What are the reasons why silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor materials have a bright future?

They are small, powerful and extremely efficient: Semiconductors made from silicon carbide can help take power electronics in batteries and sensors to the next level – making a major contribution to breakthroughs in electric vehicles and supporting the digitalization of industry.  
   
 

Semiconductors made from silicon carbide (SiC) process electricity more efficiently than traditional semiconductors in some important applications. This new technology is therefore of particular interest to electric vehicle manufacturers: thanks to the use of SiC semiconductors, improved battery control helps to save energy, thus significantly increasing the service life of electric vehicles. SiC-based semiconductors also enable faster charging. Today, there are already many semiconductors in every electric car. In the future, SiC conversion devices in particular will emerge due to their advantages in switching speed, heat loss and compact size. Other companies, such as mobile network providers, smartphone manufacturers and the automation industry, also have high hopes for these microchips.
 

Advantages and applications of SiC semiconductors    
   

10 times

Compared with traditional silicon semiconductors, SiC power electronic semiconductors can be made from much smaller materials. This is possible because they have a larger bandwidth, allowing them to convert electrical energy with less heat loss. Silicon semiconductors must be much larger to achieve the same performance.

 
 

Reduce up to 50%

Heat losses occur in SiC semiconductors compared to conventional semiconductors made of silicon. Therefore, an important application area for SiC semiconductors is power electronics, that is, the conversion of electrical energy into a form usable by devices. For a laptop, for example, the semiconductor is hidden in the charger's transformer. So far, silicon semiconductors have mainly been used for this purpose, but they emit large amounts of energy as heat. Using silicon carbide semiconductors, heat loss is greatly reduced and more energy is available for charging.  
 
 
  300–500％  

SiC transistors can also increase switching frequency compared to silicon transistors. This is another reason why SiC semiconductors can be used to create components of significantly smaller sizes.  
 
 
 

10% to 15%

SiC semiconductors could enable greater range for electric vehicles because they can convert energy more efficiently. As a result, automakers can install smaller batteries in their electric vehicles. This is a win-win for manufacturers and can bring momentum to the industry.

 
 

Suitable for modern 5G technology

SiC semiconductors are also ideal. Ultrafast networks will require massive amounts of power and performance, especially from infrastructure components such as transmission stations. To make smartphones charge faster, manufacturers may use SiC semiconductors in the future. Additionally, the new semiconductors are ideal for wireless chargers and data center servers.  
 
 

Infinite possibilities

SiC semiconductors open the way to digitizing industrial processes. For example, processes that require particularly high speeds from power electronics can be better supported with faster sensor systems. The use of 5G-controlled mobile devices based on SiC semiconductors also offers great potential for further optimization of Industry 4.0.

 

$412 billion

The turnover of the entire semiconductor industry last year. SiC semiconductors remain a niche product, with sales of approximately $500 million. However, industry experts expect that electric vehicles will cause sales to grow rapidly, by 10% to 25% annually between 2020 and 2022, and by more than 40% by 2023.  
 
Basically, all semiconductors are made from crystals, which are made from powder (such as silicon or silicon carbide) at very high temperatures. The crystals are then cut into thin slices called wafers. Very complex electronic circuits can be deposited onto wafers, ultimately forming microelectronic devices.  Production of new SiC semiconductor materials  
  more than 50 years  
A lot of research has been done on the production of silicon carbide semiconductors and the growth of silicon carbide crystals, and the growth of silicon carbide crystals mainly uses the physical vapor transport (PVT) process. Small silicon carbide crystals are made at high temperatures and low pressures. The particles pass through the carrier gas to the cooler seed crystal, where crystallization occurs due to supersaturation.

 

2400 degrees Celsius

It is necessary for the growth process of silicon carbide single crystal material. In contrast, conventional silicon crystals only require temperatures of about 1,500 degrees.

 

10 to 14 days

is the time required to grow silicon carbide crystals in the furnace. This, along with significantly higher energy consumption, is one of the reasons why they are more expensive than regular silicon crystals, which can be grown in two days.

 

Diameter 150mm

is the size of recent silicon carbide wafers. Soon, SiC wafers with a diameter of 200 mm will be produced on an industrial scale. At this time, their size will reach the standards of the "traditional" silicon-based industry, thus achieving a breakthrough in SiC-based electronic products.