In 1993 the silicon carbide was considered a semiconductor in both research and early mass production providing advantages for fast, high-temperature and/or high-voltage devices. The first devices available were Schottky diodes, followed by junction-gate FETs and MOSFETs for high-power switching. Bipolar transistors and thyristors were described.
A major problem for SiC commercialization has been the elimination of defects: edge dislocations, screw dislocations (both hollow and closed core), triangular defects and basal plane dislocations. As a result, devices made of SiC crystals initially displayed poor reverse blocking performance, though researchers have been tentatively finding solutions to improve the breakdown performance.
Apart from crystal quality, problems with the interface of SiC with silicon dioxide have hampered the development of SiC-based power MOSFETs and insulated-gate bipolar transistors. Although the mechanism is still unclear, nitriding has dramatically reduced the defects causing the interface problems.
In 2008, the first commercial JFETs rated at 1200 V were introduced to the market, followed in 2011 by the first commercial MOSFETs rated at 1200 V. JFETs are now available rated 650 V to 1700 V with resistance as low as 25 mΩ. Beside SiC switches and SiC Schottky diodes (also Schottky barrier diode, SBD) in the popular TO-247 and TO-220 packages, companies started even earlier to implement the bare chips into their power electronic modules.
SiC SBD diodes found wide market spread being used in PFC circuits and IGBT power modules.
Conferences such as the International Conference on Integrated Power Electronics Systems (CIPS) report regularly about the technological progress of SiC power devices.
Major challenges for fully unleashing the capabilities of SiC power devices are:
* Gate drive: SiC devices often require gate drive voltage levels that are different from their silicon counterparts and may be even unsymmetric, for example, +20 V and −5 V.
* Packaging: SiC chips may have a higher power density than silicon power devices and are able to handle higher temperatures exceeding the silicon limit of 150 °C. New die attach technologies such as sintering are required to efficiently get the heat out of the devices and ensure a reliable interconnection.
Beginning with Tesla Model 3 the inverters in the drive unit use 24 pairs of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET chips rated for 650 volts each. Silicon carbide in this instance gave Tesla a significant advantage over chips made of silicon in terms of size and weight. A number of automobile manufacturers are planning to incorporate silicon carbide into power electronic devices in their products. A significant increase in production of silicon carbide is projected, beginning with a large plant opened 2022 by Wolfspeed in upstate New York.