onsemi introduced “EliteSiC” as the name of its silicon carbide (SiC) family. This week, the company will showcase three new members of the family – the 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET and two 1700 V avalanche-rated EliteSiC Schottky diodes – at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The new devices provide reliable, high-efficiency performance for energy infrastructure and industrial drive applications and highlight onsemi’s position as a leader in industrial silicon carbide solutions.

With the 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET (NTH4L028N170M1), onsemi delivers higher breakdown voltage (BV) SiC solutions, required for high-power industrial applications. The two 1700 V avalanche-rated EliteSiC Schottky diodes (NDSH25170A, NDSH10170A) allow designers to achieve stable high-voltage operation at elevated temperatures while offering high efficiency enabled by SiC.

Renewable energy applications are consistently moving to higher voltages with solar systems from 1100 V to 1500 V DC Buses. To support this change, customers require MOSFETs with a higher BV. The new 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET offers a maximum Vgs range of -15 V/25 V, making it suitable for fast switching applications where gate voltages are increasing to -10V, delivering increased system reliability.

At a test condition of 1200 V at 40 Amps, the 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET achieves a gate charge (Qg) of 200 nC – which is market-leading compared to equivalent competitive devices that are closer to 300 nC. A low Qg is critical to achieving high efficiency in fast switching, high-power renewable energy applications.

At a BV rating of 1700 V, the EliteSiC Schottky diode devices offer an improved margin between the maximum reverse voltage (VRRM) and the peak repetitive reverse voltage of the diode. The new devices also provide excellent reverse leakage performance with a maximum reverse current (IR) of just 40 µA at 25°C and 100 µA at 175°C – significantly better than competitive devices that are often rated at 100 µA at 25°C.