II-VI Qualifies SiC MOSFETs for cars and extends GE relationship
Company signs technology access agreement with GE Research to gain access to the Lab’s SiC module technology and experts
II‐VI Incorporated has announced that it has qualified its 1200 V SiC MOSFET platform to the Automotive Electronics Council AEC-Q101 standard, exceeding it to 200°C. It is also 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.
“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 VP, 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 CTO. “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.”
