market analysis SiC devices & materials
Figure 1. Wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC can deliver significant improvements in all forms of electrical conversion over silicon
incumbents
development. And there is a small company called United SiC, which are quiet active in developing an IGBT.
Q a
What will all these forms of SiC transistor be used for?
The transistor is now opening the door to the field- effect power module. As soon as you put the SiC transistor on the module, you have a field-effect module that can be used at very high temperatures. The key high- end applications are wind turbines, PV inverters and motor controls. Of course, the dream is the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), but now it’s a question of qualification time. Starting from scratch, it takes approximately one to one- and-a-half years to qualify a SiC transistor for PV applications. For HEVs, some say two years, while others say four or even five.
Q a
Q a
Are SiC transistors viewed by potential customers as strong contenders to the silicon incumbents?
Oh yes, for sure. In terms of on-state resistance, there is no discussion. And the high-temperature functionality of SiC transistors is incredible. It means that you can really save costs at the module and system level by shrinking the size of the passives, getting rid of fans and basic devices and so on.
How would you describe shipments of SiC transistors?
The device is ready, the manufacturing process is
OK, and it’s available on the market – we just have to qualify the device. By the end of 2011 we should see the first mass-volume application in production. However, it’s a very limited market – Cree is the only one you can find on DigiKey, and you are talking about $80-100 a piece, which is huge. We hope the price will come down. But I don’t think we’re going to find that kind of 1.2 kV, 20 A device at less than ten bucks – it would be too close to the manufacturing cost. What price could we hope for? $25 would be reasonable.
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net June 2011
Q a
Which companies do you tip to lead sales over the coming years?
To generate high business in the power electronics
industry, you have to be an established power electronics manufacturer. Competitors like Infineon, ST Microelectronics, Toshiba and Mitsubishi have been in the power electronics business for a very long time, and I think that they could be very successful if they have a device that hits the specs. I would not be surprised to see Mitsubishi Electric re-think its business model. Currently it does not sell devices, but only modules and systems.
Cree is a leader in terms of technology. However, it has not been a power electronics maker for a long time. So I don’t know about its access to the market. And getting access to the market is key. For example, ST Microelectronics has been very successful with its SiC Schottky diode. Its Schottky diodes were not better than its competitors, but it had better access to the market because it was leading the silicon Schottky diode business.
Q a
Q a
How will sales of SiC transistors pan out? Everything can occur if we succeed in reducing the
cost. We expect $1 billion device revenue, including diodes, by 2020. We think one-third of this market will be diodes and two-thirds transistors. This is also the split in the silicon world.
SiC diodes have now been in the market place for 10 years. How would you describe their sales today?
The diode itself is very limited in terms of
applications. Most of the time you have to couple it with a silicon device so you don’t get a large part of the value of working with a SiC device – especially superior high- temperature performance. You can sell a lot on efficiency, but not on high-temperature capability.
Up until now, it has been a market for power systems for the power supply. But we see more and more companies going towards automotive applications, with companies like Nissian and Toyota thinking about putting SiC diodes only in two kinds of devices: the DC-DC boost converter, and the battery charger for the wall-plug to the car. The SiC diode offers some percentage points in terms of efficiency.
Q a
Are chipmakers improving their SiC diodes? Manufacturers are pushing up the current density to
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