II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI), a leader in wide-bandgap semiconductors, today announced that it has qualified its 1200 V silicon carbide MOSFET platform, on its high-quality SiC substrates, to stringent automotive standard requirements and is expanding its relationship with GE by signing a three-year technology access agreement (TAA) with GE Research to gain access to the Lab’s world-class SiC module technology and team of experts to accelerate customer design-in engagement activities.   

A growing number of applications, such as in electric vehicles, renewable energy, datacenters, industrial motors, and power supplies, are driving the strong demand for SiC-based power electronics, due to their high efficiency, lower total system-level cost of ownership, higher reliability, and ability to achieve more compact system designs compared with state-of-the-art silicon-based devices. Leveraging its differentiated 150 mm SiC substrates, II-VI successfully completed the qualification of its 1200 V SiC MOSFET platform to the Automotive Electronics Council AEC-Q101 standard, exceeding it to 200°C. 

“This qualification represents an important milestone that allows us to begin ramping up our commercial activities for devices in the industrial motor and renewable-energy markets, while in parallel, initiating longer-term design-in activities in the electric vehicle market,” said Sohail Khan, Executive Vice President, New Ventures & Wide-Bandgap Electronics Technologies. “The licensing of GE’s technology in 2020 allowed us to achieve our qualification milestone ahead of schedule. The technology access agreement will strengthen our relationship with GE and further accelerate our time to market as we continue to execute on our previously announced plan to grow by investing $1 billion in capacity and innovation for our SiC platform over the next ten years.” 

The TAA with GE Research expands the relationship with GE by building on an earlier agreement in which II-VI licensed GE’s technology to manufacture SiC devices and modules for power electronics. The TAA will involve about a dozen of GE Research’s SiC device and systems experts and test facilities, which will be dedicated to the next phase of the commercialization of II-VI’s SiC devices and modules. 

“We’re excited to enter into this new agreement, which will enable II-VI to capitalize on billions of dollars of new market opportunities for power electronics in the automotive, industrial, and other sectors,” said Vic Abate, GE’s Chief Technology Officer. “As we work with II-VI to expand its market base, we will also leverage new advancements in SiC power devices and modules to improve GE’s position with its SiC products in the aviation market and support other GE products in the energy and health care spaces that will benefit from these more capable power electronics devices.”

GE Aviation today offers a robust portfolio of SiC-based electrical power products for aerospace, industrial, and military applications. Also, GE’s other businesses, which include renewable-energy assets, grid infrastructure, and medical imaging scanners, will all see improved performance and efficiency with the integration of SiC-based power electronics platforms.

Sample dies are available now and packaged samples are scheduled to be available by mid-calendar year 2022.