Page 49 - EETimes Europe June 2021

EE|Times EUROPE 49

OPINION | MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
PCIM conference that he has no doubt about
The Next Wave of GaN the advantages of SiC compared with Si-based
solutions. Those include higher efficiency due
to lower switching losses, as well as lower sys-
and SiC tem size, cost, and weight because of higher
switching frequencies and smaller cooling
systems. However, “silicon carbide can be
switched very fast, and any parasitic induc-
By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio tance can cause problems because of ringing
and, with that, overshoots and undershoots,
which cause EMC issues and can damage your
GALLIUM NITRIDE AND SILICON CARBIDE are designated system,” said Rommerswinkel. “This is some-
wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors based on the energy required thing you need to consider if you use
to shift electrons in these materials from the valence to the con- silicon carbide: Reliability and data such as
duction band — about 3.2 eV for SiC and 3.4 eV for GaN, compared the behavior of the subthreshold, the ava-
with just 1.1 eV for silicon. The WBG properties lead to a higher lanche capability, or the body diode stability
applicable breakdown voltage, which can reach up to 1,700 V in some are only some parameters to consider.”
applications. At this year’s digital-only PCIM Europe, held in May, SiC devices have benchmark switching
several companies showed their latest innovations in GaN and SiC performance of much higher frequencies
and offered insights on where WBG technology is headed. than silicon and virtually no reverse recov-
The GaN power-device market doubled in 2020, highlighting the impressive growth of smart- ery. Furthermore, this superior and stable
phone fast chargers and hinting at what’s to come in telecom and automotive markets, according switching performance is independent of
to Yole Développement. Yole expects the GaN consumer power supply market to be the main temperature. SiC’s ability to withstand higher
driver, representing more than 60% of the market in 2026. The total GaN device market is fore- operating voltage, current, and switching
cast to grow from US$46 million in 2020 to about US$1.1 billion in 2026, with a CAGR of 70%. frequency — together with its high efficiency
During the PCIM event, EPC highlighted its GaN technology for time-of-flight/LiDAR systems and excellent thermal management — makes
targeting an increasing array of applications, from drones to robotics to autonomous vehicles this semiconductor the ideal replacement for
and even vacuum cleaners. Nexperia, meanwhile, has announced its latest second-generation silicon in several power applications, includ-
GaN technology. Yole asserted that, in the long term, in cases where GaN has proven its reli- ing automotive. Used in EV traction inverters,
ability and high-current capabilities at a lower price, the technology could penetrate the more SiC is confirmed to support longer range and
challenging EV/HEV inverter market and the conservative industrial market, which could create more efficient drive-cycle performance.
remarkable volume opportunities for GaN. In fact, Nexperia and VisIC are working on GaN solu- The price/performance trends for different
tions that are intended to compete with SiC and silicon in xEV inverters. material device types are continually evolving.
New SiC designs are also emerging to meet growing high-power requirements for electric Therefore, a standardized power loss evalu-
vehicles. SiC remains considerably more expensive than silicon, however, and silicon technol- ation tool that considers all types of devices
ogy also continues to advance, with three-level and other silicon circuit topologies emerging to from across the market is necessary for hard-
improve efficiency. Therefore, it’s important to identify applications in which the energy savings ware engineers to make the best decisions. ■
or other technical advantages achievable with SiC are sufficient to justify the cost. The econom-
ics might sometimes work in silicon’s favor. Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio is editor-in-chief of
Marc Rommerswinkel, principal client engagement manager at Microchip, said during the Power Electronics News and EEWeb.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

www.eetimes.eu | JUNE 2021