Page 57 - Power Electronics News - December 2020

Semiconductors Semiconductors

voltage, it may be even more advanced than just from several points of view. So silicon carbide, can see there’s a lot of people offering even 650 come for silicon carbide, similar modules for

making a Schottky. the substrate material is difficult to make, and volt devices now. So I think all of this discrete many vendors. So that’ll help people to use them
that’s why it took a little while for the six inch offering many package types, voltage classes, more. And those are the applications.
Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (15:39): So this material to become of high enough quality that RDS on classes, it’s going to become very big,
integrate- we could release these very low resistance kind of like silicon. Following in the footsteps of Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (20:59): So thank
devices, like seven milli-ohm 650 volt, nine milli- Silicon. Main application areas we are serving? you so much, Anup. Thanks for your time.
Anup Bhalla (15:40): Low voltages, I think ohm, 1200 volt. But it’s become so good now Automotive, battery charging, the server and the
Schottkys will remain. that we can think about releasing devices down, telecom, our supplies with our 650 volt devices, Anup Bhalla (21:03): [crosstalk 00:21:02].
we have 5 milli-ohm and below, right? So but it energy storage. But for us, one very important
Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (15:43): Yeah. So takes awhile. And I expect the same thing will area is solid state breakers and solid state power Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (21:03): I really

this integration will give benefits for power losses happen when we move to eight-inch. The same controllers, trying to replace DC contactors. appreciated your time. Very nice to talk with you.
if I understand well? problem because in GaN as well, because you So thank you. Thank you so much.
grow GaN on silicon, you’re growing a material Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (20:01): Yes.
Anup Bhalla (15:50): Yeah. I think if the that’s not lattice matched to the substrate. And Anup Bhalla (21:08): Nice to talk to you.
integration of the Schottky inside the MOSFET so there’s a lot of challenges balancing the stress Anup Bhalla (20:01): It’s a very challenging Thanks Maurizio. Bye.
means if you make a half bridge, you’ve got and keeping good quality. It works well at six inch application because of the cost and all of this,
normal bipolar store charge, you’ve got Schottky now. And with the passage of time, it’ll start to but very promising because you can do so many Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (21:15): Okay.

like diode recovery. And if you want to turn the work well at eight inch as well. things with solid state switches. And then we
gate on, then you can even remove the knee also have JFETs that we are making and selling
voltage of the Schottky, the one volt knee, gone. Anup Bhalla (18:26): So at the same, they’re for people to integrate into fly back converters.
So conduction losses come down. running sort of similar types of challenges in So there’s the beginning of more such integration
very different materials. But of course, Silicon where there’s an IC, like a driver plus the FET,
Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio (16:10): Yeah. Carbide’s been doing this for a much longer time. or a half bridge driver plus those FETs, this
Okay, good. So the market, as you know, is Now, what we can expect from a technology integration, it can be a solution to a lot of
continuing its race towards I guess for more improvement point of view is given that these challenges of high speed packaging that you were
power, if even more power. And you told me material challenges are under good control, talking about before.

about silicone carbide, and we know that silicon at least for Silicon Carbide, we see that every
carbide and gallium nitride semiconductors two to three years we will be reducing our Anup Bhalla (20:35): And so I think
bring advantages over silicon semiconductor RDSA[MDPE3] . What resistance you get from integration in the next few years is definitely
for a lot of power application. So how are what for chip area by factors of two. There’s going to happen, right? You see a lot of power
designers working with these new, if we can a long way to go in Silicon Carbide. So we will modules from different companies, but so far our
say, semiconductors have to face some real life release a generation four soon which reduces our modules have been very specific or customized. GO TO WEB ARTICLE >
challenges in terms of design, but also substrate own resistance per unit area by two times. And I’m confident that standard power modules will

wafer, and so on. What do we expect for the then, again, in a few years we will do the same.
next generation? What does the future hold for So this will really help bring the cost down.
silicone carbide? But also a look for again, if you And I hope with all the volume growth that is For More Information
would suggest me something. In what areas, so happening now, that reduces cost by itself just
you think that there will be a good opportunity from having high volume.
for a good expansion of technology sales for a ▶ UnitedSiC
good leadership in the market? Anup Bhalla (19:20): So it looks very good
for Silicon Carbide to have more cost effective, ▶ SiC Technology
Anup Bhalla (17:31): So I’ll give you an answer much higher technology products. And then you

56 DECEMBER 2020 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com DECEMBER 2020 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 57