markets wide bandgap electronics
The batteries that are fitted to trains,power the control systems, the brakes, lighting, heating, ventilation and all the electrical sockets in the carriages. The battery-charger circuit normally uses fewer modules than the propulsion system, because current and power ratings are lower
required in a locomotive. Current ratings for power modules used in motor propulsion are between 1200 A and 2400 A, which significantly exceeds the capabilities of any of today’s SiC power modules.
The batteries that are fitted to trains, power the control systems, the brakes, lighting, heating, ventilation and all the electrical sockets in the carriages. The battery charger circuit normally uses fewer modules than the propulsion system, because current and power ratings are lower. For this reason, battery-charging inverters will lead the way with the uptake of SiC power modules.
Switching from silicon to SiC produces a 1 percent increase in power-conversion efficiency. This gain can lead to a trimming of energy consumption or an increase in speed. Thanks to the wide operating temperature capability of SiC, it is also possible to reduce the size of the cooling systems. And on top of this benefit, SiC enables the introduction of higher switching frequencies, a step that can lead to the use of smaller inductive components. The upshot of all these strengths is a lighter train that requires less power to drive, particularly when moving off from stationary. This benefit is more significant than the trimming of inverter size or volume, because space is not a big issue in traction locomotives. Arguably, audible motor noise is more of a concern, and this could fall through an increase is switching frequencies.
If SiC devices are going to make an impact, prices must fall, concerns regarding reliability must be banished, and modules with high current ratings, particular those based fully on SiC, must become available. High prices are the biggest barriers, and it will take several years before they fall to the level necessary for widespread adoption.
Other opportunities
Further reading “The World Market for Silicon
Carbide & Gallium Nitride Power Semiconduc tors – 2012 edition” by IMS Research
There are many other opportunities for wide bandgap technologies. High-voltage SiC devices could find deployment in the military and aerospace industry; in drilling and mining; in medical equipment; and other industrial applications. Meanwhile, for low-voltage GaN devices, applications include: The secondary side of high-end switch-mode power supplies for telecom and datacom networks and servers; DC-DC conversion, including point-of-load; power over Ethernet; and many emerging technologies that will drive significant growth in the future, such as wireless charging.
Our view is that the greatest potential for SiC power devices is in military and aerospace applications. In aviation, the SiC devices can be used for power distribution within the airframe; the low-voltage side is handled by MOSFETs, but 1200 V SiC MOSFETs are
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attractive candidates for replacing contactors in the high-voltage stage. Key benefits are increased power density – there is a five-fold-to-ten-fold increase in switching frequency, so size and weight diminish – and the opportunity to operate devices at higher temperatures. The latter benefit reduces cooling/heatsink requirements, and also saves weight.
GaN transistors will make their initial inroads in applications where they can replace low-voltage silicon MOSFETs and yield an increase in power conversion efficiency. Such an opportunity exists in a wide range of power supplies: DC-DC power supply units, such as power-over-Ethernet equipment, network power supplies, point-of-load converters, 48 V telecom power supply units, server-farm 12 V or 48 V power rails, medical equipment, and various forms of lighting, including that based on LEDs.
Other opportunities are also there for GaN. When low- voltage devices made from this wide bandgap semiconductor match those of silicon MOSFETs, GaN transistors will be adopted in the secondary side of switch-mode power supplies in high volume applications like consumer/domestic PCs, notebooks and tablets. In addition, 600 V GaN transistors will be adopted in other applications, such as electric bicycles and domestic appliance drives and inverters. What’s more, GaN is being investigated for space and military applications, because the radiation hardness of this material is inherently superior to that of silicon.
And it is anticipated that GaN power devices will be a disruptive technology that will allow commercialisation of inventions struggling to succeed with silicon devices. Examples include wireless charging, digital power conversion and RF envelope tracking.
Grabbing market share Due to the great potential of GaN and SiC power devices in a vast number of applications, sales of these products are outpacing the growth of the total market for power devices. Although wide bandgap sales made up less than 1 percent of total power semiconductor revenues last year, if we assume that materials maintain their trajectory of falling cost and devices demonstrate long-term reliability, we can expect a market worth over $3 billion by 2021 – that’s approaching 9 percent of the total market for power semiconductors.
In other words, in the next ten years, penetration of these devices in the power market will increase ten-fold.
© 2012 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
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