STMicroelectronics announced its fourth-generation STPOWER silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFET technology on September 24, 2024, targeting EV traction inverters and other high-power converters. The platform is planned in 750 V and 1,200 V classes for systems built around nominal 400 V and 800 V battery buses. ST’s headline comparison is a 12%–15% smaller average die than its third-generation devices at comparable on-resistance measured at 25°C—not a promise of the same percentage gain in vehicle range, inverter size or charging speed.
What ST announced
ST introduced a fourth-generation technology platform in its STPOWER SiC MOSFET family, with EV traction inverters as a primary target. It is a semiconductor-platform announcement, not the launch of a complete inverter, vehicle powertrain or a single specified production part. ST also identified onboard chargers, DC-DC converters, charging stations and high-power industrial applications as potential uses. ST’s September 24, 2024 announcement describes the claims and launch timing.
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SiC is used in high-voltage power conversion because it can support efficient switching at the voltages and power levels common in EV drivetrains. Whether a particular SiC device improves a vehicle depends on the complete inverter and vehicle design, not the semiconductor alone.
Why traction inverters use SiC MOSFETs
An EV battery supplies direct current (DC), while the traction motor is driven with controlled three-phase alternating current (AC). The traction inverter switches battery DC into the motor’s AC supply; the motor then converts electrical power into torque. Energy lost in the inverter becomes heat, affecting efficiency and the demands placed on the cooling system.
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Conduction and switching losses
When a MOSFET carries current, its on-resistance contributes to conduction loss. A useful approximation is Pconduction ≈ I2RDS(on), where current is squared and multiplied by the device’s on-resistance. A lower RDS(on) can reduce this part of the loss, but the value changes with junction temperature and gate voltage. Compare data-sheet values under relevant operating conditions rather than relying on one room-temperature figure.
Switching losses arise as devices turn on and off. They depend on factors including switching speed, gate charge, output capacitance, reverse-conduction behavior, dead time and operating conditions. Faster switching can help reduce switching losses in some designs or permit a higher switching frequency, which may allow smaller passive components. But it is not automatically an efficiency gain: gate-drive power, layout, motor behavior and cooling all affect the system result.
Why thermal design still matters
Even an efficient SiC inverter produces heat. Junction-temperature limits depend on the device, its package, the thermal path and the inverter’s duty cycle. Losses shifted away from conduction may become more significant elsewhere, including switching, gate drive or reverse conduction. The meaningful comparison is total inverter loss across representative operation, not one resistance value in isolation.
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What the 750 V and 1,200 V classes mean
ST said Gen 4 would include 750 V and 1,200 V device classes for EV systems using nominal 400 V and 800 V buses, respectively. Those labels describe device voltage classes and nominal vehicle architectures; they do not mean a battery sits at exactly 400 V or 800 V in every operating condition. Pack voltage varies, and switching events can create transients above the bus voltage.
A voltage class alone is not enough to select a device. Designers need to account for maximum pack voltage, switching overshoot, transient margin, inverter topology, insulation coordination, creepage and clearance, and gate-driver limits. A 750 V device is not automatically suitable for every 400 V vehicle, and an 800 V architecture needs more than a nominal-voltage match. The voltage rating does not itself determine range or charging speed, which also depend on the battery, charger, thermal system, infrastructure and vehicle controls.
What ST claims improved in Gen 4
ST says the new generation offers lower on-resistance, faster switching, greater power density and improved robustness. The company’s quantified headline is that average Gen 4 die size is 12%–15% smaller than Gen 3 at comparable RDS(on), measured at 25°C. These are manufacturer claims from the announcement, not independent measurements of vehicle-level performance.
What a smaller die could change
Producing comparable resistance with less semiconductor area could enable a more compact device or module and may improve semiconductor utilization. It could give a designer more flexibility in packaging or inverter layout. But die area is not the same as inverter volume: package dimensions, isolation, busbars, capacitors, cooling plates, thermal-interface materials and electromagnetic-interference (EMI) filters can remain unchanged or dominate the design.
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The 12%–15% figure therefore should not be read as a 12%–15% reduction in inverter size, system cost or losses, or as an equivalent increase in vehicle range or charging speed. Those outcomes would require system-level data and depend on the way the device is implemented.
What faster switching demands
Faster voltage and current edges can increase EMI, voltage overshoot, common-mode currents, gate-loop sensitivity and stress on motor insulation. A design may need careful control of gate slew rate, low-inductance power and gate loops, snubbers, DC-link layout and filtering. Higher switching frequency can reduce some passive-component sizes, but it can also increase switching loss and complicate thermal and EMC design. The useful operating point is an engineering trade-off, not necessarily the fastest edge the MOSFET can achieve.
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Dynamic reverse-bias robustness and qualification
During inverter switching, a MOSFET can experience rapid voltage stress as current commutates through the opposing switch or a device’s body diode. Repeated dynamic reverse-bias (DRB) conditions, especially with high rates of voltage change, are relevant to device robustness in hard-switching, high-current applications.
ST says Gen 4 exceeds the AQG324 automotive standard in DRB conditions. That statement is specific to ST’s characterization of DRB performance; it does not establish immunity to every overvoltage, avalanche, short-circuit or misuse event. A quantitative comparison requires the test conditions, measured results and margins. Short-circuit protection and other reliability behavior must be evaluated separately.
Qualification status in the launch announcement was a dated forecast, not confirmation of current production readiness:
- September 24, 2024: ST announced Gen 4 and said the 750 V class had completed qualification.
- Expected in Q1 2025: ST anticipated completing qualification of the 1,200 V class.
- After qualification: ST said commercial availability would follow.
That announcement does not establish whether the 1,200 V class met the forecast, which exact parts are orderable now, or what inventory, lead times and pricing apply. Qualification of a device also does not replace customer-specific inverter validation, EMC testing, vehicle durability work or supply-chain approval.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other applications ST identifies
Beyond traction inverters, ST names onboard chargers and DC-DC converters, as well as charging stations. The company also cites e-compressors, high-power industrial motor drives, solar inverters, energy-storage systems and data-center power supplies. Those examples show the breadth of the platform’s intended market; they do not establish that every device variant is optimized for every topology or use case.
Supply chain and vehicle deployment context
ST describes its SiC strategy as vertically integrated, spanning substrate production through device assembly and packaging. In its 2024 announcement, the company said a fully integrated SiC substrate facility in Catania was expected to start production in 2026. Its 2024 annual-report material also discusses planned Catania investment in 200 mm SiC power-device and module manufacturing, test and packaging. These are company plans and disclosures; they do not establish the facility’s current operating status or guarantee supply continuity, pricing or production yields.
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What engineers and buyers should verify
Before choosing a Gen 4 device for a vehicle program, request current part-specific documentation from ST and assess the device in the intended inverter. A platform announcement does not provide the complete electrical, mechanical or commercial information needed for a production selection.
Electrical and thermal data
- RDS(on) at the intended gate voltage and junction temperature.
- Switching-energy curves across relevant current, voltage and temperature ranges; gate charge, Miller charge and voltage-dependent output capacitance.
- Reverse-conduction behavior, short-circuit withstand time, avalanche or surge behavior, leakage and threshold-voltage behavior.
- Maximum junction temperature, thermal resistance, power-cycling capability and thermal-cycling data.
- DRB test conditions and results, rather than a standards comparison alone.
Package, gate drive and protection
- Package parasitic inductance, Kelvin-source availability, current capability, creepage and clearance, and discrete-versus-module options.
- Assembly requirements, thermal interface and compatibility with the existing cooling design, busbars and inverter layout.
- Positive and negative gate-voltage requirements, driver source/sink current, Miller-clamp needs and isolated-driver compatibility.
- Turn-on and turn-off slew-rate control, desaturation or short-circuit protection, dead-time tuning, and power-loop and gate-loop layout guidance.
- EMI, overshoot and common-mode-current behavior in the intended motor and cable environment.
Automotive qualification and supply
- Exact production part numbers, package options, data sheets and application notes; distinguish engineering samples from production devices.
- Qualification documentation, including applicable AQG324 or AEC-Q101 information, plus humidity, corrosion and dynamic-bias test results.
- Production traceability, PPAP and change-control processes, customer-specific validation requirements and vehicle-platform approval.
- Current availability, lead times, minimum order quantities, regional distribution, lifecycle commitments and supply agreements.
ST’s SiC MOSFET portfolio and sales and support contact page are starting points for current product information, samples and engineering discussions. Confirm live status and terms directly rather than inferring them from the 2024 launch schedule.
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