SiC Materials, Devices & Applications

SUMMARY

A $800M device market by 2015

The release of an SiC switch will launch this market and drive new developments in the automotive, industrial and IT fields. A $800M device market is thus forecasted by 2015.

It is now clear that the relative stagnation of the SiC power device market is partially due to a lack of reliable transistor technology. PFC business is the only one driving SiC device sales and the perspective for higher market penetration is mainly linked to decreasing device cost. Others applications are requesting a complete SiC switching cell (diode and transistor).

MOSFET has been investigated by major SiC R&D teams, but it seems more and more certain that JFET or BJT technologies may be released first on the market. With an expected SiC switch introduction by 2010, we forecast that SiC electronics can easily generate $800M revenues by 2015.

With the recent introduction of 4" diameter SiC material coupled with the ZMP® (Zero MicroPipe) technology acquired from IntrinSiC, US based Cree is now marketing a product able to fit with the power device makers main requirements. However, few of them have already entered in the production phase, and with the exception of Cree, Infineon and newcomer STMicroelectronics, no other player is commercially active in this segment.

SiC material cost and low diameter has always been mentioned as a restraint to justify low interest from the big names of this industry. So, now that these 2 parameters are getting solved, the truth is out there and certainly not so far away from the switch…

SiC device business is not yet the most exciting money-maker activity. We estimate the SiC-based power electronic devices 2006 sales should have generated something around $15 million revenues.

The only product commercially available is Schottky diode (SBD), now reaching 1200V and 20A range. This component is targeting numerous possible applications but is mostly used in high-end PFC (Power Factor Corrector) systems where it brings some impressive added value like better power oscillation avoidance and removal of numerous passive discrete components.

SiC switch introduction should definitely boost the market

Diodes and switches are living quite well together and even if the hybrid approach SiC-Silicon is an alternative, full SiC electronics are highly requested for numerous applications. To highlight this, hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV) is today using silicon-based IGBT and diodes in the inverter module to power the electric motor (30-50kW and more). This silicon chipset has to be cooled-down by a water based system to maintain device junction temperature around 85°C. However, it has to use a dedicated water-cooling system, different from the one in charge of the engine that can handle higher temperatures. One of the objectives of HEV car makers is to simplify this setup by implementing SiC-based electronics that can easily withstand 150°C and more. It will then allow using a single water-cooling system instead of 2. About 15% money saving on the power module could be so achieved. That approach only goes with a full-SiC electronics chipset and wont be realistic with an SiC-Silicon solution. In terms of requirements for this particular application, 1200V/100A SiC single chips would fit perfectly …

Up to now, main R&D efforts have been oriented to release the SiC MOSFET. Lots of announcements have been made (Rohm, Cree, Acreo, Toshiba…) but as a conclusion, the oxide reliability and poor electronic mobility issues remain partially unsolved. Even if MOSFET remains the most studied device, alternatives exist and J-FET or BJT are also under the scope of prestigious R&D groups.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Glossary

Executive summary

Market projection for SiC devices in various applications 2005-2015 p8

• 2007 noteworthy news
• 2006 noteworthy news
• Who's new on the market place since 2005 ?

SiC market segmentation and opportunities in the Silicon world p12

• Positioning of the SiC devices in the Silicon world
• Silicon vs. SiC device characteristics "Reality of silicon & expectations of SiC"
• Possible applications for SiC devices in power electronics
• SiC device applications roadmap
• Main applications accessible to SiC Specs / market data of today silicon devices
• Estimated accessible markets, growth rate, and time to market for SiC based power electronics
• Status of SiC-based devices in 2006
• 2006 Top-20 power electronics company revenues
• 2006 Top-20 company main products
• 2004-2009 estimation of the 600+ volts silicon IGBT market size: the SiC switch T.A.M. (1)
• 2004-2009 estimation of the 60+ volts silicon MOSFET market size: the SiC diode T.A.M. (2)
• 2006 silicon IGBT market shares per revenues
• 2004-2009 estimation of the 500+ volts silicon rectifiers (diode + Schottky) market size: the SiC diode T.A.M.
• Silicon rectifiers 2006 company market share per revenues
• Conclusion

SiC industry outlook

• Main SiC fabs in Europe
• Main SiC labs in Europe
• Main SiC fabs in the US
• Main SiC fabs in Japan
• Main SiC fabs in Asia (Apart of Japan)
• Some recent strategies and choices for power devices technology
• Research Programs. France: G2REC
• Research Programs. Europe: MANSiC
• Research Programs. Japan: Development of Inverter Systems for Power Electronics

Power Factor Corrector Market

• Introduction
• Power supply market analysis: The PFC T.A.M.
• PFC market main metrics
• SiC vs. Silicon diodes
• SiC main added-value in a PFC circuits
• PFC efficiency comparison as a function of junction T° and Schottky diodes type (Si, SiC and GaN)
• Comparison of Si, SiC or GaN diodes cost in a PFC module
• TOP 15 OEM power supply manufacturers and related involvement in SiC
• SiC device main market requirements for PFC applications
• SiC Schottky diodes 2006 market status
• SiC Schottky diodes manufacturing metrics
• 2006 SBD cost breakdown model From 3" wafer to 6A packaged dies
• From SiC epi-ready wafers to marketed devices 2006 n-type SBD added-value analysis (lot > 100 substrates)
• 2010 SBD cost breakdown model projection From 4" wafer to 6A packaged dies
• Roadmap for Schottky ASP 2002 - 2012
• SiC Schottky diodes Devices specs roadmap (R&D)
• 2005-2012 SiC Schottky diodes market forecasts in units and revenues for PFC
• 2003-2012 SiC Schottky diodes wafers consumption for PFC business
• 2003-2012 substrate market value for SiC Schottky diodes in PFC business
• Current SiC SBD available products
• Conclusion and perspectives

The HEV market

• Why SiC in cars ?
• Projection of market shares of EV, HEV & FCV over ICE to 2020
• Sales projection for HEV to 2015 in million units
• 2002-2012 Power semiconductors market size in passenger cars
• Current device technologies in use
• 2 key power modules: DC-DC boost converter and DC-AC inverter
• Expected improvements of SiC introduction in HEV
• The TOP 5 key requirements for power transistors in HEV (according to Toyota)
• Roadmap for operation voltage in HEV
• Industrial food chain and typical market prices from modules to power train
• Added value analysis of SiC electronics for HEV: fuel consumption and money savings
• Overview of Toyota HEV power module
• HEV current inverter module cost breakdown
• Silicon vs. SiC HEV inverter cost breakdown
• Sales volume projection for SiC diodes and transistors in automotive applications
• Sales revenues projection for SiC diodes and transistors in automotive applications
• 4" SiC substrate volume projection for SiC devices in HEV
• Conclusion: perspective for SiC devices in the HEV

UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) market

• Global UPS market: Market value, main uses and worldwide consumption
• UPS vendors market shares
• UPS products segments
• UPS architectures examples
• 2006-2015 SiC device market forecasts in UPS applications
• 2006-2015 SiC substrate market forecasts in USP applications
• Conclusion: SiC success chances in the UPS segment

Industrial motor AC drives market

• AC drives applications
• Motor drives history
• AC drives market generalities
• 2006-2012 projection for AC drives market as a function of power range
• Less than 10 % of electric motors in the world are fitted with an AC drive.
• AC drives Total Accessible Market Volumes
• AC drives market shares
• AC Drives Supply-Chain
• AC drives electronic architecture
• SiC in AC drives: Results from Rockwell Automation
• SiC in AC drives: Others initiatives
• Total Accessible Market for SiC in AC Drives
• 2006-2015 SiC device market forecasts in AC drive applications
• 2006-2015 SiC substrates market forecasts in AC drive applications
• Conclusion: Success chances for SiC in drives applications

Wind Power Market. Converters for wind turbines

• Annual installed capacity forecast
• Annual installed capacity geographical breakdown
• Wind turbine architecture
• Wind turbine generators and power converters
• Variable speed wind power electrical characteristics
• Variable speed wind turbine inverters
• Variable speed wind turbine inverters
• Industrial food chain
• TOP-10 Wind turbine suppliers in 2006
• Wind turbines market trends
• AC-AC converter annual needs (units)
• Main market drivers for SiC in wind power field
• Industry involvement with SiC
• Conclusions

Inverters for solar panels

• Electric parameter of solar cells
• Solar market segmentation
• Annual production of solar cells in GW, breakdown by technology
• 2005-2015 solar installation price evolution in $/W
• Inverter module key parameters
• Cost breakdown of a solar installation and inverter cost in $/kW
• Solar inverter nominal power
• Electrical features
• Trends in PV voltage
• Electronic devices in PV inverters
• Solar inverter main manufacturers
• Conclusions

SiC substrates market

• State-of-art in SiC crystal growth
• SiC material type vs. applications
• From powder to SiC epi-ready wafers Sublimation (PVT) technique
• SiC crystal growth techniques comparison table
• Main SiC material manufacturing site locations Bulk or epi-foundry
• 2006 estimated SiC substrates monthly production (2" equ.)
• Material polytypes, doping & orientation commercially available
• 2006 SiC substrate vendors market shares
• SiC epi-house and epi-service offers
• Wafers diameter evolution in production for Power Electronics
• Wafers diameter evolution in production for HB-LED
• Wafers diameter evolution in production for GaN/SiC RF devices
• 2004-2012 SiC row substrates price evolution for various material types
• Average $/mm² price for SiC row substrates
• Examples of current SiC wafer price
• Estimation of the CREE captive SiC substrates market for LED
• Sublimation reactors yield
• SiC epitaxy: typical process time
• Overview of SiC epi-reactors installed-base (non-exhaustive list)
• 2005-2015 forecasts for SiC substrates market in power electronics
• Conclusion: Where and what to sell, epi or bulk?

SiC Device Technologies

• $/mm² process cost for SiC substrate, SBD and FET
• SiC component costs breakdown comparison: 2006 status
• SiC power devices:
  • chips size and power density (2006)
• Current density: SiC material price pushes for high A/mm²
• Current density (A/mm²) roadmap for SiC devices in production
• SiC switches: who is active?
• SiC MOSFET Transistors
• MOSFET Transistors Companies involvement
• 2010 MOSFET cost breakdown model projection
  • From 4" wafer to 1200V/100A packaged dies
• Tentative forecast for FET structure $/mm² evolution
• Silicon vs. Silicon Carbide MOSFET
• Silicon vs. Silicon Carbide MOSFET
• SiC MOSFET: state-of-the-art
• Example of product : Cree : 350V, 10A 4H-SiC Power MOSFET
• Example of product : Rohm : 900V; 7.15mΩcm² Power MOSFET
• Example of company roadmaps Renesas: 500V and beyond MOSFET
• SiC Bipolar diodes (PiN)
• SiC PiN diodes: state-of-the-art
• Exemple of device: Cree 8.6 kV, 4H-SiC PiN Diode
• SiC JFET state-of-the-art
• SiC BJT: state-of-the-art

General conclusion

Company profile: CREE

Annexes

• HEV market and inverter technology
• SiC power converter demonstrators
• GaAs Schottky diodes