onsemi launches trench-based EliteSiC M4 SiC platform
Image: onsemi
onsemi has introduced EliteSiC M4, a fourth-generation silicon carbide platform built on a trench architecture, which the company says delivers up to 30% higher power density and 35% lower losses compared with its previous generation.
The platform targets power conversion in AI data centres, electric vehicles and energy infrastructure, where onsemi says designers face a common constraint: delivering more power without proportional increases in system size, energy losses or cooling requirements.
Performance claims
According to onsemi, EliteSiC M4 improves conduction and switching performance over the prior generation as follows:
- Specific on-resistance (RSP) reduced by 20% to 50%, alongside faster switching
- Switching figures of merit improved by 67% in hard-switching and 50% in soft-switching operation
- Qualification supporting operating temperatures of 185°C and above, which onsemi states suits high-voltage automotive and space applications
onsemi says the platform is designed to support existing package types, including top-side-cooled surface-mount packages and high-power modules, rather than requiring new packaging infrastructure.
Availability
The EliteSiC M4 750 V bare die for automotive traction inverters is available now. onsemi says additional voltage variants up to 1200 V are expected to become available from 2027, meaning the broader product range remains a company projection rather than a current offering.
onsemi frames the platform as building on what it describes as more than 16 billion miles of real-world silicon carbide operation in vehicles. Harald Hartel, Vice President of BU eMotor Controls at Schaeffler AG, is quoted by onsemi as saying that higher efficiency and power density give traction-inverter designers greater flexibility to balance range, thermal performance and packaging as electrified powertrains become more demanding. These performance figures and the Schaeffler commentary are onsemi's own characterisations and have not been independently verified.
