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LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / SiC / WBG3 Min Read
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced 16 new Gen 3 1200 V silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes. Featuring a merged PIN Schottky (MPS) design, the Vishay Semiconductors devices combine high surge current robustness with low forward voltage drop, capacitive charge, and reverse leakage current to increase efficiency and reliability in switching power designs.
The next-generation SiC diodes released today consist of 5 A to 40 A devices in the TO-220AC 2L, TO-247AD 2L, and TO-247AD 3L through-hole and D2PAK 2L (TO-263AB 2L) surface-mount packages. The diodes offer a low capacitance charge down to 28 nC, while their MPS structure — which features a backside thinned via laser annealing technology — delivers a reduced forward voltage drop of 1.35 V. In addition, the devices’ low typical reverse leakage current down to 2.5 µA at 25 °C reduces conduction losses, ensuring high system efficiency during light loads and idling. Unlike ultrafast diodes, the Gen 3 devices have virtually no recovery tail, which further improves efficiency.
Typical applications for the diodes will include AC/DC PFC and DC/DC ultra high frequency output rectification in FBPS and LLC converters for solar power inverters; energy storage systems; industrial drives and tools; and datacenters. For the harsh environments of these applications, the devices combine operating temperatures to +175 °C with forward surge ratings to 260 A for high robustness. In addition, diodes in the D2PAK 2L package feature a molding compound with a high CTI ≥ 600, ensuring excellent electrical insultation at elevated voltages.
Offering high reliability, the RoHS-compliant and halogen-free devices have passed higher temperature reverse bias (HTRB) testing of 2000 hours and temperature cycling testing of 2000 thermal cycles.
Device Specification Table:
Part # IF(AV) (A) IFSM (A) VF at IF (V) QC (nC) Configuration Package VS-3C05ET12T-M3 5 42 1.35 28 Single TO-220AC 2L VS-3C10ET12T-M3 10 84 1.35 55 Single TO-220AC 2L VS-3C15ET12T-M3 15 110 1.35 81 Single TO-220AC 2L VS-3C20ET12T-M3 20 180 1.35 107 Single TO-220AC 2L VS-3C05ET12S2L-M3 5 42 1.35 28 Single D2PAK 2L VS-3C10ET12S2L-M3 10 84 1.35 55 Single D2PAK 2L VS-3C15ET12S2L-M3 15 110 1.35 81 Single D2PAK 2L VS-3C20ET12S2L-M3 20 180 1.35 107 Single D2PAK 2L VS-3C10EP12L-M3 10 84 1.35 55 Single TO-247AD 2L VS-3C15EP12L-M3 15 110 1.35 81 Single TO-247AD 2L VS-3C20EP12L-M3 20 180 1.35 107 Single TO-247AD 2L VS-3C30EP12L-M3 30 260 1.35 182 Single TO-247AD 2L VS-3C10CP12L-M3 2 x 5 42 1.35 28 Common cathode TO-247AD 3L VS-3C20CP12L-M3 2 x 10 84 1.35 55 Common cathode TO-247AD 3L VS-3C30CP12L-M3 2 x 15 110 1.35 81 Common cathode TO-247AD 3L VS-3C40CP12L-M3 2 x 20 180 1.35 107 Common cathode TO-247AD 3L Samples and production quantities of the new SiC diodes are available now, with lead times of 13 weeks.
Original – Vishay Intertechnology
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LATEST NEWS4 Min Read
Wolfspeed, Inc. provided an update on key milestones and an operational update.
Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley silicon carbide fab has reached 20% wafer start utilization, a critical step in the Company’s efforts to meet the growing demand for silicon carbide power devices. Additionally, Wolfspeed’s Building 10 Materials facility has achieved its 200mm wafer production target to support approximately 25% wafer start utilization at the Mohawk Valley fab by the end of calendar year 2024. Wolfspeed plans to update the market on its next utilization milestone for Mohawk Valley during its fiscal Q4 2024 earnings call in August.
The Mohawk Valley fab has also achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification, a distinction from the world’s most widely used green building framework and rating system. The LEED Silver certification highlights Wolfspeed’s enduring commitment to going beyond compliance, promoting environmental health and industry leading sustainability.
This state-of-the-art Mohawk Valley facility is the world’s first purpose-built, fully automated 200mm silicon carbide fab, and when combined with Wolfspeed’s market-leading 200mm materials production, solidifies Wolfspeed’s competitive position as the only fully vertically integrated 200mm silicon carbide manufacturer at scale.
Additionally, Wolfspeed’s John Palmour Manufacturing Center (“the JP”) in Siler City, NC, which will be the world’s largest, most advanced silicon carbide materials facility upon completion, has installed and recently activated initial furnaces less than one year after vertical construction commenced. As a result, the facility is on schedule to achieve crystal qualification by early August 2024. This meaningful progress reinforces the Company’s confidence that it is well-positioned to ramp the JP in line with its target to deliver wafers from the facility to Mohawk Valley by the summer of 2025.
Wolfspeed also announced that it experienced an equipment incident at its Durham 150mm device fab that resulted in a temporary capacity reduction while the incident was being remediated. Production has been resumed and the Company expects that the Durham 150mm device fab’s capacity utilization can return to previously targeted levels by August. As a result of the production disruption, the Company does not expect an impact on fourth quarter revenue, but does expect to have an underutilization impact and incur other costs in the fourth quarter as described below.
“Having reached our 20% utilization target at Mohawk Valley, we are well-positioned to continue executing our 200mm vertical integration strategy ahead of other market participants,” said Gregg Lowe, president and CEO of Wolfspeed. “Further, recent advancements at the JP put Wolfspeed well on track to achieve our facility targets and significantly expand our materials capacity, driving meaningful progress towards our strategic goals. We quickly identified and resolved an equipment incident at our Durham 150mm device fab, and we continue to focus on execution as we move with urgency to continue this first-of-its-kind ramp.”
Business Outlook
Based on the Durham 150mm device fab equipment incident, Wolfspeed is updating its fiscal fourth quarter 2024 guidance as follows, and providing a preliminary outlook on fiscal first quarter 2025 revenue and non-GAAP gross margin:
- Targeted fiscal fourth quarter revenue from continuing operations is unchanged at $185 million to $215 million; and a potential negative impact to fiscal first quarter 2025 revenue of approximately $20 million.
- Targeted fourth quarter GAAP gross margins in the range of (4%) to 4% and non-GAAP gross margins in the range of 0% to 8%, due to an underutilization impact realized in the fourth quarter and other fourth quarter costs related to the equipment incident. The Company also expects fiscal first quarter 2025 non-GAAP gross margins in a similar range due to underutilization it will realize in the period.
- Fourth quarter GAAP net loss from continuing operations is targeted at $204 million to $182 million, or $1.61 to $1.44 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net loss from continuing operations is targeted to be in a range of $122 million to $105 million, or $0.96 to $0.83 per diluted share. Targeted non-GAAP net loss from continuing operations excludes $77 million to $82 million of estimated expenses, net of tax, primarily related to stock-based compensation expense, amortization of discount and debt issuance costs, net of capitalized interest, project, transformation and transaction costs and loss on Wafer Supply Agreement.
Original – Wolfspeed
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GaN / LATEST NEWS / PROJECTS / WBG3 Min Read
Texas Instruments announced a long-term collaboration with Delta Electronics, a global power and energy management manufacturer, to create next-generation electric vehicle (EV) onboard charging and power solutions. This work will leverage both companies’ research and development capabilities in power management and power delivery in a joint innovation laboratory in Pingzhen, Taiwan. Together, TI and Delta aim to optimize power density, performance and size to accelerate the realization of safer, faster-charging and more affordable EVs.
“The transition to electric vehicles is key to helping achieve a more sustainable future, and through years of collaboration with Delta Electronics, we have a solid foundation to build upon,” said Amichai Ron, senior vice president for Embedded Processing at TI. “Together with Delta, we will use TI semiconductors to develop EV power systems like onboard chargers and DC/DC converters that are smaller, more efficient and more reliable, increasing vehicle driving range and encouraging more widespread adoption of electric vehicles.”
“Delta has been developing high-efficiency automotive power products, systems and solutions since 2008 to help reduce transportation-related carbon emissions,” said James Tang, executive vice president of Mobility and head of the Electric Vehicle Solutions business group at Delta Electronics.
“Through the establishment of this joint innovation laboratory with TI, Delta intends to leverage TI’s abundant experience and advanced technology in digital control and GaN to enhance the power density and performance of our EV power systems. With more leading-edge product development and design capabilities, we aim to achieve closer technology exchange and collaboration to accelerate product development and improve product safety and quality. We look forward to furthering our technology leadership and creating a win-win situation in the rapidly developing electric vehicle market.”
Three phases of development for next-generation automotive power solutions
- Phase one for the collaboration focuses on Delta’s development of a lighter-weight, cost-effective 11kW onboard charger, using TI’s latest C2000™ real-time microcontrollers (MCUs) and TI’s proprietary active electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter products. The companies are working together using TI’s products to reduce the charger’s size by 30% while achieving up to 95% power conversion efficiency.
- In phase two, TI and Delta will leverage the latest C2000 real-time MCUs for automotive applications to enable automakers to achieve automotive safety integrity levels (ASILs) up to ASIL D, which represents the strictest automotive safety requirements. Highly integrated automotive isolated gate drivers will further enhance the power density of onboard chargers, while also minimizing overall solution size.
- In phase three, the two companies will collaborate to develop the next generation of automotive power solutions, capitalizing on TI’s more than 10 years of experience in developing and manufacturing products with gallium nitride (GaN) technology.
“The rapid growth of electronics in automotive applications has enabled more feature-rich, efficient and safer vehicles. However, technical challenges remain,” said Luke Lee, president of Taiwan, Japan, Korea and South Asia, Texas Instruments. “Having been in Taiwan for 55 years, coupled with decades of experience in automotive power management, TI has built a strong connection with the local automotive industry. Establishing this collaboration and joint innovation laboratory with Delta is just one more way TI is driving vehicle electrification forward.”
Original – Texas Instruments
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Navitas Semiconductor announced that its GaNFast power ICs have been selected to lead Lenovo’s latest GaN technology chargers; Xiaoxin 105 W GaN charger, and the Legion C 170 W GaN charger, respectively designed for daily travel and gaming power, bringing consumers a brand new fast charging experience.
The Xiaoxin 105 W GaN charger is designed for daily travel. It outputs 105 W of power and is equipped with 3 ports (2C1A) supporting multiple protocols; easily achieving the charging needs of various devices simultaneously. At only 206 g, the 105 W fast-charger is 41% lighter than a typical 100 W computer adapter and takes only 34 minutes to charge the Xiaoxin 16 Pro to 50%. The Navitas NV6138 GaNFast power IC with GaNSense™ technology is at the heart of the high-frequency flyback topology design, providing a stable, durable, and efficient charging experience.
The Legion C170 W GaN charger is designed specifically for hardcore gamers. It delivers 170 W of continuous power through a single port to meet the high-power demands of gaming devices. At only 245 grams, it’s 78% lighter than Legion Y9000P’s original inbox charger and can charge up to 2 times faster than the Legion C140 W Charger. The Navitas NV6136 GaNFast power IC with GaNSense technology is used in the PFC stage, featuring loss-less current sensing and 6 times faster short-circuit protection than competing solutions, delivering cooler operation, superior efficiency, reliability, and power density.
Lenovo’s long-term collaboration with Navitas has brought a series of groundbreaking fast chargers to the market and played a significant role in raising market awareness on showcasing the benefits of GaN technology. At the Lenovo YOGA CC65 dual-port GaN charger launch event in 2021, Navitas’ 6-inch GaN wafer and GaNFast power ICs were publicly showcased for the first time, unveiling the mysteries of this leading technology to consumers.
In terms of gaming products, Navitas collaborated with Lenovo to create a 90 W charger for the Lenovo Legion Pro Gaming Phone and a 135 W, C135 W GaN charger for the Legion 5 and 5 Pro Gen 7 laptops. For lightweight travel, Lenovo developed a series of compact, lightweight powerful GaN chargers using Navitas technology, including the revolutionary compact Thinkplus ‘lipstick’ and the ultra-thin Thinkbook ‘biscuit’ charger.
Lenovo and Navitas are not only partners in power technology but also pioneers in sustainability. Lenovo Group is verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for net zero targets and Navitas is the world’s first power semiconductor company to achieve CarbonNeutral® certification. Navitas’ advanced GaN technology enables Lenovo to continuously create smaller, lighter chargers with higher power density, significantly reducing the number of passive and magnetic components inside the charger, achieving CO2 reduction in production through “dematerialization”. The increased efficiency reduces power loss during use, thus further lowering carbon emissions in the product lifecycle.
“With the support of Navitas GaNFast power ICs, we have successfully introduced two new Xiaoxin and Legion GaN chargers to the market, enabling a lightweight and powerful charging experience for daily travel and gaming performance,” said Elon Chen, Product Manager of Consumer Business for Lenovo Group China. “Moreover, the successful application of Navitas’ GaNFast technology continuously reduces the size and weight of chargers, highly increasing efficiency, bringing convenience to consumers, while contributing to carbon reduction.”
“Powerland is very pleased to collaborate with Navitas again to create two high-performance and lightweight GaN chargers for Lenovo,” said Dr. Wang Chuanyun, VP of R&D for Powerland Group. “Powerland is dedicated to pushing the envelope of technology to build leading power products for our clients. Efficient, reliable, and easy-to-use GaNFast power ICs are crucial to realize that.”
“Navitas is very honored to enter Lenovo’s supply chain twice in a short period, providing high-efficiency and stable GaNFast fast charging power into two important Lenovo products,” said Charles Zha, VP and GM of Navitas China. “By working closely with Powerland, our highly integrated GaNFast technology has enabled Lenovo to continuously achieve leading-edge results in size, performance, and reliability of chargers. With innovative laptops like AI PCs on the rise, Navitas predicts a surge in demand for powerful GaNFast charging solutions. Navitas is on a mission to push the limits of gallium nitride technology, empowering global partners like Lenovo to slash energy usage and emissions in charger and adapter production. Together, we will speed towards a greener, more sustainable planet!”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY / Si2 Min Read
WeEn Semiconductors announced an expansion to its range of high-performance and rugged IGBTs. Offering voltage ratings of 650V and 1200V, the new devices incorporate a fast recovery anti-parallel diode and boast extremely low leakage currents and exceptional conduction and switching characteristics at both high and low junction temperatures.
Based on an advanced fine trench gate field-stop (FS) technology, the new IGBTs provide a more uniform electric field within the chip, support higher breakdown voltages and offer improved dynamic control. By offering the optimum trade-off between conduction and switching losses, as well as an enhanced EMI design, the devices will maximize efficiency in a wide variety of mid- to high-switching-frequency power conversion designs.
The new IGBTs offer ratings of 650V/75A, 1200V/40A and 1200V/75A and are supplied in TO247 or TO247-4L packages depending on the selected device. All of the devices will operate with a maximum junction temperature (Tj) of 175 °C and have undergone high-voltage H3TRB (high-humidity, high-temperature and high-voltage reverse bias) and 100%-biased HTRB (high-temperature reverse bias) tests up to this maximum.
Target applications for the new WeEn IGBTs include solar inverters, motor control systems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and welding. A positive temperature coefficient simplifies parallel operation in applications where higher performance is required, while options for bare die, discrete and module product variants provide flexibility for a wide variety of target designs.
Original – WeEn Semiconductors