For immediate release:
“Despite overall power electronics 2012 downturn,
SiC kept on growing,” says Yole Développement
«SiC Market 2013: Technology and Market for SiC Wafers, Devices and Power Modules»,
a report from Yole Développement
Lyon, France – May 7, 2013: Yole Développement announces its SiC Market 2013: Technology and
Market for SiC Wafers, Devices and Power Modules report. Yole Développement’s report focused on
the entire value-chain, covers all SiC applications in low, medium and high power ranges and provides
all metrics up to 2020. It also includes a Bill-of-Material analysis, to compare Silicon vs. SiC-based
system costs, and a cost reduction roadmap for SiC devices
Despite overall power electronics 2012 downturn, SiC kept on growing
Started late in 2011, the power electronics downturn in 2012 was quite severe, exhibiting -20%
negative growth. The market suffered from the global economic downturn combined with external
factors like China controlling what happened in some selected markets (Wind turbine or Rail traction
projects that have been stopped or postponed).
However, the SiC device market kept on growing with a +38% increase year to year.
SiC technology is now commonly accepted as a reliable and pertinent alternative to the silicon world.
Most power module and power inverter manufacturers have already included it in their roadmap as
an option or as a firm project. However time-to-market differs from application to application as a
function of value proposals for cost, specifications, availability and so on….
Yole Développement – Le Quartz – 75 cours Emile Zola – 69100 Lyon-Villeurbanne - France
Despite a quite depressed market last year, PV inverters have proven their appetite for SiC devices in
2012. They are the biggest consumer of SiC devices together with PFCs.
In 2011 and 2012 SiC diode business was the most buoyancy due to micro-inverter applications,
however Yole Développement is confident that both JFET and MOSFET will quickly catch-up and
become dominant in revenue by 2016.
SiC device (bare-dies or packaged discretes) market reached about $75M in 2012 with a sharp
domination by Infineon and CREE again, however the competition is little by little grabbing market
share with STMicroelectronics and Rohm closing the loop.
30 contenders, half-a-dozen of new entrants, 1 dead
There are now more than 30 companies worldwide which have established a dedicated SiC device
manufacturing capability with related commercial and promotion activities. Virtually, all other
existing Silicon-based power device makers are also more or less active in the SiC market but at
different stages.
2012 has seen the ramp-up of some companies, such as Rohm, MicroSemi, GeneSiC or STMicro, facing
the 2 giants CREE and Infineon, prefiguring a new market shaping in the coming years.
Four new companies - Raytheon, Ascatron, IBS and Fraunhofer IISB - have decided, almost
simultaneously, to launch SiC foundry services or contract manufacturing services. This business
model establishment addresses the demand of future SiC fabless and design houses that may look
for specific manufacturing partners. It will also probably act as a possible second source for IDMs in
cases of production overshoot.
In Asia, Panasonic and Toshiba are now clearly identified as credible contenders, along with
Mitsubishi Electric, now developing SiC power modules. Fuji Electric’s new SiC line is now running
within the Japanese national program. No Chinese device maker has emerged yet, however,
according to the huge investment plan in R&D, Yole Développement’s analyst suspects new IDMs will
soon enter the business.
In the US, Global Power Device and USCi have now exited stealth mode and have strongly affirmed
their intentions to take market share.
Ultimately, the unexpected closing down of SemiSouth in October 2012 has created chatter about
the quite stable-until-then SiC business. Several reasons have been disclosed that explain this decision
(over-sized company, market too long to take-off…), however we can’t ignore that it discredits to
some extent the Noff JFET technology. Only the future will tell…
Reshaping from discretes to modules
Yole Développement now sees the SiC industry reshaping, starting from a discrete device business
and now mutating into a power module business. Originally, this was initiated by Powerex,
MicroSemi, Vincotech or GeneSiC with hybrid Si/SiC products, then other players such as Mitsubishi,
GPE and more recently Rohm have reached the market with full-SiC modules.
This trend will become dominant in the coming years as integrators require power modules in most
of their mid and high power systems (generally starting from >3kW).
Yole Développement does forecast that SiC-based power module demand could exceed $100M by
2015 and top ~$800M in 2020 depending on whether or not the auto industry will adopt SiC.
Next critical challenges: Cost reduction, packaging & multi-sourcing
SiC equals high frequency and high temperature operation. That said, capturing these 2 added-values
remains an issue as no existing set of technologies can fully answer that request now. The path to
success for SiC large implementation will necessarily go through new packaging solutions. Numerous
bottlenecks need to be unlocked: chip bonding, metallic contact technique, gel filling, encapsulant,
EMI…
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Power device integrators generally rely on two, or even three sources to lower supply-chain risks. In
SiC, it is now easy operating multisourcing for diodes, though not yet for transistors.
MOSFET, JFET or BJT must be available from at least 2 companies with similar specifications. This Yole
Développement’s report also proposes a cost reduction roadmap for SiC device manufacturing at
different levels of the process steps.
About SiC Market 2013: Technology and Market for SiC Wafers, Devices and Power
Modules report:
o
Author:
Dr Philippe Roussel holds a Ph-D in Integrated Electronics Systems from the National Institute of
Applied Sciences (INSA) in LYON. He joined Yole Développement in 1998 and is leading the Compound
Semiconductors, LED, Power Electronics and Photovoltaics department.
o
Catalogue price:
Euros 5,990.00 (Multi user license) - Publication date: May 2013.
For special offers and the price in dollars, please contact David Jourdan (jourdan@yole.fr or +33 472
83 01 90).
o Companies cited in the report:
ABB, ACREO, AIST, Aixtron, Alstom, AnsaldoBreda, Anvil Semiconductors, AOS, Areva, Ascatron,
Bombardier, Bridgestone, Cissoid, CREE, Danfoss, Delphi, DENSO, Dow Corning, Dynex, Eaton
Powerware, EnerCon, Epigress, Epiworld, ETC, Eudyna, Ezan, Fairchild, Fraunhofer IISB, Fuji Electric,
GE, GeneSiC, Global Power Device, GT Advanced Technologies, Hitachi, Honda, Hyundai, IBS, IIVI,
Infineon, Jarvis, Kingway Technology, Leroy Sommer, Liebert Emerson, LPE-EPI, Magnachip,
MicroSemi, Mitsubishi, New Japan Radio, N-Crystals, Nippon Steel, Nissan Motor, Norstel, Northrop
Grumman, NovaSiC, OKI Electric, Okmetic, Osram, PAM Xiamen, Panasonic, Philips, Powerex, Power
Integration, Raytheon, RFMD, Rockwell, Rohm, Sanrex, Schneider Electric, Semikron, Semisouth,
SEW, Shindengen, Showa Denko, SiCC, SiCrystal, Siemens, SKC, Skyworks, SMA, STMicroelectronics,
Sumitomo SEI, TankeBlue, TianYue, TEL, Toshiba, Toyota, TriQuint, TYSTC, United Silicon Carbide,
Vestas, Volvo, WideTronix, Yaskawa……
About Yole Développement
Founded in 1998, Yole Développement has grown to become a group of companies providing
marketing, technology and strategy consulting, media in addition to corporate finance services.
With a strong focus on emerging applications using silicon and/or micro manufacturing, Yole
Développement group has expanded to include more than 50 associates worldwide covering MEMS,
Compound Semiconductors, LED, Image Sensors, Optoelectronics, Microfluidics & Medical,
Photovoltaics, Advanced Packaging, Nanomaterials and Power Electronics. The group supports
industrial companies, investors and R&D organizations worldwide to help them understand markets
and follow technology trends to develop their business.
CONSULTING
• Market data, market research &
marketing analysis
• Technology analysis
• Reverse engineering & costing services
• Strategy consulting
• Patent analysis
More information on www.yole.fr
REPORTS
• Collection of technology & market reports
• Players & Market databases
• Manufacturing cost simulation tools
• Component reverse engineering &costing
analysis
• Patent investigation
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FINANCIAL SERVICES
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Due diligence & valuation
• Fundraising
• Coaching of emerging companies
• IP portfolio management, valuation &
optimization
More information on www.yolefinance.com
MEDIA
• Online disruptive technologies website: www.imicronews.com
• Editorial webcasts program
• Six magazines: Micronews - MEMS Trends – 3D
Packaging – iLED – Power Dev' - New in 2013:
Image Sensors Industry
• Communication & Webcasts services
CONTACTS
For more information about :
• Consulting Services : Christophe Fitamant (fitamant@yole.fr)
• Financial Services: Géraldine Andrieux-Gustin (Andrieux@yole.fr)
• Reports: David Jourdan (jourdan@yole.fr)
• Media & Communication : Sandrine Leroy (leroy@yole.fr)
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