This section provides an overview for sic diodes as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 11 sic diode manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked sic diode companies as of November, 2024: 1.Sensitron Semiconductor, 2.MSA Components GmbH, 3.Solitron Devices.
Table of Contents
SiC diodes are semiconductor devices made from a compound of silicon (Si) and carbon (C).
SiC has about 10 times the dielectric breakdown strength and 3 times the band gap of silicon (Si), enabling the creation of smaller yet higher breakdown voltage circuit elements. SiC diodes, a prominent type of SiC power semiconductors, are used in discrete products or integrated into modules for applications in inverters, converters, IGBTs, and other devices.
The Schottky barrier diode, a type of SiC diode, is notable for its compact design and high-efficiency switching capabilities with low forward voltage. However, growing SiC wafers is more challenging than Si wafers, and processing SiC for semiconductor devices is also more complex. Thus, SiC diodes are not expected to entirely replace Si diodes but rather to coexist and be used for specific applications.
SiC diodes are extensively used in electric vehicle inverters, contributing to increased vehicle range and reduced power consumption.
They are also employed in trains, leading to electricity cost savings due to reduced power consumption. Despite higher initial costs, using SiC diodes can lower operational expenses. For example, the latest Tokaido Shinkansen trains use inverters equipped with SiC diodes.
SiC diodes are compact, lightweight, and capable of handling high voltages and currents with minimal efficiency loss at high frequencies. As their cost decreases, they are expected to be increasingly adopted in high-power consumption devices.
Like SiC, gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors are also gaining attention. SiC is generally used in higher voltage and power devices, whereas GaN is preferred for higher frequency operations.
SiC diodes can handle higher voltages and currents and operate at higher temperatures than traditional Si diodes, thanks to the superior physical properties of SiC wafers.
SiC has a larger band gap, dielectric breakdown field strength, and thermal conductivity compared to Si. For instance, the band gap of SiC is 3.26 eV compared to Si's 1.12 eV, the breakdown field strength of SiC is 2.5 MV/cm compared to Si's 0.3 MV/cm, and SiC's thermal conductivity is 4.9 W/(cm・K) compared to Si's 1.5 W/(cm・K).
Among various SiC wafer crystal structures, 4H-SiC has particularly advantageous characteristics for power devices.
There are mainly two types of SiC diodes: SiC Schottky barrier diodes and SiC pn-junction diodes.
This diode type features a metal Schottky connection to SiC, where electron movement generates current. It is known for high-speed operation and high breakdown voltage, significantly outperforming conventional Si diodes in terms of breakdown voltage.
The SiC pn-junction diode uses a pn junction structure and is characterized by higher breakdown voltage and lower resistance compared to SiC Schottky barrier diodes. This efficiency is due to the accumulation of holes as minority carriers in the n-type layer.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Sensitron Semiconductor, founded in 1969 with corporate headquarters located in the USA, is a manufacturer of power electronic components and systems for the defense, aerospace, space, and medical markets. The company's products include high-power rectifier bridges, motion control modules, TVS modules, solid-state power controllers, and high voltage diode assemblies, as well as various services including, engineering, electrical and mechanical design, material science expertise, and testing of a finished power system. The company's facility includes a wafer fabrication clean room and a microelectronics manufacturing clean room.
Solitron Devices, Inc., based in West Palm Beach, Florida, is a manufacturer of solid-state semiconductor components and related devices, primarily serving the military and aerospace markets, founded in 1959. The company offers a wide range of products, including bipolar and metal oxide semiconductor power transistors, power and control hybrids, thin film resistors, and other related products. They have been manufacturing power semiconductors and integrated power solutions for systems that demand the ultimate in performance. Customers in aerospace, defense, industrial and space rely on their products to develop smaller, lighter weight, higher efficiency systems level solutions.
SemiQ Inc., founded in 2007 and headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, is a manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. The company specializes in manufacturing a broad range of SiC products, including power devices, modules, and components. It holds ISO 9001, ROHS, and CE quality certifications for compliance with industry standards. The features of its products include ultra-efficiency, consistent-performance capabilities, and suitability for high-voltage applications. These advantages make its offerings integral in various industries such as power electronics, automotive, renewable energy, and telecommunications.
Diodes Incorporated is a supplier for the consumer electronics, computing, communications, industrial, and automotive markets. Diodes Incorporated designs, manufactures, and supplies application-specific standard products in the discrete, logic, analog, and mixed-signal semiconductor markets worldwide. It focuses on low pin count semiconductor devices. Diodes specializes in semiconductor products, such as MOSFET, TVS, and performance Schottky rectifiers, transient voltage suppressors and other devices. It also provides analog products, such as power management devices comprising AC-DC and DC-DC converters, signaling devices, CMOS devices, and analog switches. Diodes Incorporated was incorporated in 1959 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation is a division of Toshiba focusing on providing designs for end-product developers as well as semiconductor and drive equipment for automotive, industrial equipment, green energy, and consumer and personal electronic devices. Toshiba’s storage products include cloud-scale and enterprise-level products, and PC hard drives. Semiconductor products include Si Cower devices, MOSFETs, IGBTs, IEGTs, isolators, solid state relays, power management and intelligent power ICs, diodes, bipolar transistors, microcontrollers, automotive devices, ICs for wireless communication equipment, general purpose logic ICs, radio-frequency devices, sensors, and linear image sensors.
MSA Components GmbH, established in 1946 and based in Attendorn, Germany, is a manufacturer of electronic components and related accessories. The company produces various products, including semiconductors, capacitors, and connectors. It has obtained ISO 9001 and ROHS quality certifications, and the features of its electronic products include precision and compliance with industry standards required in various sectors. These components find applications in industries, such as telecommunications, automotive, aerospace, and consumer electronics.
Anbon Semiconductor Co. Ltd. was established in 2017 and is based in Shenzhen, China is a manufacturer of electronic chips and SiC Diodes for various industrial applications. The company's product folio includes MOSFETs, protection diodes, schottky diodes, thyristors, and rectifier diodes that are crucial in automobile, domestic appliances, digital data communications, and, medical devices sectors. The company's products have TS 16949:2009, UL, and AEC-Q101 certifications and its products are also required in industrial power production plants and the semiconductor manufacturing sector.
ST Micro Electronics is a global semiconductor company serving customers with innovations to have a positive impact on people's lives. Their product line is micro electronic systems, such as switches, controllers, sensors and drivers. The main selling point of ST Micro Electronics is its provision of sustainable products, and introducing their electronics to create a more sustainable world. The company, as well as providing the electronic devices, also provides software and support, ensuring that all fields are covered to provide a fully provide a supported and strong relationship with their customer base. ST Micro Electronics believe that technology plays a key role in helping to solve environmental and social challenges, which is why their semiconductor technologies start with their employees, their customers and partners.
Sanan Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd. was founded in 2014 and is located in Xiamen, China, and is a manufacturer and supplier of semiconductors and electronics devices for various industries. The company offers laser diodes, photodiodes, power devices, SiC diodes, and, SiC MOSFET that have wide applications in microelectronics, power electronics, and optical devices markets. The company operates as a subsidiary of Sanan Optoelectronics Co. Ltd. and has achieved the ISO9001 international quality standard, ISO14001 environmental management standard, and IATF 16949:2016 automotive quality management system certifications.
Alpha Power Solutions was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China, and is a manufacturer and supplier of power electronic devices and semiconductors for various industrial applications. The company's product chart consists of silicon carbide diodes, MOSFETs, and modules that have applications in new energy vehicles, DC charging piles, photovoltaic energy storage, and other uninterruptible power supplies. The company uses thinning technology in SiC diodes and is capable of delivering 1200V silicon carbide devices in bulk.
ROHM Semiconductor was incorporated in 1940 and is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. ROHM manufactures and sells electronic components worldwide. ROHM operates through the segments ICs, discrete semiconductor devices, and modules. ROHM provides ICs comprising memory, amplifiers and linear, power management, clocks and timers, switches and multiplexers, logic, data converters, sensors and MEMS, display drivers, motor/actuator drivers, interfaces, communication and speech synthesis LSI, audio and video, and microcontrollers. ROHM also offers discrete semiconductor products include MOSFETs, bipolar transistors, and diodes; power devices, including power transistors and diodes, SiC power devices, IGBT, and IPM; passive devices, such as resistors, and conductive polymer and tantalum capacitors; and various modules among others.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Sensitron Semiconductor |
17.0%
|
2 | MSA Components GmbH |
14.9%
|
3 | Solitron Devices |
12.8%
|
4 | Anbon Semiconductor Co., Ltd. |
10.6%
|
5 | Diodes Incorporated |
10.6%
|
6 | Alpha Power Solutions |
8.5%
|
7 | Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage |
8.5%
|
8 | Sanan IC |
6.4%
|
9 | SemiQ Inc. |
6.4%
|
10 | ROHM Co., Ltd. |
4.3%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the sic diode page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 4 | 50.0% |
Japan | 2 | 25.0% |
Germany | 1 | 12.5% |
China | 1 | 12.5% |