Challenges in Accelerating Power SiC Device Commercialization

There are several reasons behind silicon's dominance of the power electronics market. Silicon is renowned for its excellent starting material quality, its ease of processing, the opportunity for low-cost mass production, proven reliability, and circuit design legacy. However, despite significant progress, silicon devices are now approaching their operational limits. They are held back by their relatively low bandgap and low critical electric field, traits that result in high conduction and switching losses and a substandard high-temperature performance. To address these shortcomings, much effort has been directed at increasing the competitiveness of commercial SiC power devices.