The automotive world is undergoing a profound shift with the emergence of software-defined vehicles, which are transforming cars into intelligent, connected platforms that can receive updates and new features overnight, revolutionizing the driving experience.
A breakthrough in the rollout of next generation gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors has been made by Infineon Technologies, which is on track to produce 300-millimeter wafers.
According to the company, the first samples are scheduled to be available for customers in the fourth quarter of 2025.
With higher power density, faster switching speeds, and lower power losses, GaN semiconductors enable smaller designs, reducing energy consumption and heat generation in electronic devices like smartphone chargers, industrial and humanoid robots or solar inverters.
Chip production on 300-millimeter wafers is technically more advanced and significantly more efficient compared to established 200-millimeter wafers, as the larger wafer diameter allows 2.3 times more chips to be produced per wafer, according to Infineon.
As a leader in power systems, Infineon is innovating manufacturing in all three materials being used for electric vehicle transformers – silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and GaN.
SiC and GaN semiconductors have lower conduction and switching losses compared to traditional silicon devices, leading to greater energy efficiency.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Monty Hayes, Director of Applications Engineering, Infineon Technologies, how the company is adapting to continuously changing customer demands in the auto industry.
Hayes: Infineon is consistently working towards the next big solution to support customer needs and industry demands. Our growing customer base keeps our team focused on a steady stream of solutions.
Both cost and efficiency improvements define chip generations, and both can impact new developments to support our customer solutions.
Infineon is currently working on Gen 3 SiC devices and has a robust roadmap to continue improving both SiC and GaN devices. Next generations are driven by both technology and cost improvements.
AI: Is there a quantum leap for Silicon (Si) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) in the next 15 years (e.g., diamond or gallium oxide) for automotive?
Hayes: Infineon continues to evaluate semiconductor materials, technologies and designs for future technologies. Infineon’s next-generation high voltage (HV) SiC super junction devices will have a significant reduction in losses.
AI: What are the largest tech hurdles on or outside of devices to maximize performance of SiC and GaN?
Hayes: Items that are key to maximum performance are the packaging, cooling, and control of the devices.
Packaging continues to improve with direct attach methods and materials such as sintering, direct cooling and double side cooling. A smaller device footprint will also allow for ease of vehicle packaging and integration with lower mass and volumes.
Gate drives also need to be optimized for new semiconductor device technologies to optimize for different materials and devices.
Overall Wide-bandgap (WBG) materials allow higher frequency, higher temperature and higher power operation which allow for a smaller footprint, volume and lower mass for easier vehicle integration.
AI: What’s the primary research focus on cooling advances?
Hayes: Cooling solutions depend on the applications and cooling media available.
Liquid based cooling is more effective than air cooling and most automotive applications utilize liquid cooling (most common is an ethylene glycol/water or oil-based solutions for traction drive inverters, onboard charges and DC/DC Converters.
Liquid cooling can reduce facility power consumption by up to 27%. This also leads to a reduction of carbon emissions by the same amount. Liquid cooling ends up using less water than traditional air-cooling methods.
Research in power electronics cooling continues to look at improvements in the thermal stack including minimizing the thermal impedance from the junction of the power semiconductor device to the coolant.)
OEMs continue to look at technologies to integrate/combine cooling for ease of design and manufacture. Semiconductor development continues to increase the junction temperature of devices which allow for either increased output power or reduced coolant design needs.
AI: What is SiC’s efficiency gain over Si and at what switching frequency(ies)? What is GaN’s efficiency gain over Si and SiC?
Hayes: SiC devices have a significant reduction in switching losses versus Si. GaN devices also have similar reductions in switching losses to Si and have a slightly better performance compared to SiC at lower bus voltages.
The actual improvement will vary by application, operating voltages, currents and power requested. For example, a SiC Traction Drive Inverter operating with a coolant of 70°C and at a 400V or 800V bus voltage, switching at 10KHz can have a 3% increase in efficiency as compared to a Si IGBT/Diode combination.
This varies by application and operating conditions but provided for an overall increase in efficiency over the drive cycle which can lead to increased fuel economy in electrified vehicles.
AI: Are Si/Gan benefits greater for medium- and heavy-duty applications for vehicle mobility?
The technical advantages are similar but due to the higher power systems utilized for medium and heavy-duty applications, the overall improvements to volume and mass will be greater in these applications.
AI: Are there target wafer sizes for SiC/GaN devices to achieve cost parity with Si? If so, what are those wafer sizes? And no matter the metric, (around) what year is cost parity expected for Si/SiC and Si/GaN?
Hayes: With the advent of new technology, manufacturing equipment capability and larger wafer sizes SiC and GaN are both decreasing in cost at a faster pace than Si development cost down over the past years.
AI: What are the standard SiC and GaN wafer sizes for OEM auto mobility applications today?
Hayes: Infineon manufactures SiC on 200mm wafers and GaN devices on 300mm wafers. Infineon supplies products to OEMs, Tier 1s and Tier 2s.
AI: Does Infineon still use Schottky diodes in SiC products?
Yes, Infineon continues to use Schottky diodes due to their efficiency benefits.
AI: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a must-have feature in semiconductor materials. How is AI being applied to achieve SiC/GaN gains?
Hayes: Infineon’s GaN solutions offer increased efficiency and power capabilities for data center supporting AI use cases.
AI requires massive amounts of power and computer capability. Infineon supplied SiC and GaN solutions are important to minimize power consumption while not compromising on the computational outcomes of the AI solutions.
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