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How does silicon carbide compare to gallium nitride, another semiconductor that features high frequencies and low losses?
by nayuki 5y ago
How does silicon carbide compare to gallium nitride, another semiconductor that features high frequencies and low losses?
- amirhirsch 5y agoGaN has higher electron mobility but SiC has higher thermal conductivity. So GaN is more efficient for higher frequencies and higher power and SiC is better for high temperatures and has higher potential power density than GaN SiC will be cheaper and probably dominate GaN in production volume. Epitaxial GaN on SiC (and even GaN on diamond substrate) are used for high power, low noise at high frequency RF where the applications can justify the cost.
- ridgeguy 5y agoThere are RF power devices that consist of GaN structures built on a CVD diamond substrate. Diamond's thermal conductivity is uniquely high. The diamond substrate conducts heat away from the GaN FETs. RFHIC uses this technology in some of its high power microwave sources and amplifiers.
- baybal2 5y agoGaN is way worse for higher power levels, thus absence of it in high power power electronics. I haven't seen GaN transistor lower than 100mOhms, SiC is easily there.
- baybal2 5y agoI am talking about relatively high voltage ones
- pwr-electronics 5y agoI can't think of a manufacturer off-hand where even a majority of their 600V+ GaN power devices have a static on-resistance of at least 100 mΩ. Infineon, GaN Systems, Transphorm, Nexperia, and TI are all majority less.
- baybal2 5y agoAre you in power electronics?
- pwr-electronics 5y agoPhysically, no. I wouldn't fit.
- baybal2 5y agoThen, mentally?
- pwr-electronics 5y agoYes
- baybal2 5y agoIn what kind of power electronics? Chargers, inverters, matrix converters, VFDs?
- jl2718 5y agoOrder of magnitude cheaper, not as efficient for photonics, can be integrated with Si through epitaxy.