Wolfspeed has introduced its fifth-generation silicon carbide (SiC) technology platform, delivering significant advances in efficiency and performance for next-generation 1200 V and 750 V automotive and industrial power applications.
The new Gen 5 platform builds on the company’s previous generation technology and is designed to address increasing demands for higher efficiency, greater power density, and improved thermal performance across electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, industrial power supplies, and other high-power systems.
According to Wolfspeed, the latest generation establishes a new benchmark for specific on-resistance (RSP), a key performance metric that measures efficiency relative to the active die area of a MOSFET. The technology is intended to help system designers develop more compact and efficient power conversion systems while supporting higher current capability within the same silicon carbide footprint.
“Gen 4 delivered the switching performance breakthrough our customers needed, and less than two years later we are introducing Gen 5, which provides the highest current capability possible within a 5 x 5 mm silicon carbide footprint,” said Dr. Cengiz Balkas, Chief Business Officer at Wolfspeed. “The technology enables a faster path to more efficient, compact, and robust systems designed for real-world operating conditions.”
The company noted that automotive manufacturers continue to face pressure to achieve electrification goals while addressing challenges related to vehicle cost, safety, driving range, and charging infrastructure. Wolfspeed stated that Gen 5 technology was developed to help address these factors by enabling more compact traction inverter designs, improving vehicle efficiency, and supporting optimization of battery sizing.
Beyond electric vehicle traction systems, the technology is also positioned to support applications such as solid-state circuit breakers, EV charging infrastructure, and industrial power conversion systems that require high efficiency and high-temperature operation.
A key focus of the new platform is increasing current capability within a given silicon carbide die area. Wolfspeed reports that Gen 5-based systems can achieve the highest current levels at elevated operating temperatures when compared with competing silicon carbide MOSFETs using a 5 x 5 mm footprint.
The company has further optimized RDS(ON), addressing two critical design challenges. First, the technology reduces system-level conduction losses through an improvement in specific on-resistance of up to 27% compared with currently available competitive 1200 V silicon carbide solutions. The 1200 V QEM50120-025D10 achieves a chip-level RSP of 3.4 mΩ-cm² at 175°C, while the 750 V QEM50075-025D10 achieves a chip-level RSP of 2.0 mΩ-cm² at the same temperature.
Second, the platform reduces the need for additional system-level design margin through an ultra-low RDS(ON) distribution of ±18% across both voltage classes.
Gen 5 retains the body diode architecture introduced with the previous generation while extending continuous junction temperature capability to 200°C, with limited-life operation supported up to 215°C. Wolfspeed stated that the devices maintain low on-resistance while delivering excellent switching performance and reduced overall switching losses through further improvements in reverse recovery charge characteristics.
The company emphasized that Gen 5 has been developed on a commercially mature manufacturing platform designed to provide a low-risk path from design qualification to high-volume production. This marks the second Wolfspeed MOSFET technology generation to be designed, manufactured, and qualified within the company’s 200 mm device fabrication facility in Mohawk Valley, New York.
All new product introductions, sampling activities, and customer validation programs will utilize 200 mm production material, with no additional manufacturing toolsets required for volume production.
“Our planar MOSFET technology continues to offer significant opportunities for innovation,” said Dr. Adam Barkley, Vice President of Power Device and Package Development at Wolfspeed. “Gen 5 was developed using familiar manufacturing processes and tools to provide customers with a low-risk upgrade path for next-generation programs. This approach enables faster validation, qualification, and time-to-market while maintaining the performance and reliability customers expect.”
Samples of the QEM50120-025D10 and QEM50075-025D10 devices are currently available to select customers through Wolfspeed’s direct sales channels. The company expects to introduce additional 750 V and 1200 V Gen 5 products throughout 2026 and into early 2027 based on customer requirements and market demand.
Original – Wolfspeed