SiC vs. Si

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The World Platinum Investment Association (WPIC) said recently that carmakers are accelerating reductions in palladium use and increased use of platinum due to concerns about Russian palladium supplies. However, it still expects a significant surplus in the platinum market this year.

Palladium is used by carmakers in tailpipe emissions systems to reduce carbon emissions.  While carmakers prefer palladium for catalytic converters, they are turning to platinum, which is cheaper than palladium, to save costs.

Russia accounts for about 25-30% of the world's palladium supply and 8-10% of its platinum supply.

There is no sign that western sanctions against Russia have restricted palladium exports since the conflict escalated in February, but as the conflict continues, more companies could boycott The Russian metal and governments could impose restrictions.

Platinum is currently trading at about $950 an ounce, about half the price of palladium.  Automakers use about 2.5 million to 3 million ounces of platinum and about 8.5 million ounces of palladium each year.

For the year as a whole, platinum supply will be 5 percent lower than in 2021 and demand 2 percent higher, with the automotive sector seeing a 16 percent increase due to increased light vehicle silicon carbide are still very uncertain.

What is silicon carbide?
Silicon carbide SiC is one of the representatives of the third-generation semiconductor materials. It is a compound formed by C element and Si element.
Compared with the traditional semiconductor material silicon, it has obvious advantages such as high critical breakdown electric field and high electron mobility. It is an excellent semiconductor material for manufacturing high-voltage, high-temperature and radiation-resistant semiconductor devices.
 
SiC vs. Si:
1. The critical breakdown electric field strength of silicon carbide is nearly 10 times that of silicon.
2. The thermal conductivity of silicon carbide is more than 3 times that of silicon.
3. The saturated electron drift velocity of silicon carbide is high, which is twice as fast as that of silicon.
4. Silicon carbide has good radiation resistance and chemical stability.
5. Like silicon, silicon carbide can directly grow silicon dioxide insulating layer on the surface by thermal oxidation process.
 
In addition, compared with the recovery characteristics of SiC-SBD (Schottky diodes) and Si-FRD, the recovery process of SiC-SBD is almost not affected by current and temperature. When comparing the switching characteristics of SiC-MOS and Si-IGBT/Si-MOS, the loss of switching off is greatly reduced, and the recovery characteristics of bulk diodes are especially good.
 
Silicon carbide uses:
Silicon carbide power devices have unique advantages such as high voltage, high current, high temperature, high frequency and low loss, which will greatly improve the conversion efficiency of existing energy and have a significant and far-reaching impact on the field of efficient energy conversion. the main areas are smart grid, rail transit, electric vehicles, new energy grid, communication power supply and so on.
 
Smart grid
At present, silicon carbide devices have been applied in medium and low voltage distribution network. In the future, the flexible power transmission and transformation with higher voltage, larger capacity and lower loss will have a great demand for silicon carbide power devices above 10,000 volts. The main applications of silicon carbide power devices in smart grid include HVDC converter valves, flexible DC converter valves, flexible AC transmission devices, HVDC circuit breakers, power electronic transformers and so on. In addition to high-voltage devices, smart grid applications have unique requirements for large-capacity devices and crimping packaging.
 
Rail transit
Rail transit industry is also one of the main application industries of silicon carbide power devices. The future rail transit puts forward higher requirements for power electronic devices, such as traction converters, power electronic voltages and so on. The use of silicon carbide power devices can greatly improve the power density and working efficiency of these devices, which will help to obviously reduce the load system of rail transit. At present, due to the current capacity of silicon carbide power devices, silicon carbide hybrid modules will first begin to replace some silicon IGBT modules. In the future, with the improvement of the capacity of silicon carbide devices, silicon carbide modules will play a greater role in the field of rail transit.
 
New-energy vehicle
New energy vehicle is the application field of silicon carbide power devices supported by governments at all levels in China. Silicon carbide power devices have great advantages in the field of electric vehicles. The high temperature characteristics and high thermal conductivity of silicon carbide power devices can significantly reduce the volume and cost of the radiator, and its high frequency characteristics help to increase the power density, volume and weight of the motor driver. and promote the application of the new topology in motor drive, charging pile and vehicle charger to realize the omni-directional upgrading of electric vehicle semiconductor equipment.
 
Silicon carbide price
The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events.
If you are looking for the latest SiC price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. (sales3@nanotrun.com)
 
Silicon carbide supplier
Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted silicon carbide manufacturer and silicon carbide supplier with over 12-year-experience. We ship our goods all over the world.
 
If you are looking for high-quality SiC powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales3@nanotrun.com)
 

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