There is a consensus in the industry: On-board OBC is the bridgehead for domestic SiC to be put on the car, and it is also the premise for domestic SiC to achieve large-scale application. If it can successfully win a "place" in the on-board OBC market, it will also be expected to occupy the commanding heights of main drive-level SiC in the future.

As a leading third-generation semiconductor supplier in China, APS has been focusing on the research and development of silicon carbide power semiconductor devices since its establishment. Although it also experienced many hardships in the early days of its entrepreneurship, it has gradually ushered in a period of success with the support of determination, endurance, and ability. As of now, APS has successfully won the recognition of automotive customers such as OBC. What are their secrets? What are their future plans?

OBC installation volume continues to rise; APS products have become the focus of attention

At present, new energy vehicles (NEVs) are growing rapidly, and the production and sales of silicon carbide models are also soaring. Under this trend, automotive-grade SiC chips have also ushered in a greater demand, and are also the largest "export" for the silicon carbide industry.

However, the threshold for the layout of automotive-grade SiC chips is high and the introduction cycle is relatively long. Currently, most of the global main drive levels rely on imported SiC MOSFET chips. Domestic automotive-grade SiC MOSFETs still face difficulties such as technological skill level, reliability, production capacity, and market recognition, with only a few companies having achieved "on-board".

Instead of retreating from these difficulties, many domestic SiC companies gradually broke the monopoly of foreign companies in the automotive-grade SiC MOSFET field through continuous technological innovation and market development. They successfully applied their high-performance SiC products to new energy vehicles, realizing the marketization and industrialization of technology. APS is one of these domestic SiC generals.

APS has been developing SiC products since 2015. The company has many "first in China" labels:

·       The first company in China to successfully produce 6-inch silicon carbide devices in a silicon wafer foundry

·       The first company in China to produce and successfully ship 1200V silicon carbide devices in large quantities

·       The first company in China to use Thinning Technology on silicon carbide diodes

·       The first company in China to have its own patented JBS architecture [Schottky Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same, US10586876B2 Schottky device, patent number 201721146188.6]

Based on years of leading technology arrangement and accumulation and through active cooperation with other downstream domestic auto companies, APS’s automotive-grade SiC MOSFET has been applied to on-board power supplies (OBC), DC-DC converters and other fields. This not only opens up new market space for APS, but also provides more efficient and reliable automotive-grade SiC solution options for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers.

Hangjia media group learned that APS’s SiC products have passed the customer's vehicle verification and are supplied in batches to leading companies in vehicle power. In addition, in terms of 11KW OBC, APS's 1200V silicon carbide MOSFET has also been verified by clients.

Whether or not a company can occupy a place in the OBC market is not only a test of the core technology strength of domestic SiC companies, but also a hard standard for domestic SiC companies to further "get on board" the main drive in the future. APS has locked in the OBC market in advance through predictive planning, demonstrating the company's keen insight into market trends and strategic planning capabilities, and consolidating the technical foundation for subsequent entry into the SiC main drive market.

According to Hangjia, the "2023 Silicon Carbide (SiC) Industry Research White Paper" revealed that automotive power supply is an early field to introduce SiC technology, and is also the second largest silicon carbide export port after main drives.

With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market, OBC, as one of the core components of new energy vehicles, has maintained a sustained growth in installed capacity in the past three years. In the first two years, about 74% of domestic new energy vehicles were equipped with OBC devices, and in the first quarter of this year, the proportion of OBC installed capacity increased to 81%.

Statistics shows that in the first quarter of 2024, the installed capacity of OBC for new energy passenger vehicles was 1.7012 million sets, which is a year-on-year increase of 42.48%; while the installed capacity of OBC in 2023 and 2022 was 7.06 million sets and 5.1287 million sets respectively.

Source：Hangjiashuo Research

In terms of silicon carbide market opportunities, although the amount of SiC used in the 6.6kW mainstream solution is relatively small at this stage, and the penetration rate is expected to be less than 20%, Mr. Li Heming, VP of Feizeng Semiconductor Product Market, said in an interview with Hangjia that, "Although the current 6.6KW OBC still mainly uses silicon-based MOS devices, in the future, as the price of silicon carbide drops, when its price and benefit reach a relative balance point, and with the demand for OBC bidirectional charging, the cost-effectiveness of silicon carbide will be highlighted, and it will further seize the market share."

Source：Hangjiashuo Research

In addition, Li Heming added that the market share of 11KW OBC will increase yearly in the next few years and is expected to grow from 9% to 18%. This not only reflects the increasing demand of consumers for fast charging, but also indicates that in the context of the obvious trend of high power OBC, SiC will usher in another wave of explosive demand.

Silicon carbide has gradually become a key component of 11kW and 22kW OBCs, and more and more companies are introducing silicon carbide technology. Some time ago, Xu Xiaoquan, R&D director of JEE Technology, also said that the penetration rate of silicon carbide in their newly developed OBC products has exceeded 80%.

Nowadays, the SiC power semiconductor market is becoming increasingly crowded, and competition among domestic and foreign players is becoming fiercer. APS’s silicon carbide devices have won wide recognition in many markets with their advantages such as high reliability, high performance, and cost-effectiveness, especially in the breakthrough of the automotive power supply market, demonstrating strong competitiveness.