Accelerating silicon carbide innovation to power the transition to electrification

onsemi has introduced its latest generation silicon carbide technology platform, EliteSiC M3e MOSFETs. The company also disclosed plans to release multiple additional generations through 2030.

“The future of electrification is dependent on advanced power semiconductors. Today’s infrastructure cannot keep up with the world’s demands for more intelligence and electrified mobility without significant innovations in power. This is critical to the ability to achieve global electrification and stop climate change,” said Simon Keeton, group president, Power Solutions Group, onsemi. “We are setting the pace for innovation, with plans to significantly increase power density in our silicon carbide technology roadmap through 2030 to be able to meet the growing demands for energy and enable the global transition to electrification.”

The MOSFETs will play a fundamental role in providing the performance and reliability of next-generation electrical systems at lower cost per kW, therefore, influencing the adoption and effectiveness of electrification initiatives. With the ability to operate at higher switching frequencies and voltages while minimising power conversion losses, this platform is essential for a wide range of automotive and industrial applications such as EV powertrains, DC fast chargers, solar inverters and energy storage solutions. Also, the MOSFETs will allow the transition to more efficient, higher-power data centres to meet the exponentially increasing energy demands that power a sustainable AI engine.

Through the company’s unique design engineering and manufacturing capabilities, the MOSFETs achieve a notable reduction in conduction and switching losses on the trusted and field-proven planar architecture. Compared to previous generations, the platform can reduce conduction losses by 30% and turn-off losses by up to 50%1. By extending the life of SiC planar MOSFETs and delivering industry-leading performance with EliteSiC M3e technology, the company can ensure the robustness and stability of the platform, making it a preferred choice for critical electrification applications.

The MOSFETs also provide the industry’s lowest specific on-resistance (RSP) with short circuit capability which is critical for the traction inverter market that dominates SiC volume. Packaged in the company’s state-of-the-art discrete and power modules, the 1200V M3e die delivers substantially more phase current than previous EliteSiC technology, resulting in approximately 20% more output power in the same traction inverter housing. Conversely, a fixed power level can now be designed with 20% less SiC content, saving costs while enabling the design of smaller, lighter and more reliable systems.

Also, the company provides a broader portfolio of intelligent power technologies including gate drivers, DC-DC converters, e-Fuses and more to pair with the EliteSiC M3e platform. The end-end company combination of optimised, co-engineered power switches, drivers and controllers enable advanced features via integration, lowering overall system cost.

“We are applying our decades of experience in power semiconductors to push the boundaries of speed and innovation in our engineering and manufacturing capabilities to meet the rising global energy demands,” said Dr Mrinal Das, senior director of technical marketing, Power Solutions Group, onsemi. “There is a huge technical interdependency between the materials, device and package in silicon carbide. Having full ownership over these key aspects allows us to have control over the design and manufacturing process and bring new generations to market much faster.”