Wolfspeed SiC Power Devices Guide
Complete guide to Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices. Learn about SiC MOSFETs, SiC diodes, and why they're revolutionizing power electronics in EV, renewable energy, and industrial applications.
Complete guide to Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices. Learn about SiC MOSFETs, SiC diodes, and why they're revolutionizing power electronics in EV, renewable energy, and industrial applications.
Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor material that offers significant advantages over traditional silicon (Si) in power electronics applications. Wolfspeed, formerly Cree's Power and RF division, is the global leader in SiC technology.
SiC devices have lower switching losses and conduction losses compared to silicon IGBTs and MOSFETs. This translates to higher system efficiency, often 2-5% improvement.
SiC can operate at junction temperatures up to 200°C or higher, compared to 150°C for silicon. This enables smaller cooling systems and higher power density.
SiC devices can switch at much higher frequencies (100kHz+) compared to silicon IGBTs (20kHz). This allows smaller magnetics and passive components.
SiC's wider bandgap enables higher breakdown voltages with thinner drift regions, reducing on-resistance for high-voltage devices.
While SiC devices cost more than silicon, system-level savings from smaller cooling, magnetics, and enclosures often result in lower total cost.
Higher efficiency and switching frequency enable more compact designs, critical for space-constrained applications like EVs.
Wolfspeed's C3M SiC MOSFET family offers industry-leading performance with the industry's lowest on-resistance and highest quality.
Applications: EV charging, server power, telecom
View 650V MOSFETsApplications: Motor drives, welding, UPS
View 900V MOSFETsApplications: EV inverters, grid-tie solar, industrial
View 1200V MOSFETsSiC Schottky diodes offer zero reverse recovery, enabling higher efficiency and reduced EMI in power factor correction (PFC) and rectifier circuits.
Applications: PFC, boost converters, rectifiers
Applications: Solar inverters, EV chargers, industrial
SiC is enabling the EV revolution with higher efficiency inverters, onboard chargers, and DC-DC converters. Smaller size and lighter weight extend vehicle range.
Benefits: 5-10% range extension, faster charging
SiC enables higher efficiency solar inverters with smaller size and lower cooling requirements. Critical for utility-scale and residential solar.
Benefits: 99%+ efficiency, higher power density
Industrial motor drives, welding equipment, and power supplies benefit from SiC's high efficiency and reliability in harsh environments.
Benefits: Reduced energy costs, compact designs
Server power supplies, telecom rectifiers, and consumer adapters achieve higher efficiency and power density with SiC.
Benefits: Titanium efficiency, compact size
Determine RMS and peak current requirements. Consider derating for temperature and reliability. Wolfspeed devices offer excellent current density.
Our technical team can help you select the right SiC devices for your application. Contact us for samples, evaluation kits, and design support.