- An Omdia report suggests that GaN and SiC power semiconductor markets are set to pass $1 billion mark in 2021
- From 2021 on wards, SiC MOSFETs will grow at a slightly faster rate to become the best-selling discrete SiC power device
The emerging market for silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors is forecast to pass $1 billion in 2021, energised by demand from hybrid & electric vehicles, power supplies, and photovoltaic (PV) inverters. According to a recent report by Omdia, worldwide revenue from sales of SiC and GaN power semiconductors is projected to rise to $854 million by the end of 2020, up from just $571 million in 2018. Market revenue is expected to increase at a double-digit annual rate for the next decade, passing $5 billion by 2029.
“Declining prices will eventually spur faster adoption of SiC MOSFET technology. In contrast, GaN power transistors and GaN system ICs have only appeared on the market quite recently,” said Richard Eden, senior principal analyst for power semiconductors at Omdia.
The case of SiC MOSFETs an SiC JFETs
By the end of 2020, SiC MOSFETs are forecast to generate revenue of approximately $320 million to match those of Schottky diodes. From 2021 on wards, SiC MOSFETs will grow at a slightly faster rate to become the best-selling discrete SiC power device. Meanwhile, SiC JFETs are each forecast to generate much smaller revenues than those of SiC MOSFETs, despite achieving good reliability, price and performance.
Hybrid SiC power modules, combining Si IGBTs and SIC diodes, are estimated to have generated approximately $72 million in sales in 2019, with full SiC power modules estimated to have generated approximately $50 million in 2019.
“End users strongly prefer normally-off SiC MOSFETs, so SiC JFETs appear likely to remain specialized, niche products. However, sales of SiC JFETs are forecast to rise at an impressive rate, despite having very few active suppliers,” Eden Added.
Full SiC power modules are forecast to achieve over $850 million in revenue by 2029, as they will be preferred for use in hybrid and electric vehicle power train inverters. In contrast, hybrid SiC power modules will be used in photovoltaic (PV) inverters, uninterruptible power supply systems and other industrial applications, mainly, delivering a much slower growth rate.
“SiC MOSFETs and SiC JFETs are available at lower operating voltages, such as 650V, 800V and 900V, allowing SiC to compete with Si Super junction MOSFETs on both performance and price,” read the report by Omdia.
It continued, “End-products with GaN transistors and GaN system ICs inside are in mass production, particularly USB type C power adaptors and chargers for fast charging of mobile phones and notebook PCs. Also, many GaN devices are being made by foundry service providers, offering in-house GaN epitaxial crystal growth on standard silicon wafers, and potentially unlimited production capacity expansion as volumes ramp.
