Wolfspeed, an industry leader in silicon carbide, has introduced its fifth technology generation, demonstrating a substantial performance leap in efficiency for next-generation 1200 V and 750 V automotive and industrial applications. “With Gen 4, Wolfspeed delivered the switching breakthrough our customers needed, and less than two years later we’re introducing Gen 5 that gives engineers the most current possible with a 5 x 5 mm silicon carbide footprint,” said Dr. Cengiz Balkas, Wolfspeed Chief Business Officer. “What excites me most isn't just the pace of our innovation; it's what this technology unlocks for our customers: an accelerated path to smarter, more efficient, compact systems made for real-world conditions.”

Automotive OEMs continue to face pressure to meet electrification targets, while vehicle cost, safety, mileage range, and charging infrastructure availability remain barriers to broader consumer adoption of EVs. Wolfspeed’s Gen 5 technology was designed to holistically address those barriers and sets a new benchmark for specific on-resistance — a core figure of merit for efficiency relative to the MOSFET's active die area. Gen 5 products enable system architects to design more compact traction inverters and improve mileage per charge and right-size costly EV batteries. They also unlock new SiC opportunities by replacing mechanical relays with solid-state circuit breakers and set new efficiency standards for EV charging infrastructure. The benefits extend well beyond automotive, with applications like industrial power supplies equally positioned to take advantage of the Gen 5’s uncompromised switching performance.

Gen 5-based systems can achieve the highest current possible at high temperatures when compared to competitive 5 x 5 mm footprint silicon carbide MOSFETs. Wolfspeed’s continued optimization of R_DS(ON) resolves two compelling design challenges:

• It significantly improves system-level conduction losses via an up to 27% reduction in R_SP over today’s commercially available competitive 1200-V solutions. The 1200 V QEM50120-25D10 achieves a 175ºC chip-level R_SP of 3.4 mΩ-cm², and the 750 V QEM50075-025D10 achieves a 175ºC chip-level R_SP of 2.0 mΩ-cm².
• It reduces the need for system-level design margin with ultra-low +/- 18% R_DS(ON) distribution for both voltage nodes.

Wolfspeed Gen 5 includes the same body diode introduced with the Gen 4 technology platform but has an improved junction temperature of 200°C continuous (215°C limited life) – further demonstrating Wolfspeed’s commitment to helping customers build truly durable systems. The MOSFETs achieve benchmark R_DS(ON) while maintaining excellent switching energy with the soft body diode; overall switching losses are also reduced with further improvement in reverse recovery charge. Gen 5 gives customers a direct, low-risk path from design-in to volume production with no impact to automotive ramp readiness, even with surging AI demand. This is the second Wolfspeed MOSFET technology generation to be designed, manufactured, and qualified within Wolfspeed’s ramp-ready 200 mm device fabrication facility in Mohawk Valley, N.Y. New product introductions (NPI), sampling, and customer validation will be completed using 200 mm production material. Furthermore, no new manufacturing toolsets are required for volume production.

“Our planar MOSFET technology still has an innovation runway. We established Gen 5 on tools and processes our customers are familiar with to create a low-risk upgrade path for next-generation programs,” said Dr. Adam Barkley, Vice President of Power Device and Package Development. “For customers facing compressed development timelines, that means faster validation, faster qualification, and faster time to market — without sacrificing the performance they know and trust.”

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