Zeitschrift für Elektrotechnik und Elektronik

Silicon Carbide Technology Overview

Stephen B. Bayne and Bejoy N Pushpakaran

Silicon Carbide Technology Overview

After several years of research and development, Silicon Carbide has emerged as a prominent successor to conventional silicon in the field of power electronics due to its exceptional advantages. Silicon carbide material improves the efficiency of semiconductor devices and also facilitates usage of devices with much smaller form factor. The chemical and electronic properties of Silicon carbide translate to features which are useful for semiconductors especially in high power applications. These features include inherent radiation-resistance, high-temperature operating capacity, high voltage and power handling capacity. The use of SiC specifically in the areas of industrial control, power and renewable energy (solar & wind sector) also enables smaller cooling solutions in the system design. SiC electronics also find applications in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, electric traction control, power supply units, photovoltaic applications, converters and inverters.