onsemi introduces EliteSiC M4, its fourth-generation silicon carbide platform

onsemi has introduced EliteSiC M4, its fourth-generation silicon carbide (SiC) platform. Built on a trench architecture, it is designed for more efficient, power-dense systems in EVs, AI data centers and energy infrastructure.

onsemi says M4 delivers up to 30% higher power density and 35% lower losses than the previous generation. M4 reduces specific on-resistance (RSP) by 20% to 50% while enabling faster switching, and it improves switching figures of merit by 67% in hard switching and 50% in soft switching.

The platform is designed to support existing packages, including top-side-cooled surface-mount packages and high-power modules. onsemi says the platform is qualified for temperatures of 185° C and above in high-voltage automotive and space applications.

The EliteSiC M4 750 V bare die for automotive traction inverters is available. Additional products for a range of voltages up to 1,200 V are expected to be available beginning in 2027.

“Power requirements are rising faster than the physical infrastructure around them,” said Achyut Shah, Group President of the Power Solutions Group at onsemi. “The next generation of power systems will require the ability to deliver more power, more efficiently and in less space. With more than 16 billion miles of proven silicon carbide operation in vehicles around the world, EliteSiC M4 is combining that foundation of reliability with the performance customers need to rethink the balance among power, efficiency, size and cost.”

“As vehicle power levels increase, traction-inverter design becomes a tighter balancing act between efficiency, thermal performance, power density and reliability,” said Harald Hartel, Vice President, BU eMotor Controls at Schaeffler. “Higher efficiency and power density can give us greater flexibility to optimize the traction inverter for range, thermal performance and packaging, which are increasingly important as electrified powertrains become more demanding.”

Source: onsemi