Electric mobility has become a global issue. Not only car manufacturers, but industry and research institutes cooperate worldwide to push the mass production of hybrid- and electric vehicles.

New systems of power electronics have to be integrated into vehicles, in particular

• Inverted rectifiers to drive the power train
• Battery charging units
• Inductive charging systems
• High performance on-board-converters
• Inverted rectifiers for side components like air-conditioning and steering support

Additionally, power electronics systems provide the necessary charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

The requirements of automotive OEM’s to electronic systems are:

• Low space requirements
• Low weight
• High efficiency

These requirements make silicon carbide the ideal material for this range of use – our SiC wafers build the basis.

Green Technologies – The use of renewable energies like photovoltaic and wind power are essential to protect our environment. It is good to know that our silicon carbide wafers provide a valuable contribution to lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions long term and hence counter global warming.

Photovoltaic has been an important market for SiC components. Solar inverters of different power classes, for use in private households and with industrial clients, profit from the use of silicon carbide. It provides a more compact and light built, better performance and lower cost. Using SiC transistors in wind power plants bears the potential to improve the efficiency of such plants substantially.