ST introduces the 3 generation of STPOWER silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET transistors

ST's latest generation of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices improves performance and reliability, maintaining its customary leadership position and making it more suitable for electric vehicles and energy-efficient industrial applications

Continued long-term investment in the SiC market as ST embraces future growth

STMicroelectronics (ST) launched the third generation of STPOWER silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET transistors "MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors) are a fundamental component of modern electronics. To advance the cutting-edge applications in electric vehicle powertrain power devices, and in other scenarios where high power density, high energy efficiency and high reliability are important goals.

Edoardo Merli, vice president of ST's Automotive and Discrete Devices product group and general manager of the Power Transistors business unit, said.

We continue to drive this exciting technology development, innovating at both chip and package levels. As a manufacturer of SiC products with full control of the supply chain, we are able to offer our customers products with continuously improving performance. We are continuously investing in automotive and industrial projects and expect to reach $1 billion in SiC revenue by 2024.

ST has now completed standards certification for its third-generation SiC technology platform, and most products derived from this technology platform are expected to reach commercial maturity by the end of 2021. Devices with nominal voltages of 650V, 750V to 1200V will be available, providing designers with more options to develop applications ranging from utility power take-off, to high-voltage battery and charger power for electric vehicles. The first products available are the SCT040H65G3AG with 650V and the SCT160N75G3D8AG with 750V in bare die form.

Reference Technical Information

ST's latest planar MOSFETs set a new quality factor (FoM) benchmark for the transistor industry with a new third-generation SiC technology platform. The industry-accepted FoM [on-resistance (Ron) x die area and Ron x gate charge (Qg)] algorithm indicates transistor energy efficiency, power density and switching performance. Improving FoM with common silicon technology is becoming increasingly difficult, so SiC technology is the key to further improve FoM. ST's third generation of SiC products will lead the transistor FoM progress.

SiC MOSFETs have higher withstand voltage ratings per unit area than silicon-based MOSFETs, making them the best choice for electric vehicles and fast charging infrastructure. SiC also has the advantage of very fast parasitic diode switching and bi-directional current flow characteristics for electric vehicle external power supply (V2X) on-board chargers (OBCs), which can draw power from the on-board battery to supply the infrastructure. In addition, the very high switching frequency of SiC transistors offers the possibility of using smaller sized passive devices in power systems, allowing for more compact and lightweight electrical equipment in vehicles. These product advantages also help to reduce the cost of ownership in industrial applications.

ST's third generation products are available in a variety of packages, including die, discrete power packages (STPAK, H2PAK-7L, HiP247-4L and HU3PAK) and power modules from the ACEPACK family. These packages provide designers with innovative features such as specially designed cooling tabs that simplify the connection of the chip to the substrate and heat sink for electric vehicle applications so that designers can select specialized chips based on applications such as power motor inverters, on-board chargers (OBCs), DC/DC converters, electronic air conditioning compressors, and industrial applications such as solar inverters, energy storage systems motor drives, and power supplies.