STMicroelectronics' third-generation silicon carbide drives the development of electric vehicles and industrial applications

STMicroelectronics Launches Third Generation Silicon Carbide Products to Drive Future Development of Electric Vehicles and Industrial Applications

STMicroelectronics' latest generation of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices improves performance and reliability, maintaining its leadership in electric vehicles and energy-efficient industrial applications

STMicroelectronics continues to invest in the SiC market for the long term and embraces future growth

China, December 10, 2021 - STMicroelectronics (STMicroelectronics), a global semiconductor leader serving multiple electronic applications, has launched the third-generation STPOWER silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET transistor [MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) is a basic component of modern electronic products. ], promoting cutting-edge applications in power devices in electric vehicle power systems and other scenarios where high power density, high energy efficiency and high reliability are important goals.

As a leader in the SiC power MOSFET market, STMicroelectronics integrates advanced design technologies to further tap the energy-saving potential of SiC and continue to drive changes in the electric vehicle and industrial markets. As the electric vehicle market accelerates, many vehicle manufacturers and supporting suppliers are adopting 800V drive systems to speed up charging and help reduce the weight of electric vehicles. The new 800V system can help vehicle manufacturers produce cars with longer mileage. STMicroelectronics' new generation of SiC devices are specially designed and optimized for these high-end automotive applications, including electric vehicle power motor inverters, on-board chargers, DC/DC converters, and electronic air conditioning compressors. The new generation of products is also suitable for industrial applications and can improve the energy efficiency of applications such as drive motors, renewable energy converters and energy storage systems, telecommunications power supplies, and data center power supplies.

STMicroelectronics Edoardo Merli, Vice President of the Automotive and Discrete Products Group and General Manager of the Power Transistor Division, said: "We continue to advance this exciting technology and innovate at both the chip and packaging levels. As a SiC manufacturer with full control over the supply chain, we can provide our customers with products that continue to improve performance. We continue to invest in automotive and industrial projects and expect STMicroelectronics SiC revenues to reach $1 billion in 2024."

STMicroelectronics has completed the relevant standard certification of the third-generation SiC technology platform, and most of the products derived from this technology platform are expected to reach commercial maturity by the end of 2021. Devices with nominal voltages of 650V, 750V to 1200V will be available, providing designers with more options for developing various applications from mains power to high-voltage batteries and chargers for electric vehicles. The first products to be launched are the 650V SCT040H65G3AG and the 750V SCT160N75G3D8AG in bare die form.

Reference Technical Information

STMicroelectronics' latest planar MOSFETs leverage the new third-generation SiC technology platform to set a new benchmark for the transistor industry in terms of figure of merit (FoM). The industry-recognized FoM [on-resistance (Ron) x die area and Ron x gate charge (Qg)] algorithm represents transistor efficiency, power density, and switching performance. Improving FoM with ordinary silicon technology is becoming increasingly difficult, so SiC technology is the key to further improving FoM. STMicroelectronics' third-generation SiC products will lead the advancement of transistor FoM.

Silicon carbide MOSFETs have a higher withstand voltage rating per unit area than silicon-based MOSFETs, making them the best choice for electric vehicles and fast charging infrastructure. SiC also has an advantage that the parasitic diode switches very quickly, and the bidirectional current flow characteristics are suitable for electric vehicle external power supply (V2X) on-board chargers (OBCs), which can draw power from the on-board battery to supply the infrastructure. In addition, the switching frequency of SiC transistors is very high, which makes it possible to use smaller passive devices in the power system, allowing more compact and lightweight electrical equipment to be used in vehicles. These product advantages also help reduce the cost of ownership in industrial applications.

STMicroelectronics The third generation products are available in a variety of packages, including bare die, discrete power packages (STPAK, H2PAK-7L, HiP247-4L and HU3PAK) and power modules of the ACEPACK series. These packages provide designers with innovative features, such as specially designed cooling fins that simplify the connection of the chip to the substrate and heat sink of electric vehicle applications, so that designers can choose dedicated chips according to applications, such as power motor inverters, on-board chargers (OBC), DC/DC converters, electronic air conditioning compressors, and industrial applications, such as solar inverters, energy storage systems, motor drives and power supplies.