Cree, a global leader in silicon carbide (SiC) technology, and ABB's Power Grid Division announced a cooperation to jointly expand the adoption of SiC in the rapidly growing high-power semiconductor market. The agreement includes the use of Cree's Wolfspeed SiC-based semiconductors in ABB's complete product portfolio, which will help Cree expand its customer base while accelerating ABB's entry into the rapidly expanding electric vehicle (EV) market.
Cree products will be used in the ABB power semiconductor product portfolio, which is used in power grid, train, traction, industrial and electric transportation markets. In particular, Cree's industry-leading SiC devices will be assembled in ABB power modules.
Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree, said: "Cree is committed to leading the transformation of the global semiconductor market to higher energy efficiency and higher performance SiC-based solutions. ABB is a long-established global market leader in industrial power electrification solutions, Cree Expanding cooperation with ABB will help to promote the adoption of transformative, environmentally friendly SiC alternatives in the power and automotive sectors. At the same time, the cooperation will help Wolfspeed SiC to enter new markets, including power grids and high-speed rail, and promote its The markets of electricity, traction, industry and electric vehicles are constantly improving. "
Rainer Käsmaier, Managing Director, Semiconductor Business, ABB Grid Business Division, said: "The collaboration with Cree will support ABB's strategy to develop energy-efficient SiC semiconductors in the automotive and industrial sectors. This also demonstrates ABB's continued practice of its continuous technology Innovation shapes the future and the goal of building a smarter and greener society. "
Compared with Si-based semiconductors, SiC semiconductors can provide significantly lower switching losses and greatly increase the switching frequency. This means that energy conversion can achieve over 99% efficiency, greatly reducing energy loss, and playing an important role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
This advanced technology helps the future adoption of SiC modules in locomotive traction inverters, and is used for high-voltage direct current transmission (HVDC), solar and wind energy inverters, energy storage, and solid-state transformers for power transmission and distribution. For the electric vehicle market, this means that with the same battery capacity, longer travel distances and faster charging times can be achieved.