In electronics and semiconductor applications, the main advantages of SiC are:
High thermal conductivity 120-270 W/mK
Low coefficient of thermal expansion 4.0x10^-6/°C
High maximum current density
The combination of these three characteristics gives SiC superior electrical conductivity, especially when compared to silicon, SiC's more popular cousin. The material characteristics of SiC make it very advantageous for high power applications where high current, high temperature and high thermal conductivity are required.
In recent years, SiC has become a key player in the semiconductor industry, powering MOSFETs, Schottky diodes and power modules for use in high-power, high-performance applications. Although they are more expensive than silicon MOSFETs, which are typically limited to a breakdown voltage of 900 V, SiC allows a threshold voltage of nearly 10 kV.
SiC also has very low switching losses and can maintain high operating frequencies, allowing it to achieve efficiency unrivaled to date, especially in applications operating at voltages greater than 600 volts. When properly applied, SiC devices can reduce converter and inverter system losses by nearly 50%, size by 300%, and overall system cost by 20%. This reduction in overall system size makes SiC extremely useful in weight and space sensitive applications.
