Cree introduces new family of silicon carbide schottky diodes; for higher performance at lower cost for power conversion applications
22 June 2011
Cree, Inc., a leading manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, has introduced a new family of seven 1200V Z-Rec silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes optimized for price and performance and available in a range of amperages and packages. These new devices are suitable as boost diodes and anti-parallel diodes in solar inverters and 3-phase motor drive circuits, as well as in power factor correction (PFC) boost circuits in power supplies and UPS equipment.
They can also be used in applications where engineers typically parallel many devices to address higher power requirements.
In order to develop the next generation of power electronics, design engineers are looking for the unique performance advantages of SiC Schottky diodes—zero reverse recovery losses, temperature-independent switching losses, higher frequency operation—all with a lower EMI signature. This new family of diodes allows a higher current density and increased avalanche capability over previous generation SiC Schottky diodes with no penalty in performance.—John Palmour, Cree co-founder and CTO, Power and RF
Cree Z-Rec diodes feature zero reverse recovery, resulting in up to a 50% reduction in switching losses versus comparable silicon diodes, according to the company. They also exhibit consistent switching performance across their entire temperature range, which simplifies circuit design and reduces the need for complex thermal management.
When used in conjunction with Cree’s recently-introduced 1200V SiC power MOSFETs, these SiC Schottky diodes enable the implementation of all-SiC power electronic circuits with the capability to operate at up to four times higher switching frequencies when compared to conventional silicon diodes and IGBTs. This enables a reduction in the size, complexity and cost of inverter circuitry, while achieving extremely high system efficiency. Finally, this new family has the additional benefits of higher surge ratings and avalanche capabilities than the previous generation of SiC Schottky diodes, helping to increase overall system reliability.
Devices now released are rated for 2A[C4D02120x], 5A[C4D05120x], 10A[C4D10120x], 20A[C4D20120x] and 40A[C4D40120x]. Dependent on amperage ratings, the parts are available in standard or fully-isolated TO-220 and standard TO-247 packages.
One more manufacturer of superior SiC for the production of higher performance, lighter, power conversion equipment. Many industries such as solar power, electrified vehicles and machinery, e-trains, aviation etc will benefit. These are a plus for future electrification.
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 June 2011 at 08:35 AM
GaN/GaAs devices may win over SiCs due to lower substrate production costs.
Posted by: yarross | 22 June 2011 at 02:08 PM
Time will tell yarross. Currently SiCs are evolving faster.
Posted by: HarveyD | 23 June 2011 at 08:34 AM
If I recall correctly, SiC also has a large advantage in operating temperature over silicon. This allows much smaller and cheaper cooling systems.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 24 June 2011 at 07:50 PM