ROHM Adopts SiC Power Devices in Main Inverter Circuit
Scheduled to be supplied to electric vehicles in Japan and overseas from 2025

ROHM Co., Ltd. has adopted SiC power devices for the first time in the main inverter circuit, aiming to further improve inverter performance.

ROHM announced on the 13th that its 4th generation SiC MOSFETs and gate driver ICs have been adopted by Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Hitachi Astemo Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “the Company”) for electric vehicle inverters.

As the electrification of automobiles accelerates, high-efficiency, compact, and lightweight development is emerging in the powertrain system development sector.

In particular, for EVs, increasing the efficiency of the inverter, which is the core of the drive, is an important task for extending the driving range and miniaturizing the onboard battery, and SiC power devices are receiving significant attention.

Since becoming the world's first to begin mass production of SiC MOSFETs in 2010, ROHM has been promoting the development of industry-leading SiC power device technologies.

Among them, the latest 4th generation SiC MOSFET is a device that has achieved the industry's lowest ON resistance by improving the time from short-circuit occurrence to destruction.

When installed in a vehicle inverter, it can improve power efficiency by 6% compared to IGBT (based on international standard 'WLTC fuel efficiency test'), and is used in electric vehicles. It greatly contributes to extending driving distance, etc.

Hitachi Astemo Corporation has been pursuing advanced technology development for automotive motors and inverters for a long period of time, and already has many supply performance records for EVs, which are rapidly becoming widespread.

ROHM's inverters will be supplied sequentially to automakers both domestically and internationally starting in 2025, starting with Japanese automakers.

ROHM stated, “As a leading company in SiC power devices, we will strengthen our lineup,” and “We will provide power solutions that contribute to technological innovation in automobiles by combining peripheral device technologies, such as control ICs that maximize device performance.”