Anvil Semiconductors has developed a new disruptive Silicon Carbide semiconductor to produce more efficient, smaller, lighter, and more robust power switches. A new, unique semiconductor material (SC-SiC) enabling the production of better performing Silicon Carbide (SiC) power...
Anvil Semiconductors has developed a new disruptive Silicon Carbide semiconductor to produce more efficient, smaller, lighter, and more robust power switches. A new, unique semiconductor material (SC-SiC) enabling the production of better performing Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices at a similar cost to conventional Silicon devices (Si). For society the material will produce significant energy savings, unparalleled efficiency and cost effective devices. Anvil studied the business and commercial feasibility of bringing the material to the market and it demonstrated a large market opportunity, as well as outlining the development stages needed to be undertaken to get there.
Anvil conducted a full feasibility study, looking into both the business and technical aspects of the novel material including scouting and identifying industrial partners in the supply chains, sizing the market and profiling customers, accomplishing 5 year financial projections, assessing the IP management strategy and conducting a risk and contingency plan, as well as validating the technology with end users.
Silicon Carbide power semiconductors are a relatively new entrant in the commercial marketplace, with the first SiC Schottky Diode introduced in 2001. Hence, the biggest competition still comes from the incumbent technology, Silicon. While, very few of the main players have invested in 3C-SiC development and no one already reached the market: ST (France) have a project to build 3C-SiC wafers but their technology appears to have come to a dead end. Those that have invested in 3C-SiC are predominantly using [111] Silicon and accepting qualities good enough for use in microelectromechanical systems rather than power devices, or as a substrate for growing other compound semiconductors such as GaN.
More info: http://www.anvil-semi.co.uk/.