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SEMICON Taiwan 2023 once again underscored Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global semiconductor industry. Entering its 28th year, the event was held in Taipei, gathering 950 exhibitors with 3,000 booths and attracting more than 62,000 visitors. The sheer scale of participation was evident in the hour-long traffic queues and bustling metro platforms as people flocked into the Exhibition Halls.
Innovations and sustainability were the focal points of this year’s show. Distinguished figures from the industry took the stage to emphasize the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain and envision a greener and more intelligent future enabled by semiconductors. Fueled by tremendous opportunities in artificial intelligence, communications, and automotive electronics, the semiconductor industry is poised to expand to a trillion-dollar market by the close of this decade despite the short-term cyclical downturns.
Reshaping Mobility with Power Semiconductors
This year, energy efficiency came to the forefront of innovations, especially among applications that have far-reaching impacts on the global economy, with electric vehicles being one.
Electrification and autonomous trends continue to drive up the semiconductor content per vehicle. Wide bandgap semiconductors like SiC and GaN have emerged as pivotal players, making substantial contributions to the performance and efficiency of next-generation electric vehicles.
It was exciting to see industry key players illustrate significant improvements achieved by new-generation semiconductors in terms of power efficiency, power density, and connectivity. Research firms estimate that silicon-based semiconductors will grow at a CAGR of 4% from 2022 to 2028, while SiC will grow at 31% and GaN at 49%, highlighting the growth potential of wide bandgap semiconductors.
More Data, More Computing Power, More Energy Consumption
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence applications in every aspect of our lives presents a significant opportunity for the semiconductor industry. The recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, like generative AI, are made possible by the progress of semiconductor technologies, which were on full display at this year’s expo.
The computing power and the memory access required for AI applications are still growing at an unprecedented pace, and the energy consumption is proportional to the computing capability. More efficient energy conversion and distribution solutions are critical for data centers to accommodate increasing energy-intensive workloads.
Key takeaways Summary
- SEMICON Taiwan once again turned out to be an enlightening event, fostering the exchange of experiences and the dissemination of ingenious ideas.
- Energy efficiency challenges overall system performance as electronic devices become versatile and highly integrated. GaN power semiconductors are a low-cost and reliable solution to tackle power challenges for power-hungry applications.
- Technology advancement hinges on two significant investments: innovation and talent. We’re pleased to note these were repeatedly addressed in keynotes and presentations at this year’s event.
Original – GaN Systems
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has started mass production of three 40 V N-channel MOSFETs using SOP Advance(WF) package for automotive and has expanded its lineup. The three models are “XPHR9904PS, XPH2R404PS and XPH3R304PS.”
The new products reduce drain-source On-resistance with the U-MOSIX process as with Toshiba’s precedence release products XPHR7904PS and XPH1R104PS. The drain-source On-resistance of XPH2R404PS is 2.4 mΩ (max), which is approximately 27 % lower than that of Toshiba’s existing product TPCA8083, and XPH3R304PS is 3.3 mΩ (max), which is approximately 42 % lower than that of Toshiba’s existing product TPCA8085.
The drain-source On-resistance of XPHR9904PS is 0.99 mΩ (max). Reducing drain-source On-resistance of these products contributes to low power consumption of automotive equipment. In addition, they are qualified with the automotive reliability standard AEC-Q101. The PPAP of IATF16949 is also available.
The package is a surface mount type SOP Advance(WF) that uses a wettable flank terminal structure, which facilitates automated visual inspection of the board mounting state.
Toshiba’s automotive MOSFETs support a variety of automotive applications and meet a wide range of customer needs.
Applications
- Automotive equipment: motor drives, switching power supplies, load switches, etc.
Features
- Low On-resistance
XPHR9904PS: RDS(ON)=0.99 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V)
XPH2R404PS: RDS(ON)=2.4 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V)
XPH3R304PS: RDS(ON)=3.3 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V) - AEC-Q101 qualified
- PPAP of IATF16949 available
Original – Toshiba
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Siltronic AG officially inaugurated the extension to its crystal pulling hall at the Freiberg site. The new production area provides space for the latest generation of crystal pulling systems, which are used to produce silicon monocrystals for wafer production under cleanroom conditions. In total, several hundred million euros were invested in the construction and around 60 jobs were created.
“This investment is a clear commitment to our Saxon location. In addition, the modernization helps us to maintain our position as one of the world’s technology leaders and it strengthens our position as the only major Western wafer manufacturer”, said Dr. Michael Heckmeier, CEO of Siltronic AG, at the opening. The Freiberg site in Saxony is one of four production sites of the group, which manufactures in Germany, Singapore and the USA.
With a usable area of 20,000 square meters, the extension building is almost as large as three soccer fields. Here, man-sized silicon monocrystals are produced in a process that takes five to seven days. The so-called ingots have a diameter of around 300 millimeters and weigh several hundred kilograms. In a complex process under cleanroom conditions, they are processed into wafers – extremely thin slices of silicon. Siltronic’s customers use the wafers to manufacture microchips, which can be found in everyday items such as tablets, smartphones and electric cars, as well as wind turbines and aircrafts. The semiconductor industry is receiving tailwind from the megatrends of artificial intelligence, digitization and electromobility.
Siltronic has invested more than one billion euros at the site since acquiring Freiberger Elektronikwerkstoffe GmbH in 1995. “With our investments, we believe we are well prepared for the future, to be at the forefront in a challenging market environment,” Heckmeier explained. Currently around 1,000 people are employed at the site in Freiberg, Saxony.
Original – Siltronic
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Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation announced the launch of its 1200V and 650V Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), designed for the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters of electric vehicles (EVs).
Built upon Magnachip’s cutting-edge Field Stop Trench technology, the newly introduced AMBQ40T120RFRTH (1200V) and AMBQ40T65PHRTH (650V) offer a minimum short-circuit withstand time of 10µs. This remarkable level of ruggedness enables PTC heaters to be protected from a permanent failure in the event of overcurrent conditions.
Furthermore, the thick and large heat sink of the TO-247 package allows these new IGBTs to excel in heat dissipation. Therefore, these IGBTs are well-suited for applications requiring high power and efficiency, such as both the upper and lower sides of power management integrated circuits of PTC heaters.
“Since early last year, Magnachip has released high-performance automotive power solutions that adhere to the stringent AEC-Q101 standards,” said YJ Kim, CEO of Magnachip. “Now that we have successfully released our first IGBT products for EVs, we will continue to expand our product lineup to meet the diverse needs of the EV market and cater to the demands of our valued customers.”
Original – Magnachip Semiconductor
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Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH launched two products for brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive applications including fan motors, ventilation fan, air conditioners, air cleaners, and pumps.
Each of the intelligent power devices (IPD) incorporate 600V-rated IGBTs and a matched gate driver as a one-chip solution in a single compact package. The output DC current (IOUT) rating of the TPD4163F is 1A while the TPD4164F is rated at 2A.
The two devices (TPD4163F and TPD4164F) have an IGBT saturation voltage (VCEsat) of 2.6V and 3.0V respectively, while the Diode forward voltage (VF) is 2.0V and 2.5V.
Both devices are housed in a miniature surface mount HSSOP31 package. With dimensions of just 17.5mm x 11.93mm x 2.2mm, the PCB footprint is reduced by around 63% when compared with Toshiba’s existing DIP26 package products. This makes a significant contribution to reducing the space required for motor drive circuit boards.
In addition, in geographic regions where the power supply is unstable, the supply voltage may fluctuate significantly. Therefore, to improve reliability, the supply voltage rating (VBB)has been increased from 500V to 600V to introduce more design margin.
To support the new devices, Toshiba has developed a reference design for BLDC sensorless brushless DC motor drive utilizing the new TPD4164F and a microcontroller TMPM374FWUG.
Toshiba will continue to expand their product lineup with various packages and improved characteristics, contributing to customers’ design flexibility and carbon neutrality through energy-saving motor control.
Volume production shipments of both new devices (and the reference design board) start today.
Original – Toshiba
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STMicroelectronics has released a new class of IGBTs with an increased breakdown-voltage capability of 1350V and maximum operating temperature of 175°C. The higher ratings ensure greater design margin, robust performance, and extended reliability under all operating conditions.
The new STPOWER IH2 series IGBTs also permit increased power-conversion efficiency. Favorable parameters include low saturation voltage, Vce(sat), which ensures low dissipation when the device is turned on. The freewheeling diode has low voltage drop and optimized turn-off energy that increases the efficiency of single-switch quasi-resonant converters operating at frequencies from 16kHz to 60kHz.
With their ruggedness and high efficiency, these IGBTs are ideal for induction-heating applications including domestic appliances such as kitchen hobs, inverter microwave ovens, and rice cookers. In a 2kW application, ST’s new IGBT devices can reduce power dissipation by up to 11%.
In addition, the Vce(sat) has a positive temperature coefficient and tight parameter distribution between devices helps simplify design and ease connecting multiple IGBTs in parallel to address high-power applications.
The first two devices in the series, the 25A STGWA25IH135DF2 and 35A STGWA35IH135DF2, are in production now and available in a standard TO-247 long-lead power package.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new fourth-generation 650 V E Series power MOSFET that delivers high efficiency and power density for telecom, industrial, and computing applications. Compared to previous-generation devices, the Vishay Siliconix n-channel SiHP054N65E slashes on-resistance by 48.2 %, while offering a 59 % lower resistance times gate charge, a key figure of merit (FOM) for 650 V MOSFETs used in power conversion applications.
Vishay offers a broad line of MOSFET technologies that support all stages of the power conversion process, from high voltage inputs to the low voltage outputs required to power the latest high tech equipment. With the SiHP054N65E and other devices in the fourth-generation 650 V E Series family, the company is addressing the need for efficiency and power density improvements in two of the first stages of the power system architecture — power factor correction (PFC) and subsequent DC/DC converter blocks.
Typical applications will include servers, edge computing, and data storage; UPS; high intensity discharge (HID) lamps and fluorescent ballast lighting; solar inverters; welding equipment; induction heating; motor drives; and battery chargers.
Built on Vishay’s latest energy-efficient E Series superjunction technology, the SiHP054N65E’s low typical on-resistance of 0.051 Ω at 10 V results in a higher power rating for applications > 2 kW and allows the device to address the Open Compute Project’s Open Rack V3 (ORV3) standards. In addition, the MOSFET offers ultra low gate charge down to 72 nC. The resulting FOM of 3.67 Ω*nC is 1.1 % lower than the closest competing MOSFET in the same class, which translates into reduced conduction and switching losses to save energy and increase efficiency. This allows the device to address the specific titanium efficiency requirements in server power supplies or reach 96 % peak efficiency in telecom power supplies.
For improved switching performance in hard-switched topologies such as PFC, half-bridge, and two-switch forward designs, the MOSFET released today provides low typical effective output capacitances Co(er) and Co(tr) of 115 pF and 772 pF, respectively. The device’s resulting resistance times Co(er) FOM is an industry-low 5.87 Ω*pF. Offered in the TO-220AB package and providing increased dv/dt ruggedness, the SiHP054N65E is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green, and is designed to withstand overvoltage transients in avalanche mode with guaranteed limits through 100 % UIS testing.
Original – Vishay Intertechnology
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched three 80 V N-channel power MOSFET products that use its latest generation process “U-MOSX-H series” and are suitable for switching power supplies for industrial equipment—used for such as data centers and communication base stations—and expanded the lineup.
The new products use the surface mount type SOP Advance(N) package, and their drain-source On-resistance (max) is 3 ｍΩ for “TPH3R008QM”, 6 mΩ for “TPH6R008QM”, and 8.8 mΩ for “TPH8R808QM”.
The new products have reduced the figure of merits (FOMs: expressed as On-resistance × charge characteristics.) In case of TPH3R008QM, it has reduced its FOMs, drain-source On-resistance × total gate charge by approximately 48 %, drain-source On-resistance × gate switch charge by approximately 16 %, and drain-source On-resistance × output charge by approximately 33 %, compared to Toshiba’s existing product TPH4R008NH. This contributes to lowering power consumption of equipment.
Toshiba is expanding its lineup of products to help cut equipment power consumption.
Applications
- Switching power supplies (high efficiency AC-DC converters, high efficiency DC-DC converters, etc.)
- Motor control equipment (motor drives, etc.)
Features
- Latest generation process U-MOSX-H series
- Low On-resistance:
TPH3R008QM RDS(ON)=3 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V)
TPH6R008QM RDS(ON)=6 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V)
TPH8R808QM RDS(ON)=8.8 mΩ (max) (VGS=10 V) - High channel temperature: Tch (max)=175 °C
Original – Toshiba
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Infineon Technologies AG expands its 7th generation TRENCHSTOP™ IGBT family with the discrete 650 V IGBT7 H7 variant. The devices feature a cutting-edge EC7 co-packed diode with an advanced emitter-controlled design, coupled with high-speed technology to address the escalating need for environmentally conscious and highly efficient power solutions.
Using the latest micro-pattern trench technology, the TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 H7 offers excellent control and performance, resulting in significant loss reduction, improved efficiency and higher power density. As a result, the device is ideal for various applications such as string inverters, energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicle charging applications, and traditional applications such as industrial UPS and welding.
In a discrete package, the 650 V TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 H7 can deliver up to 150 A. The portfolio includes variants from 40 A to 150 A, offered in four different package types: TO-247-3 HCC, TO-247-4, TO-247-3 Plus and TO-247-4 Plus. The TO-247-3 HCC variant of the TRENCHSTOP IGBT 7 H7 features a high creepage distance.
For improved performance, the TO-247 4-pin packages (standard: IKZA, Plus: IKY) are particularly well suited, as they not only reduce switching losses, but also offer additional benefits such as lower voltage overshoot, minimized conduction losses and the lowest reverse current loss. With these features, the TRENCHSTOP IGBT 7 H7 simplifies the design and minimizes the need to connect devices in parallel.
In addition, the 650 V TRENCHSTOP IGBT 7 H7 features robust moisture resistance for reliable operation in harsh environments. The device is qualified for industrial use according to the relevant tests of JEDEC47/20/22, especially HV-H3TRB, making it well suited for outdoor applications.
Designed to meet the demand for green and efficient power applications, the IGBT offers significant improvements over the previous generations. As a result, the TRENCHSTOP IGBT 7 H7 is the ideal complement for the NPC1 topology often used in applications such as solar and ESS.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched two automotive 40V N-channel power MOSFETs, “XPJR6604PB” and “XPJ1R004PB,” that use Toshiba’s new S-TOGL™ (Small Transistor Outline Gull-wing Leads) package with U-MOS IX-H process chips. Volume shipments start today.
Safety-critical applications like autonomous driving systems ensure reliability through redundant design, with the result that they integrate more devices and require more mounting space than standard systems. Accordingly, advancing size reductions in automotive equipment requires power MOSFETs that can be mounted at high current densities.
XPJR6604PB and XPJ1R004PB use Toshiba’s new S-TOGL™ package (7.0mm×8.44mm) which features a post-less structure unifying the source connective part and outer leads. A multi-pin structure for the source leads decreases package resistance.
The combination of the S-TOGL™ package and Toshiba’s U-MOS IX-H process achieve a significant On-resistance reduction of 11% against Toshiba’s TO-220SM (W) package product, which has the same thermal resistance characteristics. The new package also cuts the required mounting area by approximately 55% against the TO-220SM(W) package.
On top of this, the 200A drain current rating of the new package is higher than Toshiba’s similarly sized DPAK + package (6.5mm×9.5mm), enabling high current flow. Overall, the S-TOGL™ package realizes high-density and compact layouts, reduces the size of automotive equipment, and contributes to high heat dissipation.
Since automotive equipment is used in extreme temperature environments, the reliability of surface mounting solder joints is a critical consideration. The S-TOGL™ package uses gull-wing leads that reduce mounting stress, improving the reliability of the solder joint.
Assuming that multiple devices will be connected in parallel for applications requiring higher-current operation, Toshiba supports grouping shipment for the new products, in which the gate threshold voltage is used for grouping. This allows designs using product groups with small characteristic variation.
Toshiba will continue to expand its product line-up of power semiconductor products and contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality with more user-friendly, high-performance power devices.
Features:
- New S-TOGL™ package: 7.0mm×8.44mm (typ.)
- Large drain current rating:
XPJR6604PB: ID=200A
XPJ1R004PB: ID=160A - AEC-Q101 qualified
- IATF 16949/PPAP available[4]
- Low On-resistance:
XPJR6604PB: RDS(ON)=0.53mΩ (typ.) (VGS=10V)
XPJ1R004PB: RDS(ON)=0.8mΩ (typ.) (VGS=10V)
Original – Toshiba
