Microchip Launches Industry Leading 3.3 kV Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Devices

     System designers of traction power unit (TPU), auxiliary power unit (APU), solid state transformer (SST), industrial motor drive and energy infrastructure solutions need to use high-voltage switch technology to improve efficiency and reliability, and reduce system size and weight. Microchip Technology Inc announced the expansion of its silicon carbide product portfolio, and introduced the 3.3 kV silicon carbide MOSFET with the lowest on resistance [RDS (on)] and the silicon carbide SBD with the highest rated current in the industry, so that designers can make full use of its durability, reliability and performance. Microchip's expanded silicon carbide portfolio facilitates designers of electrified transportation, renewable energy, aerospace and industrial applications to develop smaller, lighter and more efficient solutions.

     Many silicon based designs have reached the limit in terms of improving efficiency, reducing system costs and application innovation. Although high-voltage silicon carbide provides an effective alternative to achieve these goals, the market supply of 3.3 kV silicon carbide power devices is still limited so far. Microchip has been able to provide silicon carbide solutions such as 700V, 1200V and 1700V bare chips, discrete devices, modules and digital gate drivers. The addition of 3.3 kV MOSFET and SBD has enriched this series of solutions.

     Microchip's 3.3 kV silicon carbide power devices include MOSFETs with the industry's lowest on resistance of 25 milliohms (mOhm) and SBDs with the industry's highest current rating of 90 amperes. Both MOSFET and SBD are available in die or package form. These higher levels of performance can help designers simplify design, create higher power systems, and use fewer parallel components to achieve smaller, lighter, and more efficient power solutions.

     Leon Gross, Vice President of Microchip's Discrete Products Business Unit, said: "We focus on developing solutions that can provide customers with the ability to quickly realize system innovation, and help their final products to gain competitive advantages more quickly. Our new 3.3 kV silicon carbide power product series enables customers to easily, quickly and confidently adopt high-voltage silicon carbide. Compared with silicon based design, customers can benefit from many advantages brought by this exciting technology."

     In the past three years, Microchip has released hundreds of silicon carbide power devices and solutions to ensure that designers can find the right voltage, current and package to meet their application needs. When designing all silicon carbide MOSFETs and SBDs, Microchip keeps customers' trust in mind and provides industry-leading product durability and reliability. The company follows the practice that customers decide when to stop production. As long as customers need, Microchip will continue to produce these products.

     Customers can combine Microchip's silicon carbide products with the company's other devices, including 8-bit, 16 bit and 32-bit MCU, power management devices, analog sensors, touch and gesture controllers, and wireless connectivity solutions, so as to build a complete system solution at a lower total system cost.