DENSO Produces Silicon Carbide Power Semiconductors for Fuel Cell Vehicles

KARIYA (Japan) ― DENSO Corporation today announced it has begun mass production of its latest model of booster power module*1 equipped with high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, as part of its efforts to achieve a low-carbon society. This product is used in Toyota’s new Mirai model, which entered the market on December 9, 2020.

DENSO has developed its REVOSIC®*2 technology for the purpose of applying SiC power semiconductors (diodes and transistors) to in-vehicle applications. SiC is a semiconductor material having superior performance in high-temperature, high-frequency, and high-voltage environments compared with conventional silicon (Si). Thus, the use of SiC for key devices has attracted much attention in order to significantly reduce the power loss, size, and weight of systems and accelerate electrification. In 2014, DENSO launched a SiC transistor for non-automotive applications and commercialized it for audio products. DENSO continued to conduct research for in-vehicle applications, and in 2018, Toyota used an in-vehicle SiC diode was used in its Sora fuel cell buses.

Now, DENSO has developed a new in-vehicle SiC transistor, and this marks the first time DENSO has used SiC for in-vehicle diodes and transistors. The newly developed SiC transistor offers both high reliability and high performance in in-vehicle environments, which can challenge semiconductors, thanks to DENSO’s unique structure and processing technique, which apply trench gate MOSFET. The new model of booster power module equipped with the SiC power semiconductors (diodes and transistors) is about 30% smaller in volume and provides roughly 70% less power loss compared to a conventional product equipped with Si power semiconductors, helping to reduce the size of the booster power module and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.

DENSO remains committed to conducting R&D on REVOSIC® technology, expanding the application of the technology to electric vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles, and thereby helping to build a low-carbon society.

*1 A booster power module drives multiple SiC power semiconductors that are built into the module to output a higher voltage than the input voltage.

*2 REVOSIC® is a generic term for DENSO’s SiC technology for achieving high quality and low loss.
The technology was named REVOSIC because it aims to revolutionize society by using innovative SiC technology.
DENSO has been developing comprehensive technologies, including the highest-quality wafers in the industry (extremely low defect density) and highly efficient power modules.

About DENSO
DENSO is a $47.6 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 200 facilities to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company’s 170,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 9.9 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global.