SiC MOSFET and schottky barrier diode portfolio expanded

As Microsemi continues to expand development efforts for its SiC product family, it has become one of the few suppliers providing a range of Si/SiC power discrete and module solutions to the market. These next-gen SiC MOSFETs are well suited for a number of applications within the industrial and automotive markets, including Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)/EV charging, conductive/inductive OnBoard Chargers (OBCs), DC-DC converters and EV powertrain/traction control.

They can also be used for switch mode power supplies, photovoltaic (PV) inverters and motor control in medical, aerospace, defence and data centre applications.

"Fast adoption of SiC solutions for applications such as EV charging, DC-DC converters, powertrain, medical and industrial equipment, and aviation actuation demand a high degree of efficiency, safety and reliability on components used in such systems," said Leon Gross, Vice President and Business Unit Manager for Microsemi's Power Discretes and Modules business unit.

"Microsemi's next-generation SiC MOSFET and SiC diode families will include AEC-Q101 qualifications, which will insure high reliability while ruggedness is demonstrated by high repetitive unclamped inductive switching (UIS) capability at rated current without degradation or failures."

According to market research firm Technavio, the global SiC market for semiconductor applications is expected to reach nearly $540.5m by 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 18%. The firm also forecasts the global SiC market for automotive semiconductor applications at nearly 20% CAGR by 2021.

Microsemi is well-positioned with these trends, with its SiC MOSFET and Schottky barrier diode devices avalanche-rated with a high short-circuit withstand rating for robust operation, and the capabilities necessary to enable these growing application trends.

Microsemi's next-gen 1,200V, 25/40/80Ω SiC MOSFET devices and die as well as its next-gen 1,200V and 700V SiC SBD devices offer customers attractive benefits in comparison to competing Si/SiC diode/MOSFET and IGBT solutions, including more efficient switching at higher switching frequencies as well as higher avalanche/UIS rating and higher short circuit withstand rating for rugged and reliable operation.

For example, SiC MOSFETs are developed with a suitable balance of specific on-resistance, low gate and thermal resistances, and low gate threshold voltage and capacitance for reliable operation.

Designed for high yield processes and low parameter variation across temperature, they operate at higher efficiency (in comparison to Si and IGBT solutions) across high junction temperature (175°C) to extend battery systems like those in HEV/EV applications.

The newly sampling devices also offer excellent gate integrity and high gate yield as verified through High Temperature Reverse Bias (HTRB) and Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TBBD) tests, which are part of its AEC-Q101 qualification in progress.

Other key features include:

• High UIS capability, offering 1.5x to 2x higher than competitive SiC MOSFETs and GaN devices for avalanche ruggedness;
• High short circuit rating ranging from 1.5x to 5x higher than competitor SiC MOSFET devices for more rugged operation;
• Up to 10x lower Failure-In-Time (FIT) rate than comparable Si IGBTs at rated voltage for neutron susceptibility and with comparable performance against SiC competition pertaining to neutron irradiation; and
• Higher SiC power density versus Si, enabling smaller magnetics/transformers/DC bus capacitors and less cooling elements for more compact form factor to lower overall system costs.