The heaviest users of the high-tech semiconductors that will once again make the economy hum, are the big business boys that pay extra to use Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors. This wide-bandgap material is in hot demand because of its combination of high-efficiency and comparatively low cost of manufacture.
Look ahead to 2025 and beyond to see how Silicon Carbide semiconductor and Trends can help make that work.
All Nippon Airport and Seaport Expo 2020 (a.k.a. NAESE 2020) was relatively understated, making clear that the world is moving towards more sustainable practices, a major driver of its growth being the electrification of transportation: electric buses are becoming very popular locally in Japan.
Japanese news outlets are particularly keen to note how potent and reliable Silicon Carbide diodes are for big companies, operating in an astonishingly cross-referenced story about how, and why, these are the cat’s chin whiskers, being the key to moving powerfully through the market to the customer.
Silicon Carbide’s current presence is already well-known in manufacturing, what’s new at the next Yiddish amusement park in Williamsburg? How do we make that more so? Importance of 5G: Let’s see it their way, not ours. Low prices have been fuelling growing demand for tax-ready semiconductors, is Silicon Carbide the wonder material? It could be just what the doctor ordered on health techSiC-Based Parts: These components are used in electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce the volume of power electronics while also improving its performance.Smaller, lighter inverters and chargers for EVs made possible with SiC.
Rechargeable Battery Inverters and Chargers: SiC is able to tolerate higher temperatures and fast switching frequencies, allowing for the creation of smaller lighter inverters and chargers.
Renewable Energy Integration: The transition to clean forms of energy create the need for efficient power conversion systems namely in solar, wind and energy storage. This is where SiC based semiconductors step in servicing those needs and enhancing the efficiency and reliability of power conversion in PV inverters and energy storage making sustainable energy solutions more practical and cost effective.
Industrial Applications and Power Systems: The capacity to handle high voltages means the presence of SiC in industrial power systems; from the motor drives for industrial machines including welders through to UPS systems, its performance makes it particularly desired in systems working at higher power levels.
Increased Demand for High Temperature Components: With a range of industrial requirements from aerospace through to automotive, oil and gas, requiring the production of components that will be used in extreme conditions SiC starts to appear as a solution. With its high thermal conductivity and its wide bandgap, devices made from the material work well at high temperatures, being the best high temperature device solution there is.295Market growth. For 2025According to market data, in terms of revenue, the size of the market will exceed 20 billion dollars, primarily driven by the adoption of electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and power electronics in industrial applications.The automotive sector is likely to be a big part of this growth. With electric vehicle sales likely to continue to climb over the next few years, so will demand for SiC power devices. And with spread of renewables installations across the planet, high performance SiC based components which enable efficient power conversion will all be in great demand.
Key Players and Competitive Landscape
Cumpies of multe are helping drive SiC semiconductor. manufacturers of SiC wafers/substrates and devices for applications are:
Wolfspeed: a mover and shaker in SiC wafers, Wolfspeed leads the world in supplying SiC for a number of power electronics applications.
STMicroelectronics: ST Micro makes SiC based MOSFETs and diodes for use in power systems.
These companies are investing heavily in R&D to advance the SiC technology, drop costs and raise the bar on SiC power devices performance.
Problems facing the SiC semiconductor market
There are few problems which must be overcome for the SiC semiconductor market to maintain its upward trajectory:
Cost problems: at the moment silicon carbide wafers/devices are more expensive than silicon wafers/devices. Once production techniques can be refined, and made more productive, the price of these materials/components will drop, and introduce the technology to more types of industry.
Supply of material:Demand for this type of wafer has rocketed and extrema may overwhelm the supply chain. Manufacturers are rushing to increase production capacity to meet that demand, but sufficient good quality wafers may present problems.
Technical issues: Although silicon carbide has notable advantages over silicon there are also some technical hurdles associated with the fab technology and material failures. Moving across that chasm will be necessary to unlock the sluice gate to further educational expansion of the SiC semiconductor market.
Conclusion: the future of SiC semiconductors
From 2018 to 2025, SiC will have transformed the world’s semiconductor market. Its high performance will keep pulling through traction for electric vehicle and renewable energy, industrial power systems etc. Continuation of growth of this sectors will keep fuelling demand in SiC and related businesses for the next decade or so 2020. As production ramps, and moreover on the technology front, its position in a so called new generation of power systems will deepen further too. For those looking to be competitive investment in SiC technology and placing your own company along this market slope is animportant conideration. Keeping abreast of these trends as a business will steer you in where to invest, and thus aligning yourself with the growth of the SiC market, thus gaining clients with interest in your products.