Achieves Industry’s Lowest Figure-of-Merit in a Discreet Device

DURHAM, N.C. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 23, 2017 — Wolfspeed, a Cree Company and a leader in silicon carbide (SiC) power products, has expanded its innovative C3M^™ platform through the introduction of a 1200V, 75mΩ MOSFET in its recently released low-inductance discrete packaging. The new device simplifies designs and enables an increase in frequency while maintaining efficiency, lowering system cost, reducing circuit EMI and enabling 99 percent efficiency levels in three-phase power factor correction circuits.

These features enable designers of applications such as telecom power supplies, elevators, grid-tied storage, on and offboard EV charging, as well as factory automation to increase switching frequency while maintaining efficiency, decreasing system size and bill of materials.

“We are very encouraged about the new SiC products being introduced in new innovative discrete packaging,” said Kurt Goepfrich, a Siemens hardware architect. “These new package options, such as the surface-mount 7L D2PAK, allow us to explore new topologies not possible with existing products available on the market today.”

This device achieves the industry’s lowest figure-of-merit for any SiC MOSFET at 1200V. Wolfspeed has released this device in a 4L TO-247 package and plans to release it in a 7L D2PAK in the coming weeks.

“SiC MOSFETs have proven to be beneficial for many high-power applications connected to a battery simply due to the improved efficiency,” explains John Palmour, Wolfspeed’s CTO. “In the case where power is bidirectional, such as grid-connected AC-DC, the potential cost savings are significantly increased due to the reduction in the size of the input filter.”

The device features Wolfspeed’s third generation C3M planar MOSFET technology, which engineers have already designed into various automotive and industrial applications. It features low on-resistance (75mΩ) combined with a low gate charge, making it ideally suited for three-phase, bridgeless PFC topologies as well as AC-AC converters and chargers.

The newly released packages allow engineers to take full advantage of the high-frequency capability of the latest Wolfspeed^™ SiC MOSFET chips. The 4L TO247 package delivers a 3x reduction in total switching losses compared to a conventional TO-247-3 package.

The 7L D2PAK surface-mount package, specifically designed for high-voltage MOSFETs, practically eliminates the source inductance found in other packages and has a footprint 52 percent smaller than D3PAKs. This is made possible by the small die size and high-blocking capability of C3M planar MOS technology.

Designers can reduce component-count by moving from silicon-based, three-level topologies to simpler two-level topologies made possible by the improved switching performance. These higher voltage SiC MOSFETs solve many of the limitations of silicon super-junction MOSFETs that make them impractical to use in two-level topologies. SiC has significantly lower output capacitance nonlinearity, making it possible to reduce the dead-time thereby minimizing total harmonic distortion at higher switching frequencies.

The new 1200V, 75mOhm MOSFET is available in a through-hole, 4L TO247 package and is listed as part number C3M0075120K and is currently available for purchase from several top distributors. The surface-mount version of this device, C3M0075120J, will be released in the coming weeks. Like the 4L-TO247, the surface-mount devices include a Kelvin-source pin to help minimize gate-ringing and reduce system losses.

For more complete technical information about Wolfspeed’s new 1200V MOSFET,  download its datasheet here. For all other inquiries about Wolfspeed power products, please visit  http://www.wolfspeed.com/power/products.

About Wolfspeed

Wolfspeed, A Cree Company, is leading the innovation and commercialization of silicon carbide and gallium nitride, liberating designers to invent power and wireless systems for a responsible, energy-efficient future.

Wolfspeed’s wide bandgap semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications deliver new levels of performance through increased efficiency, higher switching frequency and reduced system size and weight for the transportation, industrial, energy and communications markets.

Please refer to www.wolfspeed.com for  additional product and  company information.

About Cree

Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, lighting products and semiconductor products for power and radio frequency (RF) applications. Cree believes in better light experiences and is delivering new innovative LED technology that transforms the way people experience light through high-quality interior and exterior LED lighting solutions.

Cree’s product families include LED lighting systems and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree’s products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, power supplies and inverters.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk that we may be unable to manufacture these new products with sufficiently low cost to offer them at competitive prices or with acceptable margins; the risk we may encounter delays or other difficulties in ramping up production of our new products; customer acceptance of our new products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree’s products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2016, and subsequent filings.