San'an Optoelectronics: Silicon carbide devices may permeate 100% in long-term aviation new energy models.

SMM survey: what kind of metal do you like most in 2022?

From December 20 to 21, the 16th "China Core" Integrated Circuit Industry Promotion Conference and the release ceremony of the excellent products of "China Core" was held in Zhuhai in 2021. At the wide band gap semiconductor-assisted carbon neutralization development summit held at the same time on the 21st, Chen Dongpo, deputy general manager of San'an Optoelectronics, delivered a speech entitled "Application and market prospect of silicon carbide in the field of new energy vehicles".

Chen Dongpo said that in recent years, more and more manufacturers of new energy vehicles and silicon carbide materials have made joint statements and signed strategic cooperation agreements to lock in the production capacity of silicon carbide. The real reason behind it is that the advantages of silicon carbide in the field of new energy vehicles are gradually emerging.

Chen Dongpo pointed out that the introduction of silicon carbide into new energy vehicles can increase the effective utilization space of the latter. Because there is an industry consensus in the semiconductor field, that is, "a generation of materials determines a generation of devices, and a generation of devices determines a generation of applications." Silicon carbide material has high carrier mobility and high breakdown field strength, and the module volume can be made smaller at the same power level; in addition, because the silicon carbide material saturation rate is also relatively high, so the switching speed of the device will be faster; in addition to the above two points, silicon carbide material also has high thermal conductivity, which makes the supporting heat dissipation device of the system more simplified.

"in the past, driving was the trunk, but now there are some cars with not only the trunk but also the front trunk. The efficient use of vehicle space can bring more convenient experience." Chen Dongpo said so.

Chen Dongpo also pointed out that the introduction of silicon carbide can also miniaturize the module and the surrounding components, which makes a great contribution to the lightweight application of the automobile. In addition, silicon carbide materials can also increase mileage, shorten charging time, reduce overall costs, and bring superior speed-up performance for new energy sources.

On the current situation and trend of the application of silicon carbide in the field of new energy vehicles, Chen Dongpo said that as Tesla introduced 24 silicon carbide modules into the new energy vehicle Model 3, silicon carbide materials have been paid more and more attention by the industry, and more and more manufacturers are importing or planning to import silicon carbide. OBC (Electric vehicle Charger) scene, BYD, Volkswagen, Geely import more, but also more mature. At present, only BYD and Tesla have mass production capacity in the main driver. although Geely and BAIC have some relatively clear plans, comparatively speaking, new car-building forces such as ideal and Xiaopeng will be more active in the introduction of silicon carbide modules.

Chen Dongpo believes that silicon carbide gives priority to infiltration in models with long mileage, because models with long mileage have a stronger driving force, and it is expected that in 2023-2024, basically 80-90%, or even 100%, will be imported into silicon carbide devices. Models with a range of 400-500km are expected to be introduced after 2024, with an overall penetration rate of about 40 per cent. For this type of model less than 400 km, it is expected to gradually follow up after 2025, and the overall penetration of this type of model will not be very high, estimated at about 10%.

Chen Dongpo further pointed out that the main scenarios for the application of silicon carbide in new energy vehicles are OBC and DC/DC,. In addition, charging piles are also very important. However, DC/DC is not expected to use silicon carbide, mainly OBC and main drive inverter, in which OBC is more mature and has been introduced in 2018, and its introduction will accelerate the maturity of technology and penetration in the car. In addition, high-power fast charging is about to accelerate infiltration in the future.

In terms of cost, Chen Dongpo believes that the value of silicon carbide should be conveyed from the perspective of the whole vehicle, rather than limited to a device level, which will be conducive to the introduction of silicon carbide devices.

With regard to the overall permeability of silicon carbide, Chen Dongpo believes that it will be higher than the current research and judgment of the industry, but he stressed that the future of third-generation semiconductors and traditional materials such as silicon are not a "life-and-death" situation, but co-exist. Each has its own space. Silicon carbide is an opportunity to show its ability in high-voltage and medium-voltage fields, which require high volume energy efficiency, while silicon devices have more advantages in cost-sensitive areas.