Wolfspeed (formerly Cree) has recently made headlines for shifting away from LED lights and towards producing silicon carbide power chips, using their newly opened facility in Siler City as a catalyst to accelerate this technology’s adoption within artificial intelligence and the energy economy.
Marcy Nanocenter will become the first facility worldwide to produce power chips on 200 millimeter wafers, greatly increasing production efficiency.
Silicon Carbide
Wolfspeed was established in 1987 and currently manufactures wafers and devices made of Silicon Carbide – an energy-saving compound more durable and resilient than regular silicon. Their products power electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, industrial capacities and national security solutions for US military forces.
Silicon Carbide, one of the hardest materials on Earth, boasts an ideal crystal structure that makes it suitable for semiconductor chips. Able to withstand both extreme temperatures and voltages, Silicon Carbide is widely considered an essential material in power electronics applications.
To create it, a mixture of carbon material and silica or quartz sand is heated in an electrical resistance furnace to over 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. The ingot that forms exhibits layers of graphite, a-SiC (a higher quality with coarse crystalline structure), b-SiC and metallurgical grade material as well as unreacted silica or quartz on its exterior surface.
Wolfspeed Silicon Carbide power devices boast superior thermal capability and field-proven reliability, offering higher power density, lower losses and greater stability under heavy loads and harsh environments than their silicon counterparts. If every data center opted for Wolfspeed instead of traditional silicon, we could save enough energy to power Manhattan for one full year! With these industry-leading upgrades in design speeds and efficiencies designers can build better systems faster while being sure their designs will meet demanding efficiency standards.
Gallium Nitride
Gallium nitride (Gn) is a semiconductor compound widely utilized in blue light-emitting diodes since the 1990s. As a hard, mechanically stable wide bandgap material with an unusual Wurtzite crystal structure, Gn offers significant performance advantages over silicon devices, including increased breakdown strength and switching speed as well as lower on-resistance.
LEDs utilizing GaN have transformed lighting, cutting electricity usage by 30-40 percent while simultaneously decreasing carbon emissions. Their power-saving benefits have quickly seen this technology adopted across various electronic applications from wireless charging to electric vehicle inverters and converters.
Wolfspeed’s expertise in SiC and GaN technologies is central to providing industry leaders with advanced products that facilitate more reliable, higher-performing and cost-effective electronics. Wolfspeed’s technology and innovation engine drive a broad portfolio of power and radio frequency (RF) components specifically tailored for next-generation telecom infrastructure as well as military/commercial markets.
Through their partnership with PowerAmerica (one of 14 DOE-funded manufacturing institutes), the company has seen rapid development and reliability testing of medium-voltage (3.3kV to 10KV) GaN on silicon carbide power device technology, leading to its early adoption by electric vehicle (EV) makers such as Tesla, Mercedes and Lucid Motors who use this technology for onboard inverters that convert DC current from batteries into AC current for motor drive applications.
LEDs
Wolfspeed Corporation of Durham, North Carolina likely produced the chips used in LED display screens or electric cars you encounter today, using wide bandgap silicon carbide (SiC) materials and semiconductor devices enabling smaller, lighter power systems for these industries and others.
Cree, prior to its spin-off of lighting and LED product businesses in 2021, will change to Wolfspeed later this year. The name evokes both its noble attributes – leadership, intelligence and endurance – as well as how quickly its innovators enter new markets.
Wolfspeed was established over 30 years ago on the campus of North Carolina State University, and today holds 60% of the global market for SiC and gallium nitride materials used in microchips used across industries from electric vehicles (EV) to 5G networks and offshore wind energy production. Their Mohawk Valley facility will produce 10x more silicon carbide chips than their current facility.
The John Palmour Manufacturing Center for Silicon Carbide will be the first plant globally to utilize 200mm wafers – larger diameter than what most chipmakers typically utilize – when it comes to microchip production, drastically cutting production costs.
Power & Radio Frequency
Radio frequency (RF) power has many uses in various fields of medicine and cosmetic therapy, from cosmetic therapy to skin treatment and more. Higher power RF devices may also be employed in diathermy, hyperthermy and ablation procedures or targeted specifically towards cancerous cells to kill them off.
RF technology can also be found in military applications, including radar, satellite communications and sonar. Furthermore, its uses extend into consumer electronics like TVs, cellphones and laptops where RF signals can transmit data at high speeds.
One of the company’s primary markets for silicon carbide-based power semiconductors is electric vehicles and energy-saving consumer appliances – these chips can withstand much higher voltages and switching frequencies than their silicon counterparts, making them perfect for electric vehicle charging systems or energy saving features in appliances.
Wolfspeed products feature GaN on SiC technology, which offers several distinct advantages over competing technologies: higher efficiency, reduced power loss, faster switching speed and smaller size. As a result, Wolfspeed can deliver an extensive portfolio of field-tested and proven RF power and microwave devices suitable for commercial, industrial, transportation and telecom applications.
To meet rising customer demand, the company is expanding its facility in Chatham County by producing 200mm wafers – this will double fab output while giving its customers access to some of the most cost-effective and dependable GaN on SiC power device solutions in the industry.
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