SiC bipolar devices for high power and integrated drivers

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor devices for high power applications are now commercially available as discrete devices. The first SiC device to reach the market was the unipolar Schottky diode. Active switching devices such as bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), field effect transistors (JFETs and MOSFETs) are now being offered in the voltage range up to 1.2 kV. SiC material quality and epitaxy processes have greatly improved and degradation free 100 mm wafers are readily available, which has removed one obstacle for the introduction of bipolar devices. The SiC wafer roadmap looks very favorable as volume production takes off. Other advantages of SiC are the possibility of high temperature operation (> 300 °C) and in radiation hard environments, which could offer considerable system advantages. Thanks to the mature SiC process technology, low-power integrated circuits are now also viable. Such circuits could find use in integrated drivers operating at elevated temperatures.