SiC
A third-generation wide-bandgap semiconductor material characterized by a high breakdown electric field, high thermal conductivity, and high switching frequency. It is used to manufacture high-voltage, high-frequency power devices.
Timeline (last 90 days)
Solid-state transformers first rectify power-frequency AC into DC, then invert it into high-frequency AC through high-frequency semiconductor switches (such as IGBT and SiC devices), and finally convert it to the target voltage; with higher frequency, magnetic components can be greatly reduced in size at the same power.
Currently, high-voltage devices such as SiC are costly, and the unit cost of high-power solid-state transformers remains significantly higher than that of traditional solutions.
In SiC (silicon carbide) power devices, SiC's breakdown field strength is about 10 times that of silicon and its thermal conductivity about 3 times that of silicon, allowing operation at higher voltage, higher temperature, and higher switching frequency, and it is a key enabler for new energy vehicle main drive inverters, OBC, DC-DC converters, and 800V high-voltage platforms; 1200V/35mΩ and 1200V/60mΩ refer to the device's voltage rating and on-resistance, and lower on-resistance means lower conduction loss.
Compound semiconductors refer to semiconductor materials formed by combining two or more elements, with typical representatives including GaAs, GaN, SiC and InP; unlike elemental semiconductors such as silicon and germanium, they offer advantages that silicon finds hard to replace in fields such as RF communication, optical communication, power devices and emerging displays.
Solid-state transformers (SSTs) use power semiconductors (such as SiC and GaN devices) to perform power conversion at high frequency, rectifying AC to DC and then inverting it to the required AC or DC form, featuring small size, active controllability, and multi-port output.
The Tesla Model 3 was the first to adopt SiC devices at scale in its main drive inverter.
All Facts (6)
Solid-state transformers first rectify power-frequency AC into DC, then invert it into high-frequency AC through high-frequency semiconductor switches (such as IGBT and SiC devices), and finally convert it to the target voltage; with higher frequency, magnetic components can be greatly reduced in size at the same power.
50%UnverifiedCurrently, high-voltage devices such as SiC are costly, and the unit cost of high-power solid-state transformers remains significantly higher than that of traditional solutions.
50%UnverifiedIn SiC (silicon carbide) power devices, SiC's breakdown field strength is about 10 times that of silicon and its thermal conductivity about 3 times that of silicon, allowing operation at higher voltage, higher temperature, and higher switching frequency, and it is a key enabler for new energy vehicle main drive inverters, OBC, DC-DC converters, and 800V high-voltage platforms; 1200V/35mΩ and 1200V/60mΩ refer to the device's voltage rating and on-resistance, and lower on-resistance means lower conduction loss.
50%UnverifiedCompound semiconductors refer to semiconductor materials formed by combining two or more elements, with typical representatives including GaAs, GaN, SiC and InP; unlike elemental semiconductors such as silicon and germanium, they offer advantages that silicon finds hard to replace in fields such as RF communication, optical communication, power devices and emerging displays.
50%UnverifiedSolid-state transformers (SSTs) use power semiconductors (such as SiC and GaN devices) to perform power conversion at high frequency, rectifying AC to DC and then inverting it to the required AC or DC form, featuring small size, active controllability, and multi-port output.
50%UnverifiedThe Tesla Model 3 was the first to adopt SiC devices at scale in its main drive inverter.
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