Development Background and Advantages of SiC Power Devices

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Development Background and Advantages of SiC Power Devices [Copy link]

SiC power components have higher withstand voltage, lower on-resistance, can operate at higher speeds, and can operate at higher temperatures than Si power components.

Background of SiC Power Device Development

As mentioned before, by applying SiC to power devices, low-loss power conversion can be achieved, which was not possible with conventional Si power devices. It is not difficult to see that this is a major reason for using SiC in power devices. The background is to promote the solution of global energy conservation issues.

Taking low-power DC/DC converters as an example, with the development of mobile technology, conversion efficiency of more than 90% is normal, but the efficiency of high-voltage, high-current AC/DC converters still has room for improvement. As we all know, relevant energy-saving directives, mainly in the EU, strongly require electrical/electronic equipment to achieve energy-saving goals, including reducing standby power consumption.

In this context, reducing energy loss during power conversion is a top priority. Needless to say, materials that exceed the limits of Si must be used in power devices.

For example, using SiC power devices can reduce switching losses by 85% compared to IGBTs. As shown in this example, there is no doubt that SiC power devices will become a major solution to energy problems.

Advantages of SiC

As mentioned above, using SiC can significantly reduce energy loss. Of course, this is a great advantage of SiC. Next, I would like to learn more about the advantages brought by SiC's characteristics such as low resistance, high-speed operation, and high-temperature operation.

This is introduced by comparing it with Si. "Low resistance" can be simply interpreted as reducing losses, but if the resistance is the same, the area of the component (chip) can be reduced. When dealing with high power, power modules that integrate multiple transistors and diodes are sometimes used. For example, the size of a SiC power module can be as small as about 1/10 of that of Si.

Regarding "high-speed operation", by increasing the switching frequency, the size of peripheral components such as transformers, coils, and capacitors can be made smaller. In fact, there are examples where the size can be reduced to about 1/10 of the original size.

"High temperature operation" means allowing operation at higher temperatures, which can simplify cooling mechanisms such as radiators.

As mentioned above, SiC can be used to improve efficiency or handle higher power. In the current power situation, the use of SiC can achieve significant miniaturization, which is also a major advantage of SiC. In addition to direct energy saving, miniaturization related to indirect energy saving such as placement and transportation is also one of the important issues.