GE Aerospace, Axcelis Launch Joint Development for High-Voltage SiC Power Devices

GE Aerospace and Axcelis Technologies have launched a Joint Development Program (JDP) to develop production-ready 6.5 to 10kV Silicon Carbide (SiC) superjunction power devices, leveraging Axcelis' Purion XEmax high energy implanter. This collaboration supports GE Aerospace's Advanced High Voltage Silicon Carbide Switches project under the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub, led by North Carolina State University, aiming to enhance power switch performance for aerospace, defense, and emerging commercial applications like AI, quantum computing, and autonomous vehicles. SiC semiconductors offer higher voltages, operating temperatures, and frequencies compared to traditional silicon devices, enabling reduced power consumption and smaller packaging for critical systems. Axcelis' Purion XEmax provides industry-leading beam currents and energy range flexibility, optimizing implantation processes and potentially accelerating superjunction technology adoption. GE Aerospace brings over three decades of SiC research expertise from its Niskayuna Research Center to advance technologies for hypersonic travel, electric propulsion, and space exploration. The partnership positions both companies at the forefront of SiC technology development for resilient power grids and next-generation aerospace and defense systems.