’s high temperature tolerance enables it to be used in an array of applications. Doping it with nitrogen or phosphorus creates n-type semiconductors, while beryllium, boron or gallium allow p-type semiconductors. Furthermore, its superior thermal conductivity allows it to dissipate heat more quickly than silicon which further boosts performance.
Silicon carbide-based components have made an enormous impactful statement to power electronics since their introduction only recently, yet are already revolutionizing it. One key obstacle for their widespread adoption lies with limited access to high-quality wafers – current manufacturing methods limit commercially usable wafer sizes to six inches; without this supply of wafers silicon carbide becomes more costly compared to alternative high performance semiconductor materials like GaN.
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