In today’s industrial electronics devices (power electronics devices), the key factors are efficiency, energy savings and miniaturization. Consumers expect, that the equipment they buy will be more powerful in terms of performance, but at the same time able to run on Batteries even longer. For this reason, electronics manufacturers need to develop all the time and adapt their products to consumer needs. The results of this development include components based on silicon carbide (SiC).

Silicon carbide technology

As you can easily guess, silicon carbide is a material formed from the combination of silicon (Si) and carbon (C). This material has been known for years from m.rivets. its exceptional thermal properties. As a semiconductor material, it began to gain interest as early as the 20th century, however, we had to wait until the second Decades of the 21st century for its actual use.

Compared to classical silicon, SiC is distinguished by much higher electrical permeability, wider energy bandwidth and higher breakdown voltage. This means, that systems using components based on this material can operate at much higher voltages and temperatures, switch faster, reducing power losses and be much smaller, while maintaining the same or higher performance.

These features make silicon carbide an ideal material for forward-looking power electronics. We can already find components manufactured on the basis of this material in automotive (as parts of charging and power conversion circuits in electric vehicles), power engineering (especially renewable energy) and medicine, where longevity and low energy consumption are important.

SMC Diodes Solutions offering

On the market you will find many manufacturers, who use SiC in their products. One of them is SMC Diodes Solutions which produces semiconductor wafers based on silicon carbide. It is from these that SiC Schottky diodes are made, which represent a very attractive portfolio of semiconductor products from the manufacturer, which we will take a closer look at. High operating voltage, high current, small connector capacitance and fast switching, these are the features of SMC Diodes available in TME catalog.

Schottky diodes from SMCs

The offer includes components designed for THT through-hole mounting in popular TO Enclosures247, TO220 (also in insulated version). The catalog, of course, also includes Diodes for SMT surface mount. Interestingly, complementing the DPAK and D2PAK standards, is, in the case of SMC-branded Diodes, the small DFN (Dual-Flat No-leads) with dimensions of 8x8mm and a thickness of 0,85mm, and the miniature SOD123F enclosure (dimensions approx. 0,08×0,15mm) with flat leads. Diodes are characterized by low voltage drop in the conduction direction and minimal reverse current. Thanks to the use of silicon carbide, the Diodes can operate over a very wide temperature range from -55°C to 175°C. Another very important advantage is fast switching and very low energy loss at high signal frequencies.

Single diode with maximum reverse voltage 1,2kV

With silicon carbide Diodes and Transistors, the manufacturer has significantly expanded the application market for its solutions m.in. in automotive (electric and hybrid vehicles, charging stations), photovoltaics (PV inverters), energy storage, industrial power supplies (AC/DC and DC/DC Converters).