Source: Wolfspeed Author: Wolfspeed
    Wolfspeed's highly flexible 4th generation MOSFET technology platform supports long-term development planning for high-performance, application-optimized products
    This increase in overall efficiency helps to reduce system costs, shorten development time, and maximize application life, which represents a key advance in silicon carbide technology

    February 12, 2025 - Durham, North Carolina, USA; Shanghai, China - Wolfspeed (NYSE: WOLF has released a new 4th generation technology platform that is designed with durability and efficiency in mind, while reducing system costs and development time. Generation 4 technology is designed to simplify the switching behavior and design challenges common in high-power design, and provides a long-term roadmap for Wolfspeed's wide range of products, including power modules, discrete components, and bare chip products. These products are currently available in 750 V, 1200 V and 2300 V grades.
    Jay Cameron, senior vice president of Power products at Wolfspeed, said: "We know that the design of each application has a unique set of requirements. From the beginning, our goal with Gen 4 technology has been to improve overall system efficiency in a real-world operating environment, with a focus on delivering maximum performance at the system level. "Generation 4 technology enables design engineers to create systems that are more efficient, last longer, perform well in harsh operating environments, and deliver better overall system cost."
    Silicon carbide technology is one of the fastest growing segments in the power device market and the broader semiconductor industry. As a superior alternative to silicon, silicon carbide is ideal for high-power applications such as electric vehicle powertrains, e-mobility, renewable energy systems, battery storage systems, and AI data centers, not only to improve performance, but also to reduce system costs.
    As the world looks for more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to meet the world's growing demand for high-voltage energy, strategic investments must continue to build on its technological strengths while continuing to drive innovation in key technology areas.
    Devin Dilley, president and chief product officer of U.S.-based utility-scale inverter manufacturer EPC Power, said: "Innovative technology brings business opportunities. Wolfspeed's new 4th generation silicon carbide technology enables EPC Power to revolutionize the way energy is generated and stored on a global scale."
    Tom Werner, Executive Chairman of Wolfspeed, said: "Wolfspeed has been relentless in driving continuous innovation and bringing our silicon carbide solutions to more and more industries for those increasingly challenging application scenarios. Our Generation 4 technology will be delivered on the back of our efficient 200 mm wafers, which will allow us to achieve production scale and yield levels unprecedented in the industry."
    Wolfspeed's 4th generation technology is designed to increase overall system efficiency and extend application life, even in the harshest environments, while helping to reduce system costs and development time. The technology will bring significant performance improvements to designers of high-power automotive, industrial and renewable energy systems, with key benefits including:
    Overall system efficiency: At operating temperatures, on-resistance is reduced by up to 21% and switching losses by up to 15%.
    Durability: Ensures reliable performance, including a short circuit withstand time of up to 2.3 μS to provide additional safety margin.
    Lower system costs: Simplify the design process, reduce system costs and shorten development time.

Product supply
    Wolfspeed's 4th-generation technology is available in 750 V, 1200 V and 2300 V voltage node specifications, with a choice of power modules, discrete components and bare chip products. New products will follow throughout 2025 and early 2026, including additional package sizes and a variety of RDSON families.

Content of the 4th Generation Technical Fact Sheet:
Durable design for the toughest environments
    As automotive, industrial and renewable energy manufacturers continue to drive product electrification, product reliability and durability are becoming critical. Wolfspeed's 4th generation technology is designed with this in mind, with durability as a key expectation.
    Generation 4 technology has a short circuit tolerance time of up to 2.3 μS, providing additional safety margin for critical applications. In addition, the failure rate (FIT) of the platform can be improved by up to 100 times compared to previous technologies, ensuring reliable performance at different altitudes. The body diode design increases the durability of the system, enabling faster switching speeds, reduced losses and reduced ringing, resulting in an 80% reduction in VDS overshoot. The 4th generation bare chip is capable of continuous operation at 185 °C and limited life operation at 200 °C, bringing positive effects to the development and market of products for high temperature applications. This gives designers the flexibility to push their designs to extreme performance.

Overall system efficiency: Aims to improve overall system efficiency
    Generation 4 technology has reached an important milestone in terms of overall efficiency. For both soft and hard switching applications, Wolfspeed's 4th generation technology reduces specific on-resistance by up to 21% at operating temperatures; In hard switching applications, switching losses are reduced by up to 15% thanks to 4th generation technology.
    These efficiency gains, combined with the high temperature on-resistance of the 4th generation technology, further demonstrate Wolfspeed's commitment to ensuring reliable performance in real-world applications.

System cost reduction: Aims to reduce system cost and shorten development time

    In order to address system cost concerns, Wolfspeed's new platform can use smaller, more affordable passive and filter components, ultimately reducing system development time and cost. In addition, Generation 4 technology is capable of increasing power output by up to 30% within the same package size range. Generation 4 technology integrates a new soft recovery diode design that significantly reduces EMI during reverse recovery, simplifies the EMI certification process, and enables the use of smaller EMI filters. With capacitance ratios up to 600, Generation 4 MOSFET devices enable safer, smoother switching actions at high dV/dt without parasitic overshoot.

About Wolfspeed, Inc
    Wolfspeed (NYSE: WOLF) is a market leader in driving worldwide adoption of silicon carbide technologies that power the world's most disruptive innovations. As a leader in silicon carbide and an innovator in the world's most advanced semiconductor technology, we are committed to empowering a better world for all. Wolfspeed helps you realize your dreams with silicon carbide materials, Power modules, discrete power devices and power bare chip products for a variety of applications. The Power to Make It Real? .