Cree Achieves Record Power Levels on Rectifiers and Transistors
Results Represent a 10X Increase in Power Over the Last Year
Durham, NC. At the International Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials held in Tsukuba, Japan this week, Cree, Inc. announced that it has demonstrated record results for a silicon carbide (SiC) PiN power diode and a SiC power MOSFET transistor. The power levels have increased by more than a factor of ten over results obtained a year ago as Cree scaled up the devices to much larger sizes than previously demonstrated. Potential uses for these devices include power conditioning applications for both commercial and military systems.
The rectifier presented was a 10 kV SiC PiN diode with an area of 9 mm2, having a current capability of 20 Amps, and a pulsed power capability of 200 Amps. These power levels of up to 2 MW pulsed are the largest reported to date for a single SiC chip. The SiC power MOSFET reported also was a large area device, with a total chip area of 11 mm2. It demonstrated a high voltage rating of 2.4 kV, with a current capability up to 10 Amps. The on-resistance of this 240 kW device was less than 1/40th that of an equivalent silicon MOSFET, thus offering much lower conduction losses.
Dr. John Palmour, Cree s Director of Advanced Devices commented, ``We are very excited about the rapid pace of development in SiC power device technology. We believe that the power levels now being demonstrated are nearing the levels required for commercial products that can complement our Schottky diode product line. While more R&D is necessary to bring these devices to production, this is a demonstration of the rapid improvement taking place in both our material capability as well as in our device design and processing technology.
The work on the high voltage rectifiers was funded in part by the Air Force Research Laboratories, and the MOSFET research was funded by DARPA and the Office of Naval Research.
North Carolina-based Cree, Inc. develops and manufactures semiconductor materials and devices based on silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) and related compounds. The company s products include blue, green and UV LEDs, RF power transistors for use in wireless infrastructure applications, Schottky diodes for power conditioning and switching, SiC crystals used in the production of unique gemstones and SiC wafers sold for use in production and in research and development. Cree has new product initiatives based on its expertise in SiC and GaN-based semiconductors, including blue laser diodes for optical storage applications, high frequency microwave devices for radar and communications systems. For more information on Cree, visit http://www.cree.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including the possibility we may be unable to develop commercial products with performance ratings comparable to the development results discussed in the release; the potential lack of customer acceptance even if such products are developed; the possibility we may be unable to manufacture such products with sufficiently low cost to offer them at competitive prices or with acceptable margins; and other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 24, 2001.
Web site: http://www.cree.com
