SiC Report: Ergebnisse
The market for Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices will exceed $50 million by 2009, according to a new study by WTC, a market research company located in Munich.
SiC – a material capable of handling high power densities in temperature and radiation extremes – will continue to serve as substrates for high brightness blue, green and white LEDs. By 2009, close to 80% of wafers will be used in this manner. In addition, fresh markets will emerge for a new generation of energy efficient, high performance diodes and transistors used in power supplies and electric motors.
The new survey forecasts that the world market for Schottky diodes and power transistors will grow from $13 million in 2004 to over $53 million in 2009, a CAGR of 32%. Schottky diodes, supplied by US company Cree and by Infineon in Europe, will penetrate the microelectronics market at a much higher rate than transistors, which are less mature. Rockwell Scientific and Cree supply SiC MESFETs, and another 15 companies, mostly major chip manufacturers, are working on transistors.
The study, “ Silicon Carbide Electronics Markets 2004-2009: New Horizons for Power Electronics ”, details emerging markets for SiC microelectronics and provides a thorough snapshot of this emerging industry.
”The SiC Schottky diode has virtually no forward losses and operates at a higher temperature than current silicon diodes,” said Olivier Nowak, a senior research analyst at WTC. “This translates into smaller, more efficient power supplies - currently a multi-billion dollar replacement market. SiC MOSFETs are also more efficient and combined with these diodes, could reduce losses by a factor up to 10 compared to silicon devices.”
However, despite rapid technological progress, Schottky diodes and MESFET RF transistors are the only SiC devices commercially available to date. “Materials issues with SiC substrates and supply chain deficiencies have compounded to keep prices high (especially for the transistors),” said Nowak. “Power applications are currently limited to high-end power supplies for servers.”
WTC forecasts power circuit management and industrial motor applications as large market opportunities for SiC. “Both power circuits and motors stand to benefit from considerable performance enhancements and energy savings,” concluded Nowak. “This will drive SiC first into the industrial and consumer sectors, and subsequently into transportation power supplies.”
Further out, opportunities exist for military applications such as advanced radar and broadband communications.
The new investigation details applications, requirements and markets for SiC diodes, transistors and UV sensors. It provides business intelligence to support manufacturers considering new market opportunities and aids system designers with strategic planning. The study profiles the industry chain, including 40 companies and research institutions worldwide, and breaks down the market for components and applications covering the period 2004 to 2009.