NEWS REVIEW
SiC to replace silicon power devices in cars by 2020
WIDE BANDGAP materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride are best positioned to address emerging power electronics performance needs in electric vehicles (EVs), with SiC displacing silicon as early as 2020, according to a new report by Lux Research.
As silicon struggles to meet higher performance standards, wide bandgap (WBG) materials are benefiting from evolving battery economics. On a Tesla Model S car, for example, a 20 percent power savings can result in gains of over $6,000 in battery cost, or 8 percent of the vehicle’s cost.
“Efficient power electronics is key to a smaller battery size, which in turn has a positive cascading impact on wiring, thermal management, packaging, and weight of electric vehicles,” said Pallavi Madakasira, Lux Research Analyst and lead author of the report ‘Silicon vs. WBG: Demystifying Prospects of GaN and SiC in the Electrified Vehicle Market.’
“In addition to power electronic modules, opportunities from a growing number of consumer applications - such as infotainment and screens - will double the
number of power electronic components built into a vehicle,” she added.
Lux Research analysts have evaluated system-level benefits WBG materials are bringing to the automotive industry, and predicted a timeline for commercial roll- outs of WBG-based power electronics.
Among their findings were that at 2 percent power savings, if battery costs fall below $250/kWh, SiC diodes will be the only economic solution in EVs requiring a large battery. For plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs), the threshold power savings needs to 5 percent.
They also forecast that SiC diodes will attain commercialisation sooner than GaN, being adopted in vehicles by 2020. Government funding, they add, is driving WBG adoption. The US, Japan and the UK, among others, are funding research and development in power electronics.
The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Power Electronics and Electric Motors is spending $69 million this year and defining performance and cost targets; the Japanese government funds a joint industry and university R&D program that includes Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Mid-power LEDs account for 48 percent of 2014 market
THE GROWING LIGHTING end market in 2014 is now projected to account for 35 percent of all packaged LED dollars, according to the a new research note from Jamie Fox, for IHS Inc, providing information on packaged LEDs sold into the lighting market.
For the first time, this is more than all backlighting combined. In 2013, lighting and backlighting accounted for 31 percent of market revenue each. Mid-power devices are projected to represent 48 percent of packaged LED revenue in lighting applications in 2014 and 81 percent in terms of units. This represents a major change since 2010 when high-power LEDs, such as 1 watt devices, dominated.
In Western regions the mid-power percentage is lower, while in Asia it is higher. Many Chinese suppliers selling LEDs to their large domestic market predominantly produce mid-power LEDs. From 2011 to 2013, the market for mid-power LEDs grew rapidly, driven by the attractive dollar-per-lumen ratio and the availability of capacity previously used for backlighting. The trend was initially led by South Korean companies such as Seoul Semiconductor and Samsung.
However, mid-power LEDs have become an essential part of most global companies’ portfolios, with other suppliers such as Lumileds and Cree following the trend. Nichia also has a competitive offering in mid-power.
IHS still ranks Cree as the largest provider of packaged LEDs in lighting applications, closely followed by Lumileds. Despite this, during the last few years the competition from Asian companies has increased in lighting applications.
During 2015 and beyond, IHS forecasts the share of mid-power will continue to increase. The share of chip-on-board (COB) is also growing and playing an increasingly important role as completed lighting products are being designed for a wider variety of target end markets. High-power LEDs are still popular in some areas such as street lighting and should retain a strong presence in the market.
Excluding lighting, the rest of the LED market is almost completely flat from year-to-year, and is forecast to stay that way to 2019 according to IHS’s LED Intelligence Service. The lighting market, led by mid-power LEDs, will drive the growth.
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net Issue VI 2014 Copyright Compound Semiconductor
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