The Application of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors in Electric Vehicles

Abstract

As the global electric vehicle (EV) industry rapidly develops towards higher range, higher power density, and higher reliability, traditional silicon-based power semiconductor devices can no longer meet the stringent requirements of power electronic systems due to inherent characteristics such as narrow bandgap and low breakdown electric field.The advantages of electric vehicles, such as power response and cost of use, are constrained by their dependent battery performance, range and energy replenishment, which directly affect their adaptability in different application scenarios.Targeted research can resolve the above contradictions, not only providing technical references for the upgrading of power electronic systems, but also facilitating industrial development through the closed loop of “pain point resolution - advantage enhancement - application expansion”.This paper systematically studies the development status of wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, conducts indepth analysis on the structural principles, commercial parameters, key technical bottlenecks, and solutions of SiC and GaN devices, and compares the characteristic differences between these three types of devices and traditional silicon devices. On this basis, it focuses on exploring the application scenarios and architectures of wide-bandgap semiconductors in core EV systems such as motor drives, DC-DC converters, and on-board chargers, and elaborates on efficiency improvement strategies such as soft switching technology and interleaved parallel structure, as well as electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression technical measures.