Silicon Carbide vs. Silicon: What are the Prominent Advantages of the Former

We are on the edge of a quiet. The engine of this change is a shift in materials. We are moving from silicon, which defined the 20th-century electronics industry, to a new material: Silicon Carbide (SiC). You might ask: Silicon is everywhere. Why change something that works? The answer is simple. As we move toward a fully electrified world that demands peak efficiency, silicon is showing its limits. Silicon Carbide isn’t here to patch things up. It’s here to redefine what is possible.

Let’s use an analogy. Think of silicon as a well-built, extensive network of two-lane roads. For over half a century, it served us brilliantly. It carried the “traffic” of information and power from tiny chips to giant servers. It built the digital age. But today’s challenges are different. We need superhighways. These highways must handle massive “traffic,” allow “vehicles” to move at near-light speeds, and stay open in extreme “weather.” They must be more efficient, tougher, and more compact. This is the mission of Silicon Carbide. It’s not a simple upgrade. It opens a new dimension for power electronics.

Key Advantages of Silicon Carbide in Modern Electronics

So, what makes Silicon Carbide so special? Its magic lies in its atomic crystal structure. It comes down to three core properties where traditional silicon simply can’t compete: wide bandgap, superior thermal conductivity, and an incredibly high critical breakdown field.

First, let’s talk about the wide bandgap. This sounds technical, but it’s crucial. The bandgap measures how well a semiconductor material can stay stable and efficient under high voltage and temperature. Silicon has a narrow bandgap. It’s like a low fence that electrons can jump over easily. But this also means it can lose control at high heat or voltage. It creates significant loss and waste heat. Silicon Carbide’s bandgap is three times wider than silicon’s. It’s a tall, strong wall. This means SiC devices can operate calmly in environments where silicon would fail—temperatures above 200°C and under high voltage. It does this with very low energy loss. This innate toughness lets it shine in harsh places: next to EV engines, inside solar inverters, and more.

Second, thermal conductivity—the ability to manage heat. Waste heat is the ultimate enemy of performance, reliability, and lifespan in electronics. Silicon doesn’t conduct heat very well. Engineers must design complex, bulky cooling systems for silicon-based power devices: heat sinks, fans, and liquid cooling. These add volume, weight, and cost, and they use energy themselves. Silicon Carbide is different. Its crystal structure is very stable. It conducts heat almost as well as copper—about three times better than silicon. It’s a natural at shedding heat. It pulls heat away from itself quickly, staying “cool.” This frees up system design. We can simplify or shrink cooling systems, making devices lighter and more compact. Or, we can push SiC devices to handle higher power under the same cooling conditions, unlocking greater potential.

Third, the high critical breakdown field. This is the key to combining “miniaturization” with “high efficiency.” This property means Silicon Carbide can block the same high voltage (or higher) in a much thinner chip area than silicon. Imagine building a dam with a thinner but stronger material to hold back the same flood. The benefits are two-fold. First, the devices themselves can be made very small. Power density (power handling per volume) increases dramatically. Second, with a thinner structure, electrons have a shorter path to travel. Switching speeds can be many times faster—up to ten times faster—than silicon devices. Faster switching means cleaner, sharper energy conversion with much lower switching loss. It also allows for higher operating frequencies. This, in turn, lets us make passive components like capacitors and inductors smaller too.

How do these exciting physical properties spark real change in our lives?

At the heart of an EV’s powertrain—the battery, motor, and controller—lies the “power inverter.” Its job is to convert direct current (DC) from the battery into the alternating current (AC) that drives the motor. This process naturally wastes some energy. The traditional silicon-based IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) has a strong record. But during this conversion, especially during frequent acceleration and deceleration, its switching and conduction losses waste a significant amount of precious battery energy. This lost energy turns into heat.

Now, replace the core switching devices in the inverter with Silicon Carbide MOSFETs. The efficiency gains are immediate and comprehensive. First, lower conduction and switching loss can boost the entire drivetrain’s efficiency by 5% to 8%, or even more. What does this mean in the real world? For an EV with a 500 km range rating, this translates to an extra 25 to 40 kilometers of range without adding a single gram of battery weight! Alternatively, automakers can use a slightly smaller battery pack to meet the original range target. This directly cuts the cost and weight of the vehicle’s most expensive component—the battery—creating a virtuous cycle.

Second, thanks to the high-frequency switching capability of SiC devices, we can shrink the bulky magnetic components in the inverter—inductors and transformers—by more than half in size and weight. This allows for highly integrated, lightweight powertrains. It frees up space for passengers or for more battery cells. Also, faster switching enables more precise and smoother motor control, improving the driving experience.

Furthermore, Silicon Carbide acts as an “efficiency accelerator” in On-Board Chargers (OBC) and DC fast-charging stations. It allows OBCs to remain compact even as their power increases to 11kW, 22kW, or more, enabling faster home charging. For DC fast chargers, SiC power modules are key for ultra-high-voltage architectures (like 800V). They are the technology that handles ultra-high power efficiently and reliably, cutting charging times to “a coffee break.”

Yet, Silicon Carbide’s vision stretches far beyond the open road. In the vast field of renewable energy, SiC-based solar inverters and wind turbine converters squeeze extra watts of green electricity from every ray of sun and gust of wind. This significantly boosts a power plant’s annual energy yield. Inside data centers—”beasts” that consume about 2% of the world’s electricity—server power supplies (PSUs) and UPS systems using SiC can push power conversion efficiency from traditional “Platinum” levels to “Titanium” levels. Every percentage point of efficiency gain saves a fortune in electricity bills and reduces carbon emissions. In industry, from high-speed rail traction converters to variable-frequency motor drives on factory lines, SiC brings greater reliability, faster response, and lower energy consumption. It injects green, efficient genes into “Industry 4.0.”

Of course, we must face reality. Today, a Silicon Carbide MOSFET or Schottky diode still costs more than a comparable silicon device. But a wise investment never looks only at the initial purchase price. It looks at the Total Cost of Ownership over the system’s entire life. When you use SiC, you save on aluminum for heat sinks. You use less copper for magnetic components. You shrink the chassis size. You reduce installation and maintenance complexity. Most importantly, over five or ten years of operation, the massive savings on your electricity bill from higher efficiency make the initial premium look trivial. Silicon Carbide is a value investment. You pay once, and you benefit every single moment the product runs.

If silicon led us into the magnificent Information Age, enabling computation and connection, then Silicon Carbide is leading us into a more critical “Energy Age.” The central question of this age is: How can we produce, transmit, store, and use every kilowatt-hour of electricity more intelligently, efficiently, and compactly? SiC is the bridge connecting clean energy to end-use applications. It is the “pacemaker” for electric transportation and a “core neuron” for the future smart grid.

Supplier

Advanced Ceramics founded on October 17, 2012, is a high-tech enterprise committed to the research and development, production, processing, sales and technical services of ceramic relative materials such as Silicon Carbide. Our products includes but not limited to Boron Carbide Ceramic Products, Boron Nitride Ceramic Products, Silicon Carbide Ceramic Products, Silicon Nitride Ceramic Products, Zirconium Dioxide Ceramic Products, etc. If you are interested in Silicon Carbide, please feel free to contact us.