IEEE SWISS PELS EVENT: SiC Power Device Commercialization: Status and Barriers to Overcome

#SiC #Power #Semiconductors #Electronics

Silicon (Si) power devices have dominated power electronics due to their low cost volume production, excellent starting material quality, ease of fabrication, and proven reliability. Although Si power devices continue to make significant progress, they are approaching their operational limits primarily due to their relatively low bandgap and critical electric field that result in high conduction and switching losses, and poor high temperature performance. In this presentation, the favorable material properties of Silicon Carbide (SiC), which allow for highly efficient power devices with reduced form‐factor and simplified thermal management, will be outlined. High impact application opportunities, where SiC devices are displacing their incumbent Si counterparts, will be reported. Material and device fabrication aspects will be highlighted with an emphasis on the processes that do not carry over from the mature Si manufacturing world and are thus specific to SiC. Fab models will be analyzed, and the vibrant U.S. SiC manufacturing infrastructure (that mirrors that of Si) will be presented. Barriers to SiC mass commercialization will be identified and discussed. These include the higher than silicon device cost, reliability and ruggedness concerns, defects that degrade device performance, and the need for a trained workforce to skillfully insert SiC into power electronics systems.