New JEDEC committee to set standards for wide bandgap power semiconductors

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the formation of a new JEDEC committee: JC-70 Wide Bandgap Power Electronic Conversion Semiconductors. Led by interim chairs from Infineon, Texas Instruments, and Wolfspeed, a Cree Company, the new JC-70 committee will initially have two subcommittees: Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) and focus on Reliability and Qualification Procedures; Datasheet Elements and Parameters; and Test and Characterization Methods. JC-70’s first committee meeting will be co-located with the 5th IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA), on October 30, 2017 in Albuquerque, NM. JEDEC meetings are open to committee members and invited guests only, and interested companies worldwide are welcome to join JEDEC to participate in this important standardization effort. Contact Emily Desjardins (emilyd@jedec.org) for more information.

Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are the most mature wide bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor materials and offer immense potential for enabling higher performance, more compact, and energy efficient power systems. “WBG GaN and SiC technologies are poised to benefit from the development of standards focused on quality and reliability, datasheets, and test methods,” said Tim McDonald, Senior Director, GaN Applications and Marketing at Infineon Technologies.

During an industry conference in the spring of 2016, a working group of industry experts was formed. Designated as GaNSPEC DWG, it began laying the necessary groundwork for the development of standards for GaN. JEDEC began providing logistical support to the group shortly thereafter.

“To meet the demand of today’s energy and product requirements, this team is helping to create the mature industry infrastructure that customers need to design power supplies,” said Dr. Stephanie Watts Butler, technology innovation architect at Texas Instruments. “The broad academic and industry participation is indicative of the importance of wide bandgap for complying with these requirements.”

GaNSPEC DWG was soon joined by a counterpart: the SiCSPEC working group. The two groups grew to almost 50 device manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, technology creators, academic representatives, and government labs from the US, Europe, and Asia. “Our consensus is that JEDEC is the logical home for the continuation of these efforts in a public forum, and the team is delighted to invite industry participation in this new JEDEC committee,” said Dr. Jeff Casady, Business Development & Programs Manager from Wolfspeed, a Cree Company. “Creating clear, universal standards is a key step in advancing the adoption of wide bandgap technologies. These new parameters will enable users to design SiC and GaN devices into the systems of tomorrow, thus creating a more energy efficient future.”

John Kelly, JEDEC President, added, “The formation of the JC-70 committee is part of an ongoing effort within JEDEC to extend our standards setting expertise to new technologies to meet market demands. We welcome all interested companies to participate in the development of open industry standards within JEDEC.”