TOKYO -- The U.S. and Japan are home to the five top-ranked companies in patents for silicon carbide, a next-generation semiconductor material that can extend the range of electric vehicles.

Harder than silicon, the chip industry's mainstay material for decades, silicon carbide can handle higher electric currents with less loss of charge, making it a better choice for chips that control the flow of power in EVs.

Tesla took the lead in using silicon carbide power chips in EVs, giving the newer material a boost.

On the supply side, U.S.-based Wolfspeed, formerly known as Cree, leads in terms of patent competitiveness in this field, an analysis by Tokyo-based Patent Result finds. But a pack of Japanese players is on its tail.

Kyoto-based chipmaker Rohm ranks second, followed by peers Sumitomo Electric Industries and Mitsubishi Electric. Top Japanese auto parts maker Denso, a Toyota Motor group member, comes in fifth.

Patent Result's study looks at patents issued in the U.S. through July 29. The scores are based on patent count and how much attention they have attracted.

Wolfspeed's strength lies in patents in silicon carbide substrates and crystallization, according to the assessment.

Rohm and Denso have strength in technology that reduces power loss. Sumitomo Electric has an advantage in patents related to the crystal structure of silicon carbide, while Mitsubishi Electric is strong in semiconductor device structure.

Japanese players see semiconductor materials as an area of the chip industry where they still hold clout, having lost market share in sales of memory and processors.

Apart from electric vehicles, silicon carbide is increasingly being adopted in solar power generating systems, among other applications. Demand for the material is expected to grow as nations take steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Advanced chip materials, along with industrially precious rare-earth elements, have become a focus for the U.S., China, Japan and other nations seeking to ensure that supply chains for vital technologies are safe within their borders.

The Biden administration named silicon carbide in a June review, saying: "The United States is a global leader in deployment of SiC [silicon carbide], making it a true competitiveness success story, due in large part to consistent and substantial U.S. government investments over decades."