Large foreign silicon carbide factories: crazy expansion of production capacity and rich product portfolio
Silicon carbide expansion
Two new semiconductor materials, silicon carbide and gallium nitride, have been widely used in the field of power devices due to their high temperature resistance, high pressure resistance, and high frequency characteristics. In particular, compared with traditional silicon-based power devices, silicon carbide power devices have broken through the physical limits of traditional silicon-based materials. The temperature resistance of silicon carbide is twice that of silicon-based materials. The electric breakdown field strength is also several times higher than that of silicon-based materials. Silicon carbide materials have become the best solution for high-temperature, high-pressure, and high-power equipment.
The general trend of "carbon neutrality" has increased people's attention to high-efficiency and stable third-generation power semiconductor materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. Silicon carbide power devices have also been fully applied under the rapid development of industry, automobiles, rail transit, photovoltaic power generation and other fields. The market demand for silicon carbide is very prosperous, and the market penetration rate is also increasing year by year.
According to CASA statistics, the total output value of domestic third-generation semiconductors, power electronic devices and radio frequency electronic devices will reach more than 10 billion yuan in 2020. Among them, the output value of silicon carbide and gallium nitride devices reached 4.47 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 54%. At the same time, it is estimated that by 2025, the scale of SiC power devices in the global automotive market will increase by 38.0%, which will bring a total market value of 10 billion yuan by then, and there is huge room for SiC development.
Now that the production capacity of new energy vehicles and photovoltaic power generation is released, the market’s demand for silicon carbide power devices continues to expand, focusing on the global silicon carbide market. Due to the late start of domestic manufacturers in the power semiconductor field, the international market is still based on the United States, Germany, and Germany. Foreign companies such as Japan occupy a dominant position.
Wolfspeed, a US company that accounts for 45% of shipments
As the leading company of third-generation power semiconductors, Wolfspeed sold its leading industry's lighting business in 2019 and shifted the industry's focus to the third-generation power semiconductor field. According to statistics from the semiconductor industry, Wolfspeed's SiC wafer shipments in the first half of 2020 accounted for 45% of the global total. Wolfspeed's silicon carbide products cover SiC Schottky diodes, SiC MOSFET components and modules, which are used in industrial and automotive fields.
In terms of silicon carbide Schottky diodes, Wolfspeed has launched the sixth generation of industrial-grade products with a maximum withstand voltage of 650V and rated currents covering 4A, 6A, 8A, and 10A. In the PFC boost converter, It can improve system-level efficiency very well, and there will be no problems of reverse recovery current and thermal runaway. At the same time, car-grade SiC Schottky diodes have also developed to the third generation, with a maximum withstand voltage of 650V, and rated currents of 8A, 20A, and 30A. In practical applications, the power density of the system is further improved and the system is reduced. The volume, without the need for an additional cooling system, can also achieve good temperature control, and is mostly used in car charging systems and battery management systems.
In terms of silicon carbide MOSFETs, Wolfspeed industrial grade products and automotive grade products have developed to the third generation. Among them, the withstand voltage of the second generation industrial grade products has reached 1700V, which is the highest among industrial grade products. The rated current ranges from 5A to 115A are covered. At the same time, the withstand voltage of car-grade products has reached 1200V, and the rated current has two options: 22A and 32A. In general, Wolfspeed's silicon carbide MOSFET has good performance in terms of withstand voltage and standby power consumption, and improves the system's switching frequency and power density.
Source: Wolfspeed
The application advantages of silicon carbide power devices in the field of electric vehicles are quite prominent, and the development prospects are also very promising. In order to more deeply explore the potential performance of silicon carbide power devices in the automotive field, Wolfspeed has reached a cooperative relationship with the Volkswagen Group to provide the public with better silicon carbide solutions, and jointly look forward to the future development of silicon carbide and promote the development of silicon carbide in the future. The application in the field of electric vehicles will create electric vehicles with longer cruising range, lower production cost and faster replenishment speed.
In 2019, Wolfspeed invested 1 billion yuan to expand the production capacity of silicon carbide power devices and epitaxial wafers, part of which is used to build the "world's largest" silicon carbide wafer plant in Massey Township, New York, which is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2022. The fab is mainly used for the production of automotive-grade 200mm silicon carbide wafers. The other part is used for the construction of a 200mm silicon carbide wafer plant in Durham, USA. The production line will be produced in a fully automated manner. According to the plan, the production line will be put into operation in 2024, and the production capacity of silicon carbide products will be There has been a substantial increase. Wolfspeed officially stated that by then, the proportion of SiC and GaN device product business will exceed the proportion of the materials business, with revenue reaching 1.5 billion U.S. dollars and net income reaching 375 million U.S. dollars.
German company Infineon, a senior silicon carbide power device
Infineon has been deeply involved in the field of silicon carbide for many years. In 2001, it launched the first silicon carbide diode to the market and has a relatively deep technical accumulation. At present, Infineon’s main products of silicon carbide power devices include: MOSFET, Schottky diode, and combined modules of MOSFET and diode.
Source: Infineon official website
Infineon’s is the first supplier of silicon carbide discrete power supplies. Its silicon carbide diode devices have broken through the physical limitations of traditional silicon-based materials, increasing the original withstand voltage of only 150V diodes to 1200V. Infineon’s silicon carbide diodes meet vehicle-level and industrial-grade requirements. Among them, industrial-grade silicon carbide diode products have three series of 600V, 650V, and 1200V, and automotive-grade silicon carbide products have only one series of 650V. Infineon’s diodes have now developed to the fifth generation. Compared with other manufacturers’ diode structures, there are some differences. Infineon combines the advantages of Schottky diodes and PN junction diodes in order to improve the performance of diodes. For one, a P-type doped window is added to the N-type doped region of the Schottky diode. With technological upgrades, Infineon’s fifth-generation diodes have reduced conduction losses by 30% compared to previous generation products, and their anti-surge current capability is about 13 times higher than the rated current, greatly improving the safety of the system.
In terms of silicon carbide MOSFETs, Infineon's products also cover both automotive and industrial applications. Among them, industrial-grade single-tube silicon carbide MOSFETs have a withstand voltage of up to 1700V. Products with 650V and 1200V have also been developed, and there is only a 1200V series among automotive-grade products. Infineon’s silicon carbide MOSFET adopts advanced asymmetric trench semiconductor technology. After optimization, the turn-off loss is only 20% of that of IGBT in a working environment of 25°C, and the turn-off loss is only 20% of that of IGBT in a working environment of 175°C. 10% of IGBT, extremely low switching loss. When the load current is 15A, the forward voltage drop is only half of the IGBT, and the conduction loss is small. In the state of repeated freewheeling, Infineon's silicon carbide MOSFET can also be used as a fast recovery diode, and its performance is higher than that of ordinary diodes.
Source: Infineon
In May of this year, Infineon released a new vehicle-grade power module HybridPACK Drive CoolSiC. The module has a voltage rating of 1200V and has two versions with a rated current of 400A/200A. The power module uses CoolSiC trench MOSFET technology, used in the traction inverter of electric vehicles, can achieve up to 250kW of power, with high power density and high performance characteristics, to provide vehicles with longer battery life and higher Efficiency, reduce the battery cost of electric vehicles. According to Jung, head of Hyundai Motor’s electrification team, the use of Infineon’s CoolSiC power module can increase the range of electric vehicles by more than 5%.
In terms of cooperation, according to foreign media reports, Infineon and Japanese wafer manufacturer Showa Denko reached a cooperation in the supply of silicon carbide materials in May this year, ensuring Infineon's substrate demand for the development of silicon carbide. Prior to this, Infineon and Wolfspeed also signed a long-term silicon carbide wafer supply agreement to consolidate Infineon's dominant position in power devices in the automotive and industrial fields.
ROHM, the first Japanese company to launch silicon carbide power modules
ROHM has the capabilities of silicon carbide material production, wafer manufacturing, chip packaging and testing, and its silicon carbide products are quite influential in the industry. ROHM's silicon carbide products cover diodes, MOSFETs and power modules, and ROHM is the world's first manufacturer of silicon carbide power modules.
Source: ROHM
In July of this year, ROHM released the RGWxx65C series of IGBT products. The RGWxx65C series has a built-in SiC Schottky barrier diode in the feedback unit of the IGBT. Since the silicon carbide diode has no reverse recovery current, the RGWxx65C series of products are turned on. The loss is relatively low, and it has passed the certification of the AEC-Q101 standard for automotive regulations, and can be used in the industrial and automotive fields. According to ROHM, the switching loss of this series of products in the application of electric vehicle traction inverters is reduced by 67% compared with traditional IGBTs, and by 24% compared with SJ-MOSFETs. In terms of efficiency conversion, RGWxx65C series products can guarantee a high efficiency conversion of more than 97%. When the operating frequency is 100kHz, the conversion efficiency will be 3% higher than that of the traditional IGBT. In terms of production capacity, it is still in the sample stage. According to the plan, it will enter the mass production stage at a scale of 20,000 pieces per month in December this year.
In terms of silicon carbide diodes, ROHM's diodes have been developed to the third-generation products, among which the second-generation products have reached a maximum withstand voltage of 1200V, and the rated current is between 5A and 40A. The diodes of the third-generation products are mainly concentrated in 650V, between 2A and 20A. The design process of the JBS structure is adopted. Under the same working conditions, the third-generation anti-surge current capability is doubled compared with the second-generation products. , The conduction loss has also been reduced. At the same time, the leakage current of the third-generation product is only 1/20 of the previous-generation product.
In terms of silicon carbide MOSFET, ROHM has introduced the third-generation trench-gate silicon carbide MOSFET, which mainly includes two voltage levels of 650V and 1200V. The on-resistance of the third-generation trench-gate silicon carbide MOSFET is reduced by half compared to the second-generation planar silicon carbide MOSFET, thereby reducing system power consumption. Among them, the SCT3 series has improved the packaging process and adopted a 4-pin packaging process. According to ROHM officials, the 4-pin silicon carbide MOSFET has reduced switching losses by 35% compared to the three-pin package, thereby improving system efficiency.
In terms of capacity expansion, in order to meet the market's increasing market demand for silicon carbide power devices, ROHM began to expand the Apollo factory in 2019. The project will be completed at the end of 2020. It is expected to be officially put into operation in 2022. The area of the new factory will be nearly doubled. According to Mr. Tokken Suwon, Director of ROHM Technology Center, by 2025, ROHM's silicon carbide production capacity will be 16 times that of 2017.
