Microsemi Corp of Aliso Viejo, CA, USA (which designs and makes analog and RF devices, mixed-signal integrated circuits and subsystems) has launched a family of 1200V Schottky diodes based on silicon carbide (SiC) material and technology. The new diodes are targeted at a wide range of industrial applications including solar inverters, welding, plasma cutters, fast vehicle charging, oil exploration, and other high-power, high-voltage applications where power density, higher performance and reliability are important.
Compared to silicon, SiC offers benefits including higher breakdown field strength and improved thermal conductivity, says Microsemi. These attributes allow designers to create devices with better performance characteristics encompassing zero reverse recovery, temperature-independent behavior, higher-voltage capability, and higher-temperature operation to achieve new levels of performance, efficiency and reliability, adds the firm.
Microsemi claims that, in addition to the device's inherent benefits, it is the only manufacturer to offer a SiC Schottky diode in a large surface-mount backside-solderable D3 package, allowing designers to achieve increased power density and lower manufacturing costs.
"We applied our more than 25 years of power semiconductor device design and manufacturing know-how to deliver a family of SiC diodes that offers unparalleled levels of performance, reliability and overall quality," claims Russell Crecraft, general manager of Microsemi's Power Products Group. "Next-generation power conversion systems require higher power densities, higher operating frequencies and higher efficiencies — and our new silicon carbide devices help system designers meet those needs," he adds.
