Power Devices for Solar Inverters and Battery Storage
SiC MOSFETs, SiC Schottky diodes and super junction MOSFETs for solar boost stages, micro-inverters and battery storage converters from 200 W to 10 kW.
A solar inverter or battery converter moves power in both directions at high frequency, so device choice is driven by switching loss and body-diode behaviour rather than by conduction loss alone. OCENME supplies 650 V and 800 V SiC MOSFETs, 650 V SiC Schottky diodes and 650 V super junction MOSFETs for boost stages and battery converters from 200 W to 10 kW.
Scope of supply in this sector
This page covers DC/DC boost stages, micro-inverter primaries and battery charge/discharge converters up to 10 kW. It does not cover the inverter bridge control, grid-tie protection or the battery management system.
Requirements
| Power range | 200 W to 10 kW per converter stage |
|---|---|
| Boost switch | 650–800 V SiC MOSFET or super junction MOSFET |
| Boost diode | 650 V SiC Schottky, zero reverse recovery |
| Battery converter | 100 V MOSFETs for low-voltage storage, 650 V for high-voltage |
| Switching frequency | 30–100 kHz with SiC; 20–65 kHz with silicon |
| Ambient | 55 °C internal enclosure temperature, outdoor rated |
| Design life | 20 years for residential inverters |
Materials we machine for this sector
- Silicon carbide die
- Silicon super junction and trench die
- Copper lead frames
- High-temperature mould compound
Applicable standards
- IEC 62109-1 and 62109-2 for PV inverter safety
- IEC 61727 / IEEE 1547 grid interconnection (end product)
- EN 55011 for industrial EMI
- IEC 61000-3-2 harmonic limits
Typical parts
- 650 V and 800 V SiC MOSFETs, 11 A to 20 A, TO-252 and TO-220F
- 650 V / 20 A SiC Schottky diode for the boost stage
- 650 V super junction MOSFET, 150 mΩ to 190 mΩ, for cost-sensitive boost designs
- 100 V MOSFETs from 5.5 mΩ for low-voltage battery converters
- Fast recovery diodes 600–1200 V for freewheeling in silicon designs
Quality risks specific to this sector
These are the failure modes we see most often in this industry. They are listed because knowing them before design review is cheaper than discovering them at first article.
- SiC gate drive borrowed from a silicon design, with no negative bias and no Kelvin source, causing turn-off failures
- Boost diode selected for forward drop while reverse recovery in the switch dominates total loss at 50 kHz
- Junction temperature calculated at 25 °C ambient for equipment installed in a 60 °C roof space
- Body diode used for continuous conduction in a bidirectional converter without a thermal review of the diode mode
Compliance and capability questions
Do residential solar inverters really need SiC?
Above about 3 kW with a 30 kHz or higher boost stage, SiC usually pays for itself through smaller magnetics and lower cooling cost. Below 2 kW, a well-designed silicon super junction boost at 40 kHz is often cheaper overall. The decision should come out of a loss calculation, not a technology preference.
What is the failure mode to watch for with SiC in solar?
Turn-off overvoltage and gate ringing, both from loop inductance. Solar inverters have long DC input runs and large DC-link loops, so a SiC device switching in 20 ns sees much more effective inductance than the bench test suggested. Layout, not device selection, is where these designs fail.
Can one MOSFET work for both charge and discharge in a battery converter?
In a synchronous bidirectional converter the MOSFETs conduct in both directions, and the body diode carries current during dead time in one direction. That is acceptable for short dead times but not for continuous diode conduction, where the body diode drop and recovery dominate. If the converter spends real time in diode mode, either the control strategy or the device choice has to change.
What reliability evidence should a 20-year inverter design demand?
H3TRB and temperature cycling data with lot records, thermal resistance from junction to case, and a documented PCN process for die source changes. A 20-year life claim also depends on your fan, your capacitors and your derating; the semiconductor is rarely the first thing to fail in a residential inverter.
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View sectorSend the part number and the operating conditions
Tell us the voltage class, current, switching frequency and what the device is replacing. You will get a datasheet, a parameter comparison at matched conditions, and a quotation with MOQ and lead time.