Focus on industry trends and promote the development of silicon carbide technology
As the core technology direction of next-generation power semiconductors, the main advantage of SiC (silicon carbide) compared with traditional IGBT modules is that the switching loss is greatly reduced. Mitsubishi Electric started research on this technology as early as 1994. After 24 years, Mitsubishi Electric has successfully developed the first and second generation silicon carbide chips and achieved mass production. In addition, Dr. Gourab Majumdar said, "Mitsubishi Electric is trying to convert to the third generation."
Why is Mitsubishi Electric's commitment to R&D and product storage for SiC technology? Dr.GourabMajumdar made a technical interpretation. Compared with monocrystalline silicon, silicon carbide has high temperature resistance (the maximum temperature of single crystal silicon is 170 ° C, while silicon carbide can withstand 200 ° C), low power consumption (compared with single crystal silicon, Reduced consumption by 70%), high reliability applications and other advantages. As a power component with its own energy-saving function, silicon carbide naturally has advantages and can open up new markets. According to reports, Mitsubishi Electric's 6-inch silicon carbide production line is located in Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan, and is scheduled to be mass-produced in 2019.
At present, the application fields of inverter devices based on silicon carbide power devices are expanding. Despite the cost factor, the market penetration of silicon carbide power devices is very low, but with the advancement of technology, the cost of silicon carbide will drop rapidly, and it will become the mainstream product in the power semiconductor market in the future.
For the application prospects of silicon carbide power devices, Dr. Gourab Majumdar admits, "At present, the market is in the transition period from monocrystalline silicon to silicon carbide. We are very much looking forward to this market becoming more mature, and Mitsubishi Electric will also be in this field. More performance, providing more abundant and better products to customers."
