Cree’s Z-FET silicon carbide MOSFET delivers superior energy efficiency to an expanding list of power apps

NUREMBURG, GERMANY: Providing power electronics design engineers with a way to increase the efficiency of high-volume power inverters for alternative energy and other power electronic applications, Cree Inc. has extended the product range of its industry-first Z-FET family with a lower amperage 1200V SiC MOSFET.

The new MOSFET device complements Cree’s existing 1200V SiC MOSFET and features a smaller current rating that enables the device to be included in a wider range of applications at a lower price point or used in parallel to optimize system cost and performance.

The new device is designed to replace the silicon transistors (IGBTs) that are currently used in power inverter designs between 3 and 10kW. Applications include high-voltage power supplies and auxiliary power electronics circuits, especially those designed for conversion of 3-phase input power, solar power inverters, industrial motor drives, high-power DC data center power architectures, and PFC (power factor correction) circuits.

“The addition of this new switching device to our Z-FET SiC power MOSFET family gives our customers a greater range of flexibility in matching the price/performance requirements to their applications,” said Dr. John Palmour, Cree co-founder and chief technology officer, Cree Power & RF.

“The smaller die size provides a lower price point, yet still delivers all the benefits of silicon carbide switching performance at 1200V. It’s further evidence that we’re committed to establishing a comprehensive range of SiC MOSFET products that we believe will eventually replace silicon devices in many high volume power electronics applications, especially those with 1200V and higher breakdown voltage requirements.”

“By using the new Z-FET SiC MOSFETs in conjunction with Cree’s silicon carbide Schottky diodes to implement ‘all-SiC’ versions of critical high power switching circuits and power systems, power electronics design engineers can achieve levels of energy efficiency, size and weight reduction that are not possible with any commercially available silicon power devices of comparable ratings,” Palmour explained.

Cree’s new SiC MOSFET is rated for 12A at its operating temperature of 100°C and delivers blocking voltages up to 1200V with a typical on-state resistance (RDS(ON)) of just 160mΩ at 25°C. Unlike comparably-rated silicon switching devices, Cree’s new SiC MOSFET exhibits an RDS(ON) value that remains below 200mΩ across its entire operating temperature range. This reduces switching losses in many applications by up to 50 percent, increasing overall system efficiencies up to 2 percent while operating at two to three times the switching frequencies when compared to the best silicon IGBTs.

As a result of this improved efficiency, SiC devices have lower operating temperatures and fewer thermal management requirements, which combine with their ultra-low leakage current (<1µA) to reduce system size and weight and increase reliability.