IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2015 - 42
Wide-Bandgap-Based
Power Devices
Reshaping the power electronics landscape
by Ashok Bindra
F
or the last few years, the virtues of power
devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) technologies have been well
promoted. Now, with the availability of qualified devices from multiple suppliers and falling
prices due to the rise in production and the use of
larger substrates, more designers are adopting widebandgap (WBG)-based power devices in their new
designs to get to the next level of performance, while
others are looking to replace the maturing silicon (Si)
with more robust emerging technologies.
As the adoption of WBG devices increases, the
market dynamics are simultaneously changing. Besides uplifting the performance of traditional power
supplies, WBG-based power devices are also enabling
many emerging applications that were beyond the
realm of Si. In short, with rapid improvement in availability and improved reliability, WBG-based power
devices are entering the market to reshape the power
electronics landscape.
Presently, however, each WBG technology is suited
for a specific voltage range. For instance, GaN-based
power devices are being aimed at power supplies in
the 200-900-V range, whereas SiC-based power devices
are being tailored for power electronics from 900 to
15,000 V and higher. With the cost differentials narrowing and reliability improving, analysts believe that WBG
devices will replace Si in mainstream applications in
the 600-1,700-V range in the next five years or so.
GaN Power Market
Even though the future looks promising for WBG power
devices, the present outlook is modest. In 2014, GaN
power suppliers generated revenues worth only US$10-
12 million, primarily from research and development
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPEL.2014.2382195
Date of publication: 3 March 2015
42
IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE
March 2015
2329-9207/15©2015IEEE
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