Silicon Carbide Market

Updated on : July 19, 2023

[236 Pages Report] The global The Silicon Carbide Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $1.8 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $11.1 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 36.4% from 2023 to 2028. The new research study consists of an industry trend analysis of the market. Benefits of silicon carbide over silicon, Increasing use of SiC devices in power electronics, Higher mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of SiC than regular silicon, Growing investments by governments, private organizations, research institutes, and manufacturers to increase SiC production are among the factors driving the growth of the silicon carbide market.

Silicon Carbide Market Forecast to 2028

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Market Dynamics:

Driver:  Benefits of silicon carbide over silicon

Power applications demand smaller, more efficient solutions. SiC is ideal for replacing silicon in discrete components and power modules as it increases power density and ensures that the devices are accommodated in smaller packages. Due to their superior performance, SiC MOSFETs are widely used in power applications that require high switching frequency, voltage, current, and efficiency. The design and manufacturing of SiC devices are almost similar to ordinary Si devices, except for some differences, such as semiconductor materials. Unlike Si, which uses silicon, SiC has extra carbon atoms. These devices are highly reliable, energy-efficient,  robust, and withstand higher switching frequencies and operating voltages. High-power-density devices have simple designs that require fewer and smaller external components.

The SiC devices provide benefits such as higher energy efficiency and lower energy loss, thereby reducing operating costs and environmental damage. The design and manufacturing of SiC devices are almost similar to ordinary Si devices, except for some differences, including semiconductor materials. Unlike Si, which uses silicon, SiC has extra carbon atoms. Also, due to their higher power density, these devices are compact, thereby saving space and ensuring less weight. The high operating frequency allows the use of smaller passive components such as capacitors and inductors.

SiC devices, including MOSFETs, are suitable for various electronic power system switching applications. Their semiconductor materials and construction process allow them to withstand a combination of high voltage and fast switching that cannot be achieved with conventional power transistors. Generally, wide bandgap semiconductors are suitable for high power density applications, high operating voltage applications with low power consumption, and high RF output applications in wireless communications. Potential applications for SiC devices include power systems in automobiles, aircraft, traction drives, industrial drives, induction heating, server power supplies, battery chargers, and inverters. Consequently, the growing demand for more efficient use of power sources has led to constant developments in silicon-based technology and technologies using new wide bandgap materials such as silicon carbide (SiC). Devices using these new materials offer greater power and higher efficiency and are available in the market. These factors drive the growth of SiC-powered devices in the silicon carbide industry.

Restraint: Availability of substitute materials such as gallium nitride

Gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistors (FETs) enable higher levels of power density and efficiency than traditional silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Although both technologies have a wide bandgap, fundamental differences between GaN and SiC make one technology better than the other in specific topologies and applications. GaN can provide significant system-level cost savings by eliminating the number of active and passive components, enabling the use of smaller and lighter magnetic components, and reducing system cooling requirements. GaN is also expected to offer the lowest device cost. Also, GaN has higher electron mobility than SiC, which means GaN should be the best device for very high-frequency applications.

Furthermore, the most considerable difference between GaN and SiC lies in their electron mobility, which indicates how quickly electrons can move through the semiconductor material. SiC has an electron mobility of 650 cm^2/Vs, whereas GaN has an electron mobility of 2,000 cm^2/Vs, indicating electrons can move over 70% faster than SiC electrons. These factors are likely to substitute SiC with GaN. This can be a restraining factor for the silicon carbide market.
 
Opportunity: Evolving renewable energy applications of SiC

A sustainable future requires responsible power generation, and solar power is one of the fastest-growing options for consumers and industrial users. It is an appealing idea for system designers looking to extract the maximum amount of energy from the most apparent solar renewable energy source. However, harnessing this incredible power requires precision and reliability. The growing awareness of the importance of solar energy has led to increased research in the field of solar energy harvesting.

Silicon carbide devices allow solar power systems to achieve 98% efficiency while dramatically reducing inverter size and total cost of ownership in most cases. These converters can also operate at higher frequencies, greatly reducing the size and cost of the magnetic elements required, thereby reducing the overall system cost. These benefits enable the strategic use of clean and green energy in large-scale solar farms, home solar panels, and electric vehicle chargers.

Ecosystem players such as ON Semiconductor and WOLFSPEED INC. offer SiC devices for solar power systems. For instance, WOLFSPEED INC. provides a wide range of SiC MOSFETs and SiC diodes, whereas ON Semiconductor offers SiC discrete MOSFETs and SiC modules.

Challenge: Material defects and designing and packaging issues in SiC power devices

In SiC materials, micro-sized holes, known as micropipes, are found across the crystals. When manufacturing larger wafers, SiC devices are susceptible to various defects, such as dislocations, prototype inclusions, and stacking faults. These defects occur due to a non-optimal balance of silicon and carbon precursors and local instability in pressure or temperature. These defects affect the device efficiency and degrade its electrical characteristics.

There is a high level of complexity in designing SiC devices. The major challenge for designers is to achieve better efficiency while keeping the cost low and the structure less complex. Also, the varying requirements of different applications further increase the design complexities of the power and RF devices.

The packaging of these devices is vital for the performance of the circuits and systems in which these circuits will be installed. Moreover, the packaging is also essential when the devices operate at high temperatures; therefore, proper packaging must be done for the devices to perform desired operations; otherwise, it will result in a technical snag. Thus, packaging SiC power devices is a major challenge in the silicon carbide market.

Silicon Carbide Market Ecosystem

 Prominent companies in this market include well-established, financially stable manufacturers of silicon carbide solutions. These companies have been operating in the market for several years and possess a diversified product portfolio, state-of-the-art technologies, and strong global sales and marketing networks. Prominent companies in this market include STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland); Infineon Technologies AG (Germany); WOLFSPEED, INC. (North Carolina); ON Semiconductor Corporation (Arizona); ROHM Co., Ltd. (Kyoto); Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (Tokyo); Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo); Hitachi Ltd. (Japan); and Microchip Technology Inc. (Arizona).

By wafer size, up to 150 mm segment is expected to grow with the second higher CAGR during forecast

<300 Watt segment is expected to experience the second highest CAGR of 35.9% during the forecast period. The segment's growth can be attributed to the increasing use of these wafers to develop different types of high-voltage and high-frequency power electronics and fabricate electric circuits.

By device SiC discreet device segment is expected to grow with the second higher CAGR during the forecast period

The hardware segment is expected to witness the second highest CAGR of 29.2% during the forecast period. A discrete device is a single semiconductor-like diode or a transistor. Power transistors are an important class of discrete devices used in a range of applications to regulate voltage and help reduce power dissipation and heat generation. SiC, an emerging wide-bandgap power device, provides low and high-power applications at higher frequencies, addressing consumer electronics and high-power applications in networking, energy, transportation, and automotive sectors. SiC discrete devices are sole semiconductors that include SiC diodes and SiC MOSFETs. These are also known as wide-bandgap power devices. They can work at higher frequencies for low- and high-power applications in the automotive, power electronics, energy, and power grid sectors.

By ens-use application, others segment is expected to grow with the second highest CAGR during the forecast period

The others segment is expected to witness the second highest CAGR of 35.5% during the forecast period. Other end-use applications include space research and nuclear power. For instance, for space research applications, NASA used SiC devices in major projects and programs such as Orion Spacecraft to achieve power-related benefits; in the Advanced Space Power Systems project, NASA used SiC devices to achieve mass-related benefits, among others. Moreover, SiC devices have also been used in nuclear power generation as they can perform at high temperatures. Furthermore, according to the NASA Glenn Research Center, SiC electronics and sensors mounted in the hot engine and aerosurface areas of advanced aircraft would enable substantial weight savings, increased jet engine performance, and increased reliability

In 2028, Asia Pacific is projected to hold the largest share of the overall silicon carbide market

Silicon Carbide Market by Region

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Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 38.2%during the forecast period. Growing population, fast-track urbanization, and the increasing emphasis of regional governments on the adoption of EV’s are the key factors driving the market growth in Asia Pacific. For power semiconductor devices, the growing number of SiC power applications creates huge revenue potential in this region. This attracts several industry players to mass-commercialize SiC power semiconductor devices for several power applications, which, in turn, is increasing the revenue of SiC market players within the region. Moreover, key players offering silicon carbide devices, such as ROHM Co., Ltd., Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Renesas Electronics Corporation (Japan), Toshiba Corporation, and TanKeBlue Semiconductor Co. Ltd. (China), are based in this region. The market in this region is expected to grow at a significant pace, mainly led by the growing economies and an increasing number of small- and medium-scale businesses, along with mandatory regulations pertaining to digital transformation imposed by governments. Also, countries in this region such as China, India, and Japan are adopting EVs pertaining to carbon neutrality and shift towards renewable energy sources. Silicon Carbide Companies

Top Silicon Carbide Market Companies - Key Market Players:

Silicon Carbide Companies are Silicon Carbide CompaniesSignify Holding (Netherlands), Gavita International B.V. (Netherlands), GE Lighting (US), Current (US), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland); Infineon Technologies AG (Germany); WOLFSPEED, INC. (North Carolina); ON Semiconductor Corporation (Arizona); ROHM Co., Ltd. (Kyoto); Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (Tokyo); Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo); Hitachi Ltd. (Japan); Microchip Technology Inc. (Arizona) are some of the key players in the silicon carbide market.

Silicon Carbide Report Scope :

Silicon Carbide Market Highlights

This research report categorizes the silicon carbide market based on by device, by wafer size, by end-use application, and region.

Recent Developments

• In March 2023, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it would double the investment to ~ USD 2 billion for constructing a new wafer plant to increase the production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors in the Shisui area of Kumamoto Prefecture. This new facility will manufacture an 8-inch SiC wafer plant.
• In February 2023, WOLFSPEED, INC.  partnered with ZF, a global technology company enabling next generation mobility. This partnership is for creating a joint innovation lab to drive advances in Silicon Carbide systems and devices for mobility, industrial and energy applications. Also includes a construction of an advanced and largest 200mm Silicon Carbide device fab in Ensdorf, Germany.
• In January 2023, WOLFSPEED, INC.  launched the Gen 3+ 750 V bare-die MOSFET. This product has 5mm x 5mm-layout and 180 mm thickness. It features low internal gate resistance Rg to optimize current rise-time and switching losses. Importantly, the new device boasts low on-state resistance (RDS(ON)) and high maximum junction temperature (TJ).
• In December 2022. WOLFSPEED, INC. expanded its existing multi-year, long-term Silicon Carbide wafer supply agreement with a leading power device company. With this agreement Wolfspeed to supply the company with 150 mm Silicon Carbide bare and epitaxial wafers, reinforcing the company’s vision for an industry-wide transition from silicon-to-Silicon Carbide semiconductor power devices.
• In August 2022, Toshiba Corporation launched TWxxNxxxC series, its 3rd generation silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs that deliver low on-resistance and significantly reduced switching loss. The new products reduce on-resistance per unit area (RDS(ON)A) by about 43%, allowing the drain-source on-resistance * gate-drain charge (RDS(ON)*Qgd), an important index that represents the relationship between conduction loss and switching loss, to be lowered by about 80%.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

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