NEWS ANALYSIS
Q A
It’s no secret that the cost of SiC devices is hampering adoption; do you see a solution?
Yes, the problem for the industry right now is the cost of these products. It is much much greater than silicon, making the devices too expensive for mainstream applications, despite the advantages. In the 1980s, silicon carbide was thought of as a material for, say, high temperature, radiation-hard applications but my belief has always been that the material can be used in mainstream power electronics and this is what I have been championing since then. But to make that happen you have to have low enough costs to be competitive with silicon − this is the goal of the new manufacturing innovation hub at North Carolina State University.
Q A
How will the new hub achieve cheap silicon carbide devices?
We will bring together the materials suppliers of SiC as well as GaN, and align the materials with the foundry that will make the chips. We will then develop high volume manufacturing technology and also bring in companies that package these devices so they can operate at higher temperatures than silicon.
Q A
The entire supply chain is involved; how do you organise the research and intellectual property issues for example?
These details are being worked out and the US Department of Energy is involved in the process. We plan to collaborate very strongly with the [hub partners]. My focus is on SiC devices and processing so I will work with the foundry that is going to build SiC chips. We will share whatever IP comes out of this as part of the consortium. I’m used to developing IP, I have 120 patents.
Q A
Will the hub focus more on SiC devices than GaN devices?
No, GaN is now coming along very strongly. We have 600 V devices March 2014
www.compoundsemiconductor.net 17
and these are getting very competitive. GaN can be grown on silicon so the cost structure is very different to SiC. We will have to see how this pans out, but I would say we have equal emphasis on SiC and GaN.
Q A
What devices can industry expect when the project finishes in five years?
For GaN, 600 V seems to be the sweet spot and for SiC I have been saying all the way from 600 V to 5000 V for MOSFETs. Essentially, industry needs two devices; the rectifier and the switch. Both will be developed and the power rating will be driven by the end users. That’s why we have them in the consortium; they will provide the incentive to the device manufacturers to create the products that are needed. This helps as when manufacturers create products without that interaction, it’s like throwing a device over a fence and hoping someone will use it. But an end user will say, we just really need this device for the next electric vehicle for
example. I had this benefit at GE when I was developing the IGBT; I knew exactly what the applications were so I could design my device to meet the needs and get it commercialised very quickly.
This consortium will enable that. We want to bring as many applications as we can to this consortium, to proliferate the technology, expand volume and drive the costs down. This is the goal of the hub, to bring all of this together.
Q A
That’s quite a goal?
Yes it is, but it is a goal that will make my 30 year old vision come true.
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