Abstract: The 3rd generation semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) which have wide bandgap, high breakdown voltage, high thermal conductivity and fast drift velocity are widely adopted in optoelectronics and high-frequency big-power applications. This paper briefly introduced the physical structure and electrical characteristics of SiC power semiconductors and compared these properties with that of Si power semiconductors. One SiC MOSFETs and one Si MOSFETs were chosen to compare their electrical characteristics, and they were simulated in the laboratory by Saber to compare their power loss in the same circuit. The simulation result showed that SiC MOSFETs experienced 30%—48% less power loss than Si MOSFETs. Finally, several SiC applications in optoelectronics, PV inverters and mobile energy storage power station were discussed. Two applications were tested and analyzed in detail, and the results showed that SiC system had                   50%—60% lower operating temperature, 11% lower power loss, 2.68% higher efficiency and the power density had increased from 0.47 kW/L to 0.90 kW/L. It means SiC components can increase system efficiency and power density dramatically. However, SiC components still have huge potential to increase its performance, and the operation frequency can be boosted to over 500kHz. As a result, the power density of system can be 5 to 10 times greater than the current system.

Key words: SiC, 3rd generation semiconductor material, mobile energy storage station, power density, efficiency, simulation