Super junction MOSFET business update.

USA: Reportlinker.com announced that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Super Junction MOSFET Business Update.

It's no secret: Consumer is SJ MOSFET's main application segment, representing 2/3 of its total market. While some applications are stagnant, i.e., desktop PC and game console power supplies, most applications are still growing.

The biggest growth area will be power supplies for tablets, with an expected 32 percent increase in CAGR from 2013 to 2018. However, the main products where SJ MOSFETs are used are PC (desktop and laptop) power supplies and TV sets, which total half of the SJ MOSFET market as presented in this report.

The driver for using SJ MOSFET in these applications is, first and foremost, size reduction. SJ MOSFET allows for a much smaller size than planar MOSFET, since they generate less heat.

The Hybrid and Electric car markets should not be ignored. True, they are less than $5 million today, but they will represent more than $100 million by 2018.

This report clarifies the situation of SJ MOSFET in EV/HEV markets, and shows how SJ MOSFET will be used in DC/DC converters and chargers and how it provides accurate market metrics.

Industrial applications are less interested in SJ MOSFET use, since these applications do not require a high frequency of switching when operating in an H-bridge. SJ MOSFET is interesting only for specific topologies such as multi-level, or for cheap, low-power solutions (small UPS, residential PV) - but even in these applications, planar MOSFET or IGBTs remain better solutions since they are cheaper and meet all requirements.

The technology used for Super Junction MOSFET is of two types. The first one, developed by Infineon, uses a series of epitaxies and doping to create a locally doped "island" in the epi-layer. The doped region then diffuses and creates an N-doped pillar. The second technology uses deep reactive ion etching to dig a trench. This trench is then filled with an N-doped material to create the super junction structure. Players exploiting this particular technology are Toshiba, Fairchild Semiconductor and IceMOS Technology.

Technology evolution is accelerating and the opposition between multiple epitaxy and deep trench is growing stronger. Toshiba released its 4th generation of its DTMOS, a deep trench power MOSFET with a smaller pitch size. It means a smaller die size and an improved RdsON. It's still more expensive to produce than a CoolMOS (Infineon's brand name), but it's becoming more and more competitive.

Compound semiconductor remains a threat to SJ MOSFET. SiC will be positioned at higher voltage and will target high-end solutions as well. Silicon will still be present in 2015. IGBT is the best cost vs. switching efficiency trade-off, and International Rectifier is working on high-speed IGBTs that are competing directly with Super Junction MOSFET. In the end, SJ MOSFET is positioned in-between, and depending on the voltage, application and frequency of switching, it could compete with SiC, Fast IGBT, IGBT or GaN.

This report also presents evolutions in packaging, which has become a part of the game. In 2010, STMicroelectronics and Infineon maintained their leadership role by providing a common package type of very small size. It fits perfectly with consumer applications, where size reduction is a strong driver.