The third-generation semiconductor silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) have physical characteristics such as high thermal conductivity, high breakdown field strength, and high saturation electron drift rate. Therefore, they are naturally suitable for applications with high requirements for harsh conditions such as high temperature, high power, high voltage, high frequency, and radiation resistance, and are considered disruptive technologies in the field of power electronics.

On April 29th, Gong Ruijiao, a compound semiconductor analyst at TrendForce Consulting, introduced the current situation and future prospects of the third-generation semiconductor market at the "2022 Jibang Consulting Compound Semiconductor Online Exchange Conference".

The third generation of semiconductors will play an important role in China's "new infrastructure" field

In recent years, China has vigorously developed new infrastructure, including seven major fields such as 5G base stations, data centers, new energy vehicle charging stations, and rail transit, as well as the underlying renewable energy. The third generation semiconductors, led by SiC and GaN, are the core semiconductor materials that support the development of new infrastructure. Therefore, they have also welcomed huge market opportunities and are highly favored by capital.

According to TrendForce Consulting, many related manufacturers engaged in the third-generation semiconductor industry have received financing since 2021. In the silicon carbide field, there are Tyco Tianrun, Hanpay, Tongguang Crystal, Tianyu Semiconductor, Zhanxin, Painjie, Xin Yueneng, etc., while in the gallium nitride field, there are GaNSystems, CGD, IVWorks, VisIC, InnoSecco, Jingzhan Semiconductor, Gallium Future, etc.

In recent years, third-generation semiconductor companies have also actively entered the capital market. Last year, Wolfspeed and Navitas, as leaders in the silicon carbide and gallium nitride industries, successfully completed their IPO. This year, Shandong Tianyue in China has also entered the Science and Technology Innovation Board, while overseas Transform companies have successfully transitioned to NASDAQ. In addition, manufacturers such as GanNSystems, Odyssey, Tianke Heda, and Tongguang Crystal are also preparing for IPOs, and the capital heat of the entire industry continues to be high Unable to settle down Gong Ruijiao said.

Applications such as automobiles and photovoltaic energy storage drive the rapid expansion of the SiC market

The core driving force for the development of the power semiconductor industry is the energy conversion revolution. Benefiting from the multi point explosion of demand in downstream application markets such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic energy storage, smart grids, and industrial automation, the power semiconductor market has ushered in this round of high prosperity cycle.

According to TrendForce Consulting, the SiC/GaN power semiconductor market will grow to $1.84 billion in 2022 and reach $5.29 billion by 2025. Among them, automotive and consumer electronics applications respectively dominate the development of the SiC and GaN power markets.

Automotive applications will occupy nearly 67% of the SiC market in 2022, with Tesla contributing the majority of revenue, while other participating automakers include Hyundai, BYD, NIO, Xiaopeng, and others. "Gong Ruijiao analyzed. As the penetration rate of new energy vehicles continues to increase, SiC will be applied on a large scale, especially in 800V high-voltage platforms. Compared to Si based IGBT, the advantage of SiC power module in 800V high-voltage systems will be further amplified, and it may become a standard power semiconductor component in 800V automotive powertrain systems in the future

It is worth noting that SiC has been applied to automotive main drive inverters, OBCs, DC-DCs and other components, among which the main drive inverter is the core value of SiC.

At present, the mainstream SiC players in the international automotive industry include STM, Infineon, Wolfspeed, ROHM, and Onsemis, all of which have established comprehensive cooperative relationships with leading automotive companies. In recent years, many Chinese manufacturers have actively promoted the local SiC process, and have made good progress, including Hanpay, Tyco Tianrun, Pine Jet, Zhanxin, Aishite, and others, as well as BYD, Starr, and Xinju Energy, which are engaged in SiC module packaging.

In addition, the rapidly growing SiC industrial market cannot be underestimated, with key application scenarios such as photovoltaic inverters and UPS. Infineon is rapidly expanding the market with the advantage of IGBT. Manufacturers such as Sungrow Power and SMA have started promoting SiC alternative solutions, hoping to increase the power density of photovoltaic inverters and further reduce the cost of kilowatt hours. In the application of rail transit, countries are increasing efforts to develop transportation tools based on SiC technology.

In addition, the size of the SiC consumer electronics market is also constantly expanding, and a typical example is the use of GaN power components in combination with fast charging heads.

GaN power components are the first to expand in the consumer electronics market, with huge potential for industrial and automotive applications

At present, the GaN power market is dominated by consumer electronics, and fast charging heads are currently the largest application field of GaN power components. This year, Samsung also equipped Navitas and GaN Systems products in its S22 flagship travel adapter, which once again confirms the recognition of GaN fast charging products by international manufacturers.

As of now, major mobile phone and PC manufacturers such as Samsung, Xiaomi, OV, Dell, and Lenovo have all installed GaN power components in their adapter products. In addition, GaN power components will also play an important role in other consumer electronics scenarios such as ultra-thin televisions.

Industrial markets such as data centers, communication base stations, and photovoltaic inverters are also gradually adopting GaN alternative solutions. Data centers and communication base stations are major consumers of electricity, and GaN power electronics technology can help terminal equipment reduce power costs and improve operational efficiency. At the same time, China has launched a massive "East to West" project, which is believed to greatly promote the further penetration of GaN technology.

As for renewable energy, GaN power components are very suitable for household micro inverters. Navitas has partnered with leading manufacturers such as Enphase in the United States to jointly promote the application of GaN technology.

In addition, the GaN automotive market is also highly anticipated. Although its scale is still too small, car companies such as BMW and Weipai Technology or Tier1 are eager to use GaN technology to produce better performance powertrain components, such as OBC, DC-DC, inverters, etc.

In addition, the high-speed characteristics of GaN have obvious advantages for in car LiDAR, and EPC and other companies have long been committed to this, which can help LiDAR see farther, faster, and clearer. I believe that in the future, as silicon based gallium nitride components move towards high voltage resistance and vertical structure devices continue to break through, GaN and SiC are expected to jointly seize the high-voltage automotive component market.

epilogue

The third-generation semiconductors SiC and GaN are seen as key players in material innovation in the post Molar era by breaking through the performance limits of Si and exploring the high-end application market. They will also achieve higher performance and lower systematic costs in some areas that intersect with Si.

The global energy technology revolution has begun and permeated the materials field. It is believed that the third generation of semiconductors will play an important role in achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.