Summary of DRIVING DOWN THE ON RESISTANCE OF SILICON CARBIDE TRANSISTORS
UnitedSiC has introduced four new silicon carbide (SiC) transistors featuring the world's lowest on-resistance in standard packages, targeting electric vehicle traction and circuit protection. These devices utilize a third-generation platform combining a silicon MOSFET cascode with an SiC JFET to optimize performance. The lineup includes one 650V device and three 1200V variants, available in TO247 packages with specific switching speeds for general or high-performance applications.
Parts used in the UnitedSiC SiC Transistor Project:
- Silicon Carbide SiC transistors
- 650V rated FET device
- 1200V rated FET devices
- TO247 package
- Silicon MOSFET cascode
- Silicon carbide JFET
- UJ3C general purpose parts
- UF fast parts
UnitedSiC has developed silicon carbide transistors in standard packages with the world’s lowest on resistance. Chris Dries, CEO, talks to Nick Flaherty about the significance of the move.
UnitedSiC has launched four silicon carbide SiC transistors with the world’s lowest on resistance RDS(on) to open up new applications.
What we are doing is pretty incredible for the industry with an on resistance on under 10 mΩ in a standard package,” said Chris Dries, CEO of United SIC, talking to eeNews Power. “This is a real milestone for United SiC. The flagship market for us is electric vehicles, particularly in traction, but circuit protection is a new area now enabled by the low rds on,” he said.
Of the four new SiC FET devices, one is rated at 650V with RDS(on) of 7 mΩ and three rated at 1200V with RDS(on) of 9 and 16 mΩ. These are available in a TO247 package with three or four pins.
This is an extension of the third generation platform – the maturation of the process in the fab enables us to go to these large die at high volume” said Dries. “We have created two different types of FET depending on the switching speeds – the UJ3C is general purpose that is easy as a drop in replacement, while the UF fast parts are designed for high performance hard switched.
This comes from the design of the parts, which uses a silicon MOSFET, or cascode, alongside a JFET built in silicon carbide.
The silicon cascode MOSFET that we make is stacked on top of the JFET,” he said. “The way we are able to do it is because the underlying technology of the JFET – RDS(on) per unit area – at 1200V our specific on resistance is half at 1200V and at 650V is a quarter. That’s the key differentiator that allow us to do this where other cannot.”
“The problem with SiC is that it does not like to form a gate oxide,” said Dries. “What we have done is use the perfect oxide of silicon as the gate interface and then we have the SiC JFET with the lowest specific rds on, so we optimise the performance of both FETs. Its really hard to do it successfully but once you can it’s the best way,” he added.
Read more: DRIVING DOWN THE ON RESISTANCE OF SILICON CARBIDE TRANSISTORS
- What is the significance of UnitedSiC's new transistor launch?
The launch introduces four SiC transistors with the world's lowest on-resistance under 10 mΩ in standard packages, enabling new applications like circuit protection. - How does the design of these transistors achieve low resistance?
The design stacks a silicon MOSFET cascode on top of a silicon carbide JFET, utilizing the perfect oxide of silicon as the gate interface. - What are the voltage ratings of the new devices?
One device is rated at 650V, while three others are rated at 1200V. - Can these transistors be used as drop-in replacements?
Yes, the UJ3C general-purpose parts are designed to be easy drop-in replacements. - Which market is the flagship application for these devices?
The flagship market is electric vehicles, particularly in traction applications. - What makes the specific on-resistance differentiator unique?
At 1200V, the specific on-resistance is half that of competitors, and at 650V it is a quarter, allowing for large die sizes at high volume. - Are there different types of FETs based on switching speed?
Yes, the UJ3C is for general use, while the UF fast parts are designed for high-performance hard switching. - What package type are these transistors available in?
The devices are available in a TO247 package with either three or four pins.
