Silicon Carbide – The Technology That Will Power Our Future

Wolfspeed has been at the forefront of silicon carbide for 30 years, becoming market leader with their silicon carbide semiconductor power devices used worldwide in electric vehicles (EV), fast chargers, renewable energy storage solutions and aerospace and defense equipment.

Wolfspeed recently extended and enhanced their long-term supply agreement with one of the top global semiconductor companies, providing long-term capacity reservations to meet growing customer demand for silicon carbide power semiconductors.

High Voltage

High-voltage wide bandgap silicon carbide (SiC) technology is revolutionizing power electronics used in electric vehicles, industrial and grid-tied power supplies, motor drives and renewable energy applications. By significantly reducing power loss in designs for electric vehicles, industrial power supplies, motor drives and renewable energy applications – as well as creating smaller designs with lower losses that reduce weight – SiC technology enables smaller designs with longer battery lives at reduced electricity costs, increasing economic benefits from electrification.

SiC allows designers to maximize the use of design space for system controls and converters, leading to smaller, lighter and cost-effective systems essential to expanding EV adoption. SiC also enables higher switching frequencies at reduced temperatures for increased reliability which results in smaller drives that cost less to produce as well as providing additional safety features like arc suppression, short circuit protection, overvoltage protection and overload protection.

The E-Series MOSFET from 750 V is automotive approved and offers high blocking voltage with low Rds(on) over temperature allowing low conduction losses and highest figures of merit in even the most demanding applications such as electric vehicle powertrain or solid state circuit breakers. Furthermore, this device can easily parallel with standard gate drive designs to minimize system size, weight and cooling requirements for reduced system size, weight and cooling requirements.

One key trend in the EV industry is an upward surge of vehicle voltage from 400V to 800V, necessitating advanced, high-performance power semiconductors that transform drive and motor performance while increasing range while decreasing manufacturing and driving costs. To accommodate higher operating voltages, designers need to move away from silicon insulated gate bipolar transistor (Si IGBT) solutions.

Wolfspeed holds an unmatched expertise, technology, and capacity when it comes to silicon carbide power devices. However, it operates in an increasingly competitive market where innovations or aggressive pricing from rivals could negatively affect margins.

Wolfspeed grows its own silicon carbide raw material at facilities in New York and North Carolina, then cuts it into circular wafers which are either sold to other chipmakers or manufactured into chips by Wolfspeed itself. Plans are underway to open a second 200mm facility in Siler City, NC that will be 10X larger than Durham and create an East Coast Silicon Carbide corridor through this investment; expanding on our 30+ year research history here as well as strong technology base, manufacturing heritage, and talent pool in NY’s Mohawk Valley.

High Power

Silicon carbide has quickly become an integral component of modern technology, from electric vehicles and renewable energy systems to medical imaging technology and beyond. Silicon carbide’s exceptional properties are helping us move towards a more eco-friendly future with every day that passes.

Silicon carbide semiconductors play an essential part in this revolution, due to their ability to generate more power with less current consumption, leading to smaller devices with reduced system costs and greater efficiencies. Wolfspeed’s 650V silicon carbide MOSFETs operate at 33% higher voltages without increasing temperature compared to traditional silicon devices allowing them to deliver the same performance with less current consumption while producing half as many losses, lowering overall system losses and power consumption while providing increased output power with reduced overall system losses and power consumption.

Wolfspeed EV power semiconductors play an especially essential role in electric vehicles (EVs), where high-voltage systems must be efficient to maximize driving range. An example is Lucid Air’s use of Wolfspeed power semiconductors which has enabled it to reach an estimated 516 mile driving range on one charge according to EPA estimates.

Wolfspeed has responded to this growing demand by expanding its production capacity. In 2022, they opened the state-of-the-art Mohawk Valley Fab in Marcy, New York which will serve as one of the world’s largest silicon carbide fabrication facilities with 200mm wafer production capacities–10 times larger than at Durham Campus–providing additional capacity to meet rising demand for Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide power semiconductors that enable clean transportation and more sustainable future.

Wolfspeed has expanded its production capabilities while working closely with industry leaders to make electric vehicles (EVs) and other high-voltage applications more energy efficient. Their silicon carbide MOSFETs, for instance, can withstand shocks and vibrations common to renewable energy designs without incurring excessive cooling costs; their 650V MOSFETs offer 33% higher voltage operation compared to silicon counterparts so as to meet faster charging speeds required by today’s charging infrastructure without needing extra cooling measures.

These advances in power electronics are opening up exciting opportunities to transform our economy, society, and planet – Wolfspeed is proud to lead this movement forward as one of its primary providers of 650V SiC power semiconductors.

High Efficiency

Wide bandgap Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductors boast greater efficiency than silicon devices, which designers are replacing in power-hungry applications from electric vehicles to industrial power supplies. Wolfspeed’s SiC MOSFETs and diodes enable between 1-2% higher efficiency with 35% to 50% greater power density at comparable costs and reduced overall cooling requirements while providing robust operation even in harsh environments.

Wolfspeed’s SiC power products come in discrete and small baseplate-less modules that meet industry standards from 600 V up to 1700 V with higher voltage modules in development; AEC-Q10 certification ensures these meet stringent efficiency, quality, and supply chain requirements of automotive applications.

As more renewable sources become the source of global energy production, the need for efficient power conversion systems becomes ever more urgent. Wolfspeed’s 1700 V SiC MOSFETs deliver improved system performance while remaining compact designs. Their thicker insulation layer yields greater system efficiencies due to an efficient design.

Train and traction vehicle Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) and Traction Power Units require more energy than passenger cars, yet can still benefit from using compact and lightweight systems using 1700 V SiC MOSFETs to reduce life-time maintenance and operational costs.

Efficiency has become the cornerstone of power-hungry industries, including electric vehicle inverters. Efficiency plays an essential role in increasing a car’s range while simultaneously decreasing emissions and fuel consumption, thanks to using 1700 V SiC transistors in these inverters, as they enable smaller motors and battery cells that reduce cost, weight, cost per mile driven, as well as shorter charging cycles when applied to vehicle-to-grid applications.

Wolfspeed was established as Cree in 1987 and since has amassed 36 years of expertise working with silicon carbide components, evolving from an MSE company into the top supplier of SiC power semiconductors. By investing in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to expand capacity, it has become one of the major suppliers worldwide and stands to benefit from an ample opportunity pipeline – it currently holds $14.8 billion worth of Design-ins with fast conversion rates to actual Design-wins ensuring growth and profitability.

Low Cost

Wolfspeed Silicon Carbide Semiconductors has seen increased demand for their silicon carbide semiconductors over recent years due to their use in electric vehicles, fast-charging stations, renewable energy storage devices and aerospace/defense equipment. Furthermore, their technology will likely play an even larger part in future vehicle production as EV manufacturers ramp up vehicle production and deploy faster-charging solutions.

Wolfspeed’s wide bandgap Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices differ significantly from traditional silicon chips in that they are smaller, lighter and offer better performance – translating to lower system costs and increased power in a smaller footprint. Furthermore, these SiC devices can handle higher voltages and currents without damaging themselves or producing excessive heat, making them perfect for applications requiring high amounts of power without producing heat; additionally, as they do not emit electromagnetic interference (EMI), making them great for high-speed data transmission applications such as high-speed communications or data transmission applications that do require high currents or voltages without damaging or creating heat – perfect for power hungry applications needing high currents without damaging devices that otherwise would damage an electronic chip or circuit containing them!

Wolfspeed SiC devices offer engineers a way to improve each major power path in an electric vehicle (EV), helping engineers optimize efficiency, density and reliability – an advantage which GM recognized when selecting Wolfspeed for use in their future EV programs.

Wolfspeed has made significant investments to meet the increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs). To meet it, in April 2022 they launched Mohawk Valley Fab in Marcy, NY as the world’s largest 200mm Silicon Carbide device fab and greatly increasing materials capacity and customer service globally. To further accommodate their EV customers globally they also plan on expanding Durham facilities and building Siler City plant that will be 10X bigger than current manufacturing capabilities.

Although some uncertainty remains in regards to the ramp-up of their new 200mm fab, ASML’s track record speaks volumes in their ability to successfully scale-up production capacity for 8 inch wafer fabrication.