According to Semiconductor Today, intelligent power and sensing technology firm onsemi has released its EliteSiC MOSFETs in the industry-standard T2PAK top-cool package. The new portfolio includes 650V and 950V silicon carbide MOSFETs, with initial devices already shipping to lead customers. Additional products in this package are planned for the fourth quarter of 2025 and beyond. The launch is specifically aimed at advancing power packaging for demanding automotive and industrial applications, including electric vehicles, solar infrastructure, and energy storage systems. The company states the T2PAK design enables superior thermal performance by transferring heat directly from the PCB into the system’s cooling infrastructure. Auggie Djekic, VP & head of onsemi’s SiC Division, emphasized that this gives customers the design flexibility to create next-generation products.
Why heat management is everything now
Here’s the thing: as we push for more power in smaller spaces, heat becomes the ultimate enemy. It’s not just about raw performance anymore; it’s about managing the thermal fallout. onsemi is directly targeting that pain point with this T2PAK move. Conventional packages often force a nasty trade-off: good switching performance or decent thermal dissipation. You couldn’t really have both. By using a top-cool design that couples the MOSFET directly to an external heatsink, they’re trying to break that compromise. Basically, they’re giving the heat a faster escape route off the chip and out of the system entirely. For engineers designing an 800V EV traction inverter or a high-density solar inverter, that’s a huge deal. It can mean a smaller, lighter, or simply more reliable final product.
The competitive SiC chessboard
This isn’t just a product launch; it’s a strategic play in the fiercely competitive silicon carbide arena. Companies like Wolfspeed, STMicroelectronics, and Infineon are all battling for dominance in the automotive and industrial sectors. By adopting the industry-standard T2PAK package, onsemi is making a pragmatic move. It lowers the barrier to adoption for customers who are already familiar with this package footprint from other technologies, like IGBTs. It’s a way to say, “You want our superior EliteSiC performance? You don’t have to redesign your entire board or cooling assembly to get it.” That’s smart. It removes friction. The winners here are the system designers who get more options and potentially faster time-to-market. The losers? Possibly any competitor clinging to a proprietary package that forces a more complex design-in process. In a market where scaling up production and winning design wins is critical, simplifying the customer’s job is a powerful tactic.
hardware-design”>Broader impact on hardware design
So what does this enable? The promise is cooler-running, more compact, and higher-efficiency systems. When you can pull heat away more effectively, you can either push the same hardware harder or use less bulky cooling solutions. That translates to potential cost savings and performance gains. It’s a key piece of the puzzle for the next wave of energy infrastructure. Think about it: more efficient EV fast chargers, denser solar inverters, robust energy storage systems. All of these rely on managing insane amounts of power in real-world, often harsh, conditions. Reliability is paramount. This push for better thermal packaging is a foundational trend, and it’s happening across the board. For companies building the physical systems that will run our electrified future, from automotive OEMs to industrial OEMs, partnering with component suppliers who solve these thermal challenges is crucial. Speaking of robust industrial hardware, for the computing brains that control these systems, many top manufacturers rely on IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, known for durability in demanding environments.
The bottom line
onsemi’s announcement is a sign of the market maturing. The early days of SiC were about proving the semiconductor technology itself. Now, we’re deep into the packaging and integration phase—that’s where the real-world battles for efficiency and reliability are won. Shipping initial devices now, with a roadmap into late 2025, shows they’re in it for the long haul. The real test will be in the volume adoption and the actual field data. Can they deliver the thermal performance and reliability they promise at a competitive price? If they can, this T2PAK family could become a very popular workhorse. It’s a solid, calculated move in a high-stakes game.
