Markets for Silicon Carbide Devices Olivier Nowak, WTC

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Markets for Silicon Carbide DevicesOlivier
Nowak, WTC Wicht Technologie Consulting,
MunichEPE 2005September 12, 2005
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Agenda

• 1 Context
• 2 Markets
• Drivers and Challenges
• Conclusion

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WTC Wicht Technologie Consulting

• Consulting company specialising in marketing of
  MEMS and microelectronics
• Founded in 2000
• Located in Munich
• Business
• Market analysis
• Business development
• Strategy planning
• Setup of EU projects
• 8 consultants

• Some customers
• Infineon
• Matsushita
• Süss MicroTec
• EVG
• CEA LETI
• ARC Seibersdorf
• Studies
• NEXUS MST market analysis
• RF MEMS
• SiC

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Position of SiC on the hype curve
Ca. 1997
First SiC wafers
Visibility
2009
today
Thanks to the Gartner Group for formalising the
hype curve
SiC diodes ramping up, transistors starting
Technology trigger
Peak of inflated expectations
Trough of disillusionment
Slope of enlightenment
Plateau of productivity
Time
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Industry players for SiC devices

• Wide bandgap specialists
• e.g. Cree, Intrinsic, Semisouth, SiCED
• Semiconductor companies
• e.g. Infineon, Toshiba, Hitachi,
  STMicroelectronics, Fairchild, Rohm
• Suppliers of aerospace/defense industry
• e.g. Dynex, International Rectifiers, Microsemi,
  Kulite
• System companies
• e.g. General Electric, Rockwell Scientific,
  Areva, Siemens
• Car makers/suppliers
• e.g. Toyota/Nippondenso, Nissan

and suppliers of SiC wafers
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SiC Products and RD
PiN diodes Soon (lt 2 years) Cree GE Rockwell
Thyristors Cree GE
Schottky diodes 10m already Cree Infineon/SiCED D
ynex EcoTron GE Mitsubishi Rohm Semisouth Int.
Rectifier Rockwell STMicroelectronics
MOSFET Before 2009 Cree Fairchild Mitsubishi Nippo
ndenso Philips Rohm
JFET/SIT emerging Northrop Semisouth Cree Infineon
/SiCED Hitachi Intrinsic Toshiba Rockwell,
SiC devices
MESFET 3m already Cree New Japan Radio
BJT
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Market for SiC devices
20042009 market for SiC devices

• 2004 13m
• 2009 53m
• Annual growth rate 25
• ¾ diodes, ¼ transistors
• Main applications
• Power supplies
• Power amplifiers
• Motor drives (in 2009)
• Negligible contributions from non-power devices

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Non-power SiC devices

• Gas sensors
• Research by AppliedSensor (S) for automotive
  exhaust gas
• Availability gtgt 5 years
• UV sensors (market lt 500K)
• Two devices (sglux, IFW) available, based on Cree
  chips
• Small area limits applications
• Pressure sensors
• On-demand production by Kulite
• RD by FLX Micro, STMicroelectronics
• Radiation sensors
• Prototype by Westinghouse (Siemens)

Gas sensor from Boston Microelectronics
UV sensor from IFW
Pressure sensor from Kulite
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Drivers for SiC Markets

• Smaller power supplies
• Increased reliability a bonus
• Ever hungrier microprocessors
• Energy-efficient motor drives
• SiC diodes a first step, combination SiC
  diodeSiC transistor is target
• Smaller size a bonus
• Industry and household (air conditioner)
  applications
• High (ambient) temperature operation not a major
  driver
• SOI is enough for automotive (at least for now)
• Aerospace up to 300C also with SOI
• Niche markets above gt400C require packaging

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Market challenges
Situation Prognosis
In practice only one source of wafers which also happens to commercialise devices Getting better after 2007
Price too high Still several times that of comparably rated Si devices Slow improvement
Using SiC needs redesign No way around
SOI entrenched As long as price issue remains
Patent lock stifling market Diodes especially Repeat
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Applications fields and preferred active materials

• Power (non-RF)
• Low power Si
• High power, mass markets SOI
• High value, high reliability (IT, medical) SiC
• High temperature
• lt200C SOI
• 200-400C undecided (active-cooled SOI or SiC)
• gt 400C SiC, when RD is over
• RF power undecided (GaN? SiC? LDMOS? GaAs?)

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Conclusion

• 13m SiC device market in 2004
• 75 Schottky diodes
• Expected to grow to gt50m in 2009
• Technical challenges are receding, but economic
  challenges remain
• Scarcity of wafer sources
• Cost of redesign
• Role casting of materials is emerging
• SiC for niche power
• GaN for RF power (t.b.c.)
• SOI for power and high temperature
• Most common application of SiC as a semiconductor
  material is as a substrate for GaN (uses gt90 of
  wafer production)
• Today LEDs and LD, possibly HEMT tomorrow

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Silicon Carbide Electronics Markets 20042009

• Available now from WTC
• 220 pages
• 35 company profiles
• 3000
• Contact
• Olivier Nowak
• olivier.nowak_at_wtc-consult.de