SiC technologies and market opportunities

FRANCE: In its latest technology & market analysis, titled “SiC Market”, Yole Développement has identified two scenarios for SiC industry evolution:

“The optimistic scenario will see SiC devices used commercially in EV/HEV from 2015 onwards, taking 11 percent of the market from silicon IGBT devices by 2020”, explains Dr. Philippe Roussel, Business Unit Manager, Power Electronics & Compound Semi at Yole Développement. “In the pessimistic scenario, EV/HEV implementation won’t start until 2017/2018, making PV inverters the number one SiC application by 2020.”

Today, there is considerable room for increasing SiC device usage in PV inverter applications.

According to Yole Développement, “Each inverter manufacturer’s product line-up includes only one or two SiC models among dozens, but it’s a very positive starting point.” Indeed, SiC power device industry revenue reached $76M in 2012, including R&D but excluding military use. PV inverter producers are the second industry to broadly adopt SiC devices -- the first being manufacturers using SiC for power factor correction in high-end server power supplies.

Yole Développement will present its latest SiC industry analysis at the 2013 International SiC Power Electronics Applications Workshop (ISiCPEAW).

Yole Développement, along with the SiC Power Center and the Enterprise Europe Network, have combined their industry knowledge to create this unique European event, taking place June 9-11 in Stockholm, Sweden. During this one-of-a-kind workshop, industrials and R&D institutes will exchange information about silicon carbide technology, establish new contacts and explore business opportunities.

The ISiCPEAW workshop’s key features include:
* Information exchange regarding the SiC industry, its technology and market trends.
* A clear view of key players and their technologies.
* Identification of the various SiC applications.
* A keen understanding of the SiC value chain and today’s technical challenges.