Qorvo Launches Surface-Mount Package for High-power 750V SiC FET Applications

North Carolina-based semiconductor firm Qorvo recently unveiled a new package for its 750-volt silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistors (FETs), ideal for AC/DC power supplies, solid-state relays and circuit breakers, and other space-limited applications. 

 

Qorvo’s 5.4-milliohm 750V SiC FETs offered in the company’s new surface-mount TOLL package. Image used courtesy of Qorvo

 

At the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) this week in Orlando, Qorvo showcased its new surface-mount TO-leadless (TOLL) package, fitting the company’s line of 5.4 milliohm (mΩ) SiC FETs. With the launch of the TOLL package, Qorvo debuts a family of high-performance 750 V SiC FETs with on-resistance ranging from 5.4 to 60 mΩ. 

Qorvo claims its fourth generation of SiC FETs in the 600/750 V class offer superior performance in on-resistance and output capacitance. Its TOLL package with 5.4 mΩ has four to 10 times lower on-resistance than competing silicon- and SiC-based MOSFETs and gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. Also, the 750 V rating is 100 to 150 volts higher than alternative products. 

 

The lowest on-resistance FETs (650V or higher) offered in Qorvo’s surface-mount TOLL packages. Image used courtesy of Qorvo

 

Anup Bhalla, the chief engineer of Qorvo’s power devices business, mentioned in the announcement that the launch of 5.4 mΩ Gen4 SiC FETs in TOLL packaging provides multiple device options and the best performance in the market, citing the flexibility and cost-efficient design as particularly useful for industrial applications. 

 

Specs and Features

According to Qorvo, the TOLL package is 30% smaller and half the height of its existing D2PAK surface-mount product, as shown in the image below. 

 

A size comparison of Qorvo’s D2PAK-7L and TOLL surface-mount products. Image used courtesy of Qorvo

 

It also has a thermal resistance of 0.1 degrees Celsius per watt. The DC rating is 120 amps (A) up to case temperatures of 144 degrees Celsius, and the pulsed current rating is 588 A up to half a millisecond. This equates to an I2T (ampere squared seconds) rating that’s eight times better than a comparable Si MOSFETs, according to Qorvo. 

 

This figure-of-merit comparison displays Qorvo’s SiC offerings and competing MOSFETs. Image used courtesy of Qorvo

 

Qorvo’s fourth generation (“Gen 4”) SiC FETs use its cascode circuit configuration, where a Si MOSFET is co-packaged with a SiC JFET to produce a device with comparable efficiency benefits to wide bandgap switches and with a simpler gate drive than Si MOSFETs. 

Designers and engineers can use Qorvo’s free online calculator to see the efficiency, component losses, and junction temperature rise for parts used across AC/DC and DC/DC converters. 

Overall, the new on-resistance TOLL parts feature several selling points, namely low conduction loss, compact size, and high surge ruggedness, making them ideal for thermally-challenged protection applications limited to small spaces without active cooling. They can also reduce the need to parallel multiple FETs while keeping heatsinking to a minimum. 

 

Qorvo’s Growing SiC Portfolio

With $4.65 billion in revenue last year and nearly 9,000 employees worldwide, Qorvo is a notable player in the radio frequency (RF) and power device market. According to CSIMarket, the publicly traded company had a 5% market share over competitors in the fourth quarter of 2022, based on the last 12 months of data. Some of its customers include Volkswagen, Apple and Samsung (its two largest customers), Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, and federal agencies such as the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which used Qorvo’s products in its Perseverance (landed in 2021) and Curiosity (2012) rovers to Mars. 

Qorvo’s Gen 4 devices were initially developed by UnitedSiC, a New Jersey-based semiconductor manufacturer that Qorvo acquired in 2021. UnitedSiC launched its first four devices based on its Gen 4 SiC FET platform in December 2020. 

At the time of the UnitedSiC acquisition, Qorvo planned to expand into several emerging markets, including electric vehicles, industrial power and data center applications, circuit protection, and renewable energy. UnitedSiC’s portfolio included over 80 SiC FETs, JFETs, and Schottky diode devices. 

After acquiring UnitedSiC, Qorvo unveiled its Gen 4 series of 1200V SiC FETs in May 2022, targeting 800 V bus architectures in onboard chargers for EVs, industrial power supplies, DC/DC solar inverters, and other applications. A few months later, it introduced seven 750 V SiC FETs in its surface-mount D2PAK-7L package, built for high-power applications such as soft-switched DC/DC converters, onboard chargers, server power supplies, and battery charging applications.