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Neither GaN nor SiC is universally better. The March 15, 2024 episode of EE Times’ PowerUP podcast presents gallium nitride (GaN) as a strong fit for compact, high-frequency conversion and silicon carbide (SiC) as a strong fit for high-voltage, high-power systems. The right choice still depends on voltage, current, switching frequency, topology, thermal design, reliability evidence, availability and cost for a specific design.
What the podcast actually compares
Host Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio recorded interviews at APEC 2024 with representatives from Texas Instruments, EPC, Power Integrations, onsemi, Infineon and Qorvo. It is an industry discussion about substrates and application markets, not a matched laboratory comparison of GaN and SiC parts.
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The host frames the materials by quoting bandgap energies of 1.1 eV for silicon, 3.2 eV for SiC and 3.4 eV for GaN. Those figures explain why both materials are considered wide-bandgap semiconductors, but a bandgap number alone does not select a transistor. Device structure, voltage rating, package, gate drive, layout and operating temperature determine what a finished component can do.
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GaN and SiC: useful tendencies, not hard boundaries
| Design question | GaN tendency discussed in the episode | SiC tendency discussed in the episode |
|---|---|---|
| Typical emphasis | Very fast switching, high power density and compact converters | High-voltage and high-power conversion with demanding thermal requirements |
| Applications named | Adapters, server and data-center supplies, solar microinverters, 400 V and 800 V automotive conversion, 48 V-to-12 V converters, LiDAR, motor drives and telecom infrastructure | EV traction inverters, onboard chargers, high-voltage DC/DC, DC fast chargers, UPS systems, energy storage, solar, motor drives, power supplies, circuit breakers, electrified aircraft and ships |
| What must be verified in a design | Switching and gate-drive behavior at the intended frequency, EMI control, package inductance and thermal path | Blocking voltage, conduction and switching losses, short-circuit behavior, cooling and long-term reliability evidence |
The application lists overlap: both technologies appear in automotive, solar and motor-drive discussions. The interviews therefore describe market positions and company experience, not an industry rule that assigns every power level or voltage to one material.
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Where GaN can be advantageous
High-frequency, compact conversion
GaN speakers emphasize high electron mobility and fast switching. At a system level, that can permit smaller magnetic components, filters and heatsinks when the controller, layout and thermal path are designed for the higher frequency. Qorvo’s Ramanan Natarajan said GaN devices “switch faster” and can provide lower on-resistance in the same package, helping customers improve efficiency. That is a company statement, not a guarantee for every GaN part or operating point.
Adapters, servers and telecom equipment
Power adapters were identified as an early GaN market, and the discussion also covered server and data-center supplies and telecom infrastructure. These products value small size, high power density and reduced cooling requirements. A USB-C GaN charger is therefore a representative product category, but the episode did not test, name or recommend a particular charger.
Automotive and other conversion stages
The interviewees discussed GaN in 400 V and 800 V automotive systems, 48 V-to-12 V conversion, LiDAR and motor drives. EPC’s Michael de Rooij specifically listed DC/DC converters, automotive systems, motor drives and LiDAR as areas where GaN can make a difference. Suitability depends on the topology and the actual voltage and transient requirements; an application label is not a component specification.
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Traction and charging power
SiC was repeatedly associated with EV traction inverters, onboard chargers, high-voltage DC/DC converters and DC fast chargers. These stages must handle substantial voltage and power while limiting conduction, switching and cooling losses. The podcast’s speakers describe SiC as capable of higher voltage and temperature operation, but the rating and thermal performance of each part still have to be checked in its datasheet.
Industrial, grid and transportation equipment
Other SiC examples included UPS equipment, energy storage, solar inverters, industrial motor drives, circuit breakers, power supplies and electrified aircraft and ships. In these systems, efficiency over a broad load range, insulation and creepage, fault behavior, cooling and service life can matter as much as switching speed.
Substrate and manufacturing trade-offs
GaN-on-silicon and alternative substrates
Texas Instruments’ Robert Taylor said TI uses traditional silicon substrates to benefit from established manufacturing capacity and cost. EPC’s Michael de Rooij said EPC devices from 15 V to 350 V use low-cost silicon substrates, while higher-voltage structures may involve GaN, sapphire, SiC or engineered substrates with different cost and thermal-conductivity trade-offs.
Power Integrations CEO Balu Balakrishnan described substrate selection as a balance among cost, reliability, switching performance and voltage capability. He also said the company had announced a 1,250 V GaN product. That voltage is an announcement reported in the 2024 interview, not evidence that all GaN devices reach 1,250 V or that the product remains broadly available in 2026.
SiC wafer quality and defect control
Onsemi’s Ajay Reddy Sattu identified three potential sources of SiC defects: the substrate, lapping and polishing, and epitaxy. He described screening algorithms and vertically integrated feedback as ways onsemi addresses those issues.
Infineon’s Peter Friedrichs discussed wafer scaling, defect density, flatness and thickness variation while describing a move from approximately 50 mm toward 200 mm wafers. His comments describe the company’s 2024 manufacturing direction; they should not be read as a verified measure of the entire SiC industry or of current supply.
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- Motor-drive efficiency: de Rooij attributed an 11% to 14% improvement in motor mechanical efficiency to higher-frequency GaN operation. The episode gives no test method, motor, load profile or baseline, so this is not a general performance guarantee.
- Power thresholds: Balakrishnan said that, within his company’s rule of thumb, “anything roughly about 30 W in a power supply, we use GaN.” That is a company-specific guideline, not an industry crossover point.
- Future power range: Balakrishnan discussed GaN addressing systems up to 10 or 20 kW and contrasted SiC with much higher automotive power levels. These are his outlook and framing from 2024, not a universal boundary or a current market forecast.
How to choose for an actual design
Start with candidate components and complete converter simulations rather than choosing from the material name. Compare the following under the same operating conditions:
- Voltage and current: Set the blocking-voltage margin, continuous and pulsed current, avalanche or transient requirements and fault conditions.
- Topology and frequency: Identify whether the stage is a hard-switched or soft-switched converter, inverter, resonant stage or motor drive, then select the frequency range the control loop and magnetics require.
- Losses across the load range: Calculate conduction loss and switching loss using the candidate’s temperature-dependent data, gate charge, output capacitance and reverse-recovery behavior where applicable.
- Thermal path: Compare junction-to-case and case-to-board thermal resistance, package construction, PCB copper, heatsink or cold plate and the allowable junction temperature.
- Gate drive and EMI: Check drive voltage, common-source or common-emitter inductance, isolation, dead time, dv/dt immunity, ringing and conducted and radiated emissions.
- Ruggedness and reliability: Review short-circuit withstand, surge and unclamped-inductive-switching data, humidity and temperature qualifications, lifetime models and the manufacturer’s application guidance.
- Supply and economics: Confirm second sources, package availability, wafer or die lead times, evaluation hardware, total bill-of-materials cost and the cost of cooling and filtering.
What the EE Times episode does not establish
- It does not provide a device-to-device test using equal voltage, current, frequency, cooling and layout conditions.
- It does not define a universal wattage, voltage or frequency at which GaN should replace SiC or silicon.
- It does not provide a neutral market-size statistic or a quantified industry forecast.
- It does not verify current product availability, wafer capacity or manufacturing status beyond the companies’ statements made in March 2024.
For procurement or a safety-critical design, use current datasheets, qualification reports, reference designs and application support from the relevant manufacturer, then validate the complete converter at its intended operating point.
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