Regional Manufacturing Cost Structures and Supply Chain Considerations for Medium Voltage Silicon Carbide Power Applications

Bottoms-up cost analysis has been a mainstay of commoditized industry and manufacturing processes for years, however a holistic objective supply chain analysis to inform research and investment in the development of early stage technologies has not. The potential for rapid adoption of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, specifically silicon carbide (SiC), highlights a need to understand the drivers of locationspecific manufacturing cost, global supply chains, and plant location decisions. Further, ongoing research and investment, necessitates analytical analysis to help inform the roadmap of SiC technologies. In collaboration with PowerAmerica the project explores the bottoms-up cost analysis of wafers, devices, modules, and variable frequency motor drives at the anticipated manufacturing levels. Leveraging these models, it outlines how the cost reduction potential of proposed research advances can be quantified.