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Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has developed new 1200V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs with low on-resistance (RDS(ON)) and high levels of reliability. The devices are particularly suited to applications within automotive traction inverters. They are now available and shipping as early test samples in bare die format – allowing customers to customise them to meet the needs of their applications.
The new X5M007E120 uses a manufacturing process that reduces on-resistance per unit area by up to 30%. Unlike existing methods that utilise a striped-pattern construction, the new devices arrange the embedded Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) in a check-pattern to achieve lower on-resistance.
Many SiC MOSFETs increase on-resistance as body diodes are energised during reverse conduction, which can lead to reliability issues. Toshiba SiC MOSFETs alleviate this issue by preventing body diodes from operating as SBDs are embedded into the MOSFETs. This approach maintains the reduction in on-resistance while ensuring reliability during reverse conduction.
With electric motors consuming over 40% of the world’s electrical energy, efficient operation is essential to sustainability. The re-arrangement of SBDs in this device has suppressed body diode energisation, and the upper limit of unipolar operation has increased to around double without increasing the SBD mounting area. Additionally, channel density is improved. These enhancements contribute to energy efficiency in applications, including motor control inverters.
Reducing RDS(ON) within a SiC MOSFET can cause excess current flow during short-circuit operations. By adopting a deep barrier structure, the X5M007E120 reduces excessive current within the MOSFET section and leakage current in the SBDs section during short-circuit operation. This enables durability during short-circuit conditions while maintaining high levels of reliability against reverse conduction operation.
The new X5M007E120 has a VDSS of 1200V and is rated for a drain current (ID) of 229A continuously, with 458A for pulsed operation (ID Pulse). RDS(ON) is as low as 7.2mΩ, and the device can operate with channel temperatures (Tch) as high as 175°C. The devices are AEC-Q100 qualified for automotive applications.
Engineering samples of the new X5M007E120 are expected to ship during 2025, with mass production samples scheduled to start in 2026.
Toshiba will continue to seek ways to further improve the characteristics of its products. The company will contribute to realising a decarbonised society by providing customers with power semiconductors for applications where energy efficiency is essential, such as inverters for motor control and power control systems for electrical vehicles.
Original – Toshiba
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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it will begin shipping samples of a silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) bare die for use in drive-motor inverters of electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and other electric vehicles (xEVs) on November 14.
Mitsubishi Electric’s first standard-specification SiC-MOSFET power semiconductor chip will enable the company to respond to the diversification of inverters for xEVs and contribute to the growing popularity of these vehicles. The new SiC-MOSFET bare die for xEVs combines a proprietary chip structure and manufacturing technologies to contribute to decarbonization by enhancing inverter performance, extending driving range and improving energy efficiency in xEVs.
Mitsubishi Electric’s new power semiconductor chip is a proprietary trench SiC-MOSFET that reduces power loss by about 50% compared to conventional planar SiC-MOSFETs. Thanks to proprietary manufacturing technologies, such as a gate oxide film process that suppresses fluctuations in power loss and on-resistance, the new chip achieves long-term stability to contribute to inverter durability and xEV performance.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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Littelfuse, Inc. announced the release of the IXTN400N20X4 and IXTN500N20X4 Ultra Junction X4-Class Power MOSFETs.
The new devices expand upon the current 200 V X4-Class Ultra Junction MOSFETs, featuring some of the lowest on-state resistances available. The high current ratings of these MOSFETs allow designers to replace multiple low-current rated devices connected in parallel, streamlining the design process and enhancing both reliability and power density in applications. Additionally, the screw-mounted terminals of the SOT-227B package enable rugged and stable mounting.
These new 200 V MOSFETs deliver the lowest on-state resistances, enhancing and complementing the existing Littelfuse X4-Class Ultra Junction family portfolio. Compared to the existing state-of-the-art X4-Class MOSFET solutions, these MOSFETs offer up to ~2x higher current ratings and RDS(on) values up to ~63% lower.
The new MOSFETs are ideal for a range of low-voltage power applications where minimizing on-state losses is essential, including:
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS),
- Battery chargers,
- Battery formation,
- DC/battery load switch, and
- Power supplies.
“The new devices will allow designers to replace multiple low-current rated devices, connected in parallel, with a single device solution,” said Sachin Shridhar Paradkar, Global Product Marketing Engineer at Littelfuse. “This unique solution simplifies gate driver design, improves reliability, improves power density and PCB space utilization.”
The Ultra Junction X4-Class Power MOSFET offers the following key performance benefits:
- Low conduction losses
- Minimized parallel connection effort
- Simplified driver design with minimal driver losses
- Simplified thermal design
- Increased power density
A MOSFET with low on-state resistance (RDS(on)) is the ideal choice in applications where minimal on-state losses are crucial. It significantly reduces the power dissipation during operation, leading to lower conduction losses, higher efficiency, and less heat generation. This makes it perfect for power-sensitive applications such as power supplies, motor drivers, and battery-operated devices where maintaining high efficiency and thermal management is crucial.
Performance Specifications
Performance Specs IXTN500N20X4 IXTN400N20X4 Package Aluminum-nitride ceramic-based isolated SOT-227B On-state resistance RDS(on) = 1.99 mΩ @ Tvj = 25°C RDS(on) = 3 mΩ @ Tvj = 25°C High nominal current rating 500 A @ TC = 25°C 340 A @ TC = 25°C Gate charge Qg = 535 nC Qg = 348 nC Thermal resistance RthJC = 0.13 K/W RthJC = 0.18 K/W Original – Littelfuse
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Nexperia introduced a new series of high-performance gate driver ICs designed for driving both high-side and low-side N-channel MOSFETs in a synchronous buck or half-bridge configuration. These devices deliver high current output and excellent dynamic performance, boosting efficiency and robustness in applications.
The automotive-qualified NGD4300-Q100 is ideal for electronic power steering and power converters, while the NGD4300 has been designed for use with DC-DC converters in consumer devices, servers and telecommunications equipment as well as for micro-inverters used in various industrial applications.
The floating high-side driver in these ICs can operate from bus voltages up to 120 V and use a bootstrap supply with an integrated diode, features which simplify overall system design and help to reduce PCB size. They can deliver up to 4 A (peak) source and 5 A of sink current to guarantee short rise and fall times even for heavy loads.
The gate driver has a low 13 ns delay and offers excellent channel-to-channel delay matching of only 1 ns. These delays are significantly lower than for similar competing gate drivers and help to minimize dead-time by maximizing switching duty-cycle. 4 ns rise and 3.5 ns (typical) fall times help to deliver higher efficiency and support high frequency and fast system control. These gate drivers accept input control signals complying with both TTL and CMOS logic levels.
“These devices are the first in our new portfolio of high-performance half-bridge gate drivers” according to Irene Deng, general manager of the IC solutions business group at Nexperia. “This release demonstrates how Nexperia is using process innovation to respond to the burgeoning demand for robust gate drivers that can increase power converter efficiency while also delivering smoother motor control in consumer, industrial and automotive applications.”
For superior robustness in power conversion and motor driving applications, these ICs are fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process. This allows the negative voltage tolerance of the HS pin to extend to -5 V, significantly reducing the risk of damage caused by system parasitic component and unexpected spikes. The NGD4300 and NGD4300-Q100 are available in a choice of DFN-8, SO-8 and HSO-8 packages to offer engineers the flexibility to trade-off between device size and thermal performance, depending on application requirements.
Original – Nexperia
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Infineon Technologies AG is reporting results for the fourth quarter and the full fiscal year, both of which ended on 30 September 2024.
“Infineon has managed the 2024 fiscal year well and concluded it in line with expectations,” says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. “Currently, there is hardly any growth momentum in our end markets except from AI, the cyclical recovery is being delayed. The inventory correction is continuing. Short-term ordering patterns and inventory digestion are clouding visibility on demand trends beyond the next couple of quarters. We are therefore preparing for a muted business trajectory in 2025. At the same time, we are relying on the consistent implementation of the structural measures in our “Step Up” program to strengthen our competitiveness. In combination with our innovative power, we are addressing our structural growth drivers and putting ourselves in the best position for a coming upturn.”
- Q4 FY 2024: Revenue €3.919 billion, Segment Result €832 million, Segment Result Margin 21.2 percent
- FY 2024: Revenue €14.955 billion, down 8 percent on the prior year; Segment Result €3.105 billion; Segment Result Margin 20.8 percent; adjusted earnings per share €1.87; Free Cash Flow €23 million, adjusted Free Cash Flow €1.690 billion
- Dividend proposal for FY 2024: Dividend unchanged at €0.35 per share
- Outlook for Q1 FY 2025: Based on an assumed exchange rate of US$1.10 to the euro, revenue of around €3.2 billion expected. On this basis, Segment Result Margin forecast to be in the mid-teens percentage range
- Outlook for FY 2025: Based on an assumed exchange rate of US$1.10 to the euro, revenue is expected to slightly decline compared with previous year. The adjusted gross margin should be around 40 percent and the Segment Result Margin in the mid-to-high-teens percentage range. Investments of approximately €2.5 billion planned. Free Cash Flow adjusted for investments in frontend buildings should be around €1.7 billion and reported Free Cash Flow around €900 million
For the full version of this news release (incl. financial data), please download the PDF version.
Original – Infineon Technologies
