Silicon carbide (SiC) devices can provide significant reductions in power loss in a wide range of electronic equipment. Until recently, high prices have limited their use to a small number of applications, but now the range of applications is expanding rapidly, driven by changes including lower diode prices and the commercialization of transistors.
Companies in every industry--from automobile and major electrical equipment manufacturers to companies making industrial equipment, inverters, power supplies, and even the electric power utilities--are getting very interested in one particular material: SiC, one of the next-generation power semiconductors.
The key reason is that when existing silicon devices are replaced with SiC, power conversion losses in inverters, converters, etc, can be slashed. Reduced power loss means less heating, which in turn makes possible smaller and lighter power converters.
Reduced power losses from inverters, converters, etc, is a pressing need in all business sectors, including automotive, household appliances and industrial equipment. Improving energy utilization efficiency is directly linked to global environmental problems, and a key issue for many manufacturers. SiC devices may well make possible dramatic improvements in energy utilization efficiency in many products, earning interest as key devices for the environment-aware era.
The first SiC diodes
for power converters appeared on the market in 2001, but their high
cost limited use to only a few types of equipment. This situation has
changed, though, as surging demand spurs research and development
(R&D) into SiC devices (Fig 1).
The automotive industry has especially high hopes for SiC. Toyota Motor Corp of Japan, for example, comments "SiC is as crucial as gasoline engines." Nissan Motor Co, Ltd of Japan has already prototyped an inverter using SiC diodes, and begun road trials in the firm's X-TRAIL FCV fuel cell vehicle. Honda R&D Co, Ltd of Japan is prototyping a power module using a SiC device jointly with Rohm Co, Ltd of Japan.
Industrial sectors such as developers of household appliances and energy systems are also very interested. A source at one power device manufacturer reveals: "Air conditioner manufacturers are extremely interested, and may begin mounting the devices as soon as 2009." A source with a firm manufacturing inverters for fuel cells adds: "We can't wait to start testing SiC devices. They might deliver some really impressive efficiencies."
Electric power utilities are stepping up their programs, too. Kansai Electric Power Co, Inc of Japan is engaged in R&D into SiC inverters, while the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry of Japan has prototyped a power converter for solar power generation systems.
The SiC device market is being driven by inverters in household appliances and industrial equipment; hybrid, electric and other vehicles; and distributed power systems such as solar cells. Yole Developpement of France predicts SiC devices will grow into an US$800 million market by 2015.
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