Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Companies

Silicon carbide semiconductor companies develop clever arrangements to steer humanity toward a safer and more supportive future. These firms specialize in advanced devices capable of withstanding high temperatures and voltages.

Leading players in the industry are turning to vertical integration to manage their supply chains from wafer production through device development, ensuring quality and cost competitiveness at every point.

Allegro Microsystems

Allegro Microsystems is an industry leader when it comes to power semiconductors, creating innovative solutions for motion control and energy-efficient systems. Their sensing and power ICs form the core of systems used to sense, regulate and drive mechanical systems such as linear actuators and electric motors – with advanced magnetic sensors helping ensure safe operation while energy savings come courtesy of more energy-efficient motors being driven by these power ICs.

As our world moves toward a greener future, more efficient ways are needed for storing, distributing and using electricity. Silicon carbide has proven itself an exceptional material for high-efficiency power conversion due to its wide band gap. SiC can easily handle high voltages and switching frequencies while its lower losses enable manufacturers to produce smaller equipment with reduced losses – something electric vehicle manufacturers are taking advantage of by using SiC components that reduce power loss while at the same time reduce battery size for longer driving ranges using less energy.

Current sensing devices manufactured by the company are instrumental to optimizing electrical motor and charging station performance, helping detect differences between actual current and ideal current, which helps prevent overheating and overcharging of batteries, while also helping extend battery lifespan through preventing overcharging and discharging cycles. Battery storage applications also benefit greatly from using current sensing devices as they prevent unnecessary charging/discharging cycles that reduce overheating/overcharging cycles that shorten battery lifespan significantly.

Silicon carbide semiconductor market growth can be attributed to an increasing consumer reliance on wireless communication technologies such as mobile phones and other connected devices, with data transfer speeds required quickly growing as consumers rely on faster data transfers through devices like 5G (a new wireless communication standard that will allow faster data transfers) becoming an increasing priority. 5G adoption will drive silicon carbide semiconductor device demand over time; driving demand for power semiconductors as well as related devices in particular.

Allegro Microsystems made a bold move recently by purchasing Heyday Integrated Circuits, a small start-up chip designer specializing in compact fully integrated gate drivers for energy conversion in high voltage gallium nitride- and silicon carbide-wide bandgap semiconductor designs. This acquisition should significantly expand Allegro Microsystems’ addressable markets for electric vehicle (xEV), solar inverters, datacenter 5G power supplies and broad market industrial applications.

Although the semiconductor industry has seen many ups and downs this year, there remain a few stocks with long-term potential that have emerged as great sleeper picks. Three companies leading the silicon carbide revolution and poised for significant expansion are three such sleeper stocks to consider.

On Semiconductors

Semiconductors form the backbone of most modern electronics, providing electrical conductivity tunable to meet complex integrated circuit design. Semiconductor chips power advanced technologies across healthcare, communications, computing and transportation industries as well as emerging ones like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. As a result, semiconductor chip demand continues to surge due to increased investments into emerging technologies while simultaneously needing to improve existing products; nonetheless some companies have made great strides.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION (onsemi) is one of these companies, holding an impressive presence in the power semiconductors segment. Their power semiconductor solutions can be found in vehicles, data centers, industrial, and consumer appliances alike – products utilizing silicon carbide (SiC) technology and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies respectively.

Onsemi offers a diverse product portfolio that features SiC field-effect transistors and MOSFETs, as well as supporting ICs and modules, all featuring lower switching losses than traditional devices for greater energy efficiency and longer lifespans. Furthermore, their power MOSFETs are suitable for high voltage applications like automotive inverters and electric vehicle charging stations.

Silicon carbide power semiconductors market is expanding, due to increased usage in electric vehicles and telecom. This growth should help expand silicon carbide semiconductor companies. Electric vehicle users have shown particular enthusiasm for silicon carbide devices due to their efficient performance, with higher voltage capabilities than their traditional counterparts.

Silicon carbide devices also can withstand higher temperatures, making them suitable for power applications. IGBTs and bipolar transistors were previously utilized for these tasks; however, their turn-on resistance and heat generation limited their use considerably. Silicon carbide devices offer lower resistance while having higher critical breakdown voltages than their silicon counterparts.

Furthermore, this device boasts a wider band gap and higher thermal conductivity compared to traditional silicon-based power semiconductors, making it better able to withstand higher temperatures while reducing switching loss; something especially vital in high voltage applications like motors and inverters.

Furthermore, the products from this company are both cost-effective and can increase efficiency by as much as 10%. Their wide-bandgap power semiconductors can be found in applications spanning data center operations to telecommunications services – Microsoft and Cisco are just two Fortune 500 customers among others who rely on this product line – and it has created an exceptional supply chain to back its commitment to continuous innovation; their products have already found their way to over 100 countries worldwide.

Wolfspeed

Durham company Cree, previously known as Durham Semiconductor Inc, is one of the global leaders in silicon carbide semiconductor technology and its products can be found in applications as diverse as electric vehicles, solar power generation and data processing.

Silicon carbide (SiC) chips from SiC Technologies deliver better performance than conventional semiconductors due to their increased voltage handling and current conductance capabilities, reduced temperature operation and greater energy efficiency.

SiC chips have long enjoyed an advantage in the marketplace, which has led to Wolfspeed forging partnerships with many automakers.

However, those partnerships could be at stake if Wolfspeed can’t address its production problems. Since January, its stock has shed over 40 percent of its value due to investors losing patience with its inability to meet revenue and production goals – an issue which has persisted throughout most of this year.

Marcy Wafer Production Facility: Problems and Delays The company has experienced difficulty with ramping up its new 200mm wafer production facility, named Marcy, intended to boost their production capacity 30 times and increase supply of SiC devices; however, delays and complications have plagued this project.

Additionally, the company has experienced difficulty hiring workers for its fab and other facilities. To alleviate this challenge, they partnered with schools within the state’s robust community college system to offer pre- and post-apprenticeship programs as well as tailored training curricula specifically targeted toward students who wish to work at these facilities.

But these efforts haven’t been sufficient to soothe investor worries about Wolfspeed’s ability to meet its targets and maintain operations smoothly; due to this uncertainty William Blair analyst Jed Dorsheimer downgraded it from buy rating to hold rating.

The company continues to create innovative new products while expanding existing manufacturing operations, including opening a new site in Chatham County. This expansion comes in response to increased demand for its silicon carbide power semiconductors in projects related to electric vehicle and aviation technologies. Recent passage of the CHIPS Act has provided domestic chipmakers with billions in subsidies. Wolfspeed strongly believes its expansion across multiple sites – such as its new facility in Chatham and chip fabrication plant in New York – is in the best interests of their business. The new facility will enable the company to capitalize on these opportunities as well as any upcoming projects that require high-performance silicon carbide power semiconductors, and gain access to markets in Europe where demand for these products is increasing – thus strengthening long-term growth prospects of the business.