EV/HEV Industry Trends of Wide-bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices for Power Electronics Converters

During the past two decades, medium-power inverters for electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EV/HEV) have been dominated by mature silicon (Si) insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology. New power semiconductor technologies, such as silicon carbide (SiC), have attracted increasing interest as attractive alternatives that address the limitations of the band-gap width, breakdown voltage, saturation drift rate, and thermal conductivity of Si devices. This paper provides an overview of wide-bandgap power semiconductors from the perspectives of the efficiency, reliability, added cost, and market, particularly for EV and charging infrastructure applications. In addition, the potential of wide-bandgap power devices is analyzed, including SiC, gallium nitride (GaN), and synthetic diamond, and the industry vision and evolution related to SiC penetration into the automotive supply chain are described.