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Dr. Christian Kranert, Group Manager Equipment and Defect Simulation of the Materials Department at Fraunhofer IISB, developed a new software for the fast, full-wafer and automated detection and classification of crystal defects in silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. He also pushed the licensing of his new, so-called x-ray ropography (XRT) toolbox to the users of the x-ray topography measuring device XRTmicron from Rigaku. Another highlight is the establishment of two new SEMI International Standards for 4H-SiC defect quantification using XRT test methods.
These outstanding results confirm the success of the Joint Labs model at Fraunhofer IISB. Joint Labs are an exclusive opportunity to collaborate with Fraunhofer IISB in an industry-compatible laboratory environment.
Rigaku Europe SE and Fraunhofer IISB are operating the Center of Expertise for X-ray Topography, a joint lab that is located at the IISB’s headquarters in Erlangen, Germany. This fruitful collaboration is vividly illustrated by the new business in the field of SiC wafer mapping, which Rigaku has built up around its XRTmicron product line in less than two years.
The new LZE Prize honors Fraunhofer IISB employees for exceptional achievements. The LZE Prize is awarded for outstanding acquisitions or particularly successful collaborations, new networks with domestic and foreign partners or above-average achievements in the transfer of know-how from research to industry. The Leistungszentrum Elektroniksysteme (LZE) is a joint initiative of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Fraunhofer IIS, Fraunhofer IISB, and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), together with industry partners and further research institutes.
Original – Fraunhofer IISB
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SemiQ Inc has expanded its QSiC™ power modules portfolio with the introduction of a new series of 1200V silicon-carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs in half-bridge packages.
Engineered and tested to operate reliably in demanding environments, these new compact, high-performance modules enable high-power-density implementations while minimizing dynamic and static losses.
Featuring high breakdown voltage (>1400V), the new QSiC™ modules support high-temperature operation (Tj = 175°C) with low Rds(On) shift over the full temperature range. In addition, the modules exhibit industry-leading gate oxide stability and long gate oxide lifetime, avalanche unclamped inductive switching (UIS) ruggedness and long short-circuit withstand time.
With a solid foundation of high-performance ceramics, the new SiC modules are suitable for EV charging, on-board chargers (OBCs), DC-DC converters, E-compressors, fuel cell converters, medical power supplies, photovoltaic inverters, energy storage systems, solar and wind energy systems, data center power supplies, UPS/PFC circuits, Vienna rectifiers, and other automotive and industrial applications.
To ensure that each module has a stable gate threshold voltage and high-quality gate oxide, SemiQ’s modules undergo gate burn-in testing at the wafer level. Besides the burn-in test, which helps to stabilize the extrinsic failure rate, stress tests such as gate stress, high-temperature reverse bias (HTRB) drain stress, and high humidity, high voltage, high temperature (H3TRB) allow achieving the required automotive and industrial grade quality levels. The devices also have extended short-circuit ratings. All modules have undergone testing exceeding 1350V.
Dr. Timothy Han, President at SemiQ, said, “SemiQ’s commitment to reliability and testing sets us apart in the semiconductor industry. Our high-performance QSiC™ 1200V MOSFET modules are proven to withstand challenging conditions, enabling engineers to develop reliable systems for the renewable, automotive, medical, and industrial sectors.”
SemiQ’s new 1200V 5mΩ, 10mΩ, and 20mΩ SiC MOSFET are available in industry standard half-bridge packages.
Part Number Circuit Configuration Ratings Typ. RdsOn [mΩ] GCMX010A120B2B1P Half-bridge 1200V/214A, B2 9 GCMX020A120B2B1P Half-bridge 1200V/102A, B2 19 GCMX005A120B3B1P Half-bridge 1200V/383A, B3 4.4 GCMX010A120B3B1P Half-bridge 1200V/173A, B3 9 Original – SemiQ
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Power Integrations announced a new family of plug-and-play gate drivers for 62 mm silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFET and silicon IGBT modules rated up to 1700 V, with enhanced protection features to ensure safe, reliable operation.
SCALE™-2 2SP0230T2x0 dual-channel gate drivers deploy short-circuit protection in less than two microseconds, protecting the compact SiC MOSFETs against damaging over-currents. The new drivers also include advanced active clamping (AAC) to protect the switches against over-voltage during turn-off, enabling higher DC link operating voltages.
Thorsten Schmidt, product marketing manager at Power Integrations, commented: “The 2SP0230T2x0 gate drivers are flexible; the same hardware can be used to drive either SiC MOSFET or IGBT modules. This reduces both system design and sourcing challenges, and the plug-and-play approach speeds development.”
Ideal for applications such as railway auxiliary converters, offboard EV chargers and STATic synchronous COMpensator (STATCOM) voltage regulators for the power grid, 2SP0230T2x0 gate drivers are based on Power Integrations’ proven SCALE-2 technology, resulting in higher levels of integration, smaller size, more functionality and enhanced system reliability.
Power Integrations’ compact 134 x 62 mm 2SP0230T2x0 provides reinforced isolation at 1700 V, enabling use for up to 1700 V operation; this is 500 V higher than conventional drivers, which are typically limited to 1200 V.
Original – Power Integrations
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A plan by ROHM Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation to collaborate in the manufacture and increased volume production of power devices has been recognized and will be supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a measure supporting the Japanese Government’s target of secure and stable semiconductor supply.
ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage will respectively make intensive investments in silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) power devices, effectively enhance their supply capabilities, and complementally utilize other party’s production capacity.
Power devices are essential components for supplying and managing power supply in all kinds of electronic equipment, and for achieving a carbon-free, carbon-neutral society. Current demand is expected to see continued growth.
In automotive applications, development of more efficient, smaller and lighter electric powertrains has advanced alongside the rapid expansion in vehicle electrification. In industrial applications, stable supply of power devices and improved characteristics are widely required to support increasing automation and higher efficiency requirements.
Against this backdrop, ROHM has formulated a management vision, “We focus on power and analog solutions and solve social problems by contributing to our customers’ needs for energy savings and miniaturization of their products.,” and accelerates its efforts for a carbon-free. SiC power devices are the keys to energy savings.
Since the world’s first mass production of SiC MOSFETs, ROHM has been constantly developing industry-leading technologies. Among these are ROHM’s latest 4th Generation SiC MOSFETs that will be adopted for numerous electric vehicles and industrial equipment. As one of its priority projects, ROHM is working on SiC business, which contains aggressive and continuous investment to increase the production capacity of SiC and meet strong demand growth.
Toshiba Group, with its long-standing Basic Commitment, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future.,” aims to advance the achievement of carbon neutrality and a circular economy. Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage has for decades supplied Si power devices, mainly for automotive and industrial markets, that have helped to secure energy saving solutions and equipment miniaturization.
The company started production on a 300mm wafer line last year, and is accelerating investment to enhance production capacity and meet strong demand growth. It is also advancing development of a wider lineup of SiC power devices, especially for automotive and power transmission and distribution applications, taking full advantage of the expertise it has cultivated in railway vehicle applications.
ROHM has already announced its participation in the privatization of Toshiba, but this investment did not serve as the starting point for manufacturing collaboration between the two companies. Under intensifying international competition in the semiconductor industry, ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage have been considering collaboration in the power device business for some time, and that resulted in the joint application.
ROHM and Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage will collaborate in manufacturing power devices, through intensive investments in SiC and Si power devices, respectively, toward enhancing both companies’ international competitiveness. The companies will also seek to contribute to strengthening the resilience of semiconductor supply chains in Japan.
Original – Toshiba
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Today some applications tend to increase bus voltage, and using 1200V SiC power modules can no longer correspond to voltage requirements. Using 1700V SiC devices can solve the problem, but it comes with a price.
Leapers Semiconductor announced a new series of 1400V SiC power modules in already familiar E0 and ED3S packages. They are the perfect solution to the mentioned problem, providing great performance at affordable price.
At the moment the new series 1400V SiC modules come in Half-Bridge, H-Bridge, and Boost topologies.
Leapers Semiconductor new SiC product family features:
– 1,4kV voltage
– 50 – 600A current
– 3,2 – 40 mOhm Rds(on)
– Epoxy resin
– Si3N4 AMB substrate
– Low thermal resistance
– Low switching lossesFirst batches of 1400V SiC power modules successfully passed field tests by the end customers and soon will be mass used in:
– DC fast chargers
– Commercial EVs
– Power supplies for production of hydrogen
– DC/DC convertersOriginal – Leapers Semiconductor
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Solitron Devices announced the introduction of the SD11487, the industry’s first hermetically sealed Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Module for high reliability applications.
With a unique hermetic packaging format, the 51mm x 30mm x 8mm outline is the smallest hermetically sealed high reliability, high voltage, half-bridge on the market. The integrated format maximizes power density while minimizing loop inductance. 60 mil pins for the power output stage are isolated on one side of the package to allow simple power bussing while 30 mil pins are on the opposite side for control signals.
The SD11487 is a half bridge configuration with two 1200V 12mΩ SiC MOSFETs. Also included in the module are two freewheeling 1200V SiC Schottky diodes in parallel with the MOSFETs and an integrated NTC temperature sensor. Continuous drain current is specified at 95A.
With operating temperatures of -55°C to 175°C, the SD11487 is designed for the most demanding applications such as down hole exploration; space; and avionics. The hermetically sealed copper package combined with the Alumina Nitride direct bond copper substrate provide excellent thermal conductivity as well as case isolation. The integrated temperature sensing enables high level temperature protection.
Silicon Carbide provides excellent switching performance versus the best-in-class silicon MOSFETs and IGBTs with minimal variation versus temperature. Higher efficiency levels than silicon due to significantly lower energy loss and reverse charge results in more switching power and less energy required in the switch-on and switch-off phase. Combined with high switching frequencies this translates to smaller magnetics significantly reducing system weight and size.
Original – Solitron Devices
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched chopper SiC MOSFET modules “MG800FXF1ZMS3” and ”MG800FZF1JMS3” with ratings of 3300 V and 800 A using 3rd generation silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET and SBD chips for industrial equipment and has expanded its lineup.
The new products MG800FXF1ZMS3 and MG800FXF1JMS3 adopt an iXPLV package with Ag sintering internal bonding technology and high compatibility with mounting. These offers low conduction loss with low drain-source on-voltage (sense) of 1.3 V (typ.), and also offers low switching loss with low turn-on switching loss of 230 mJ (typ.) and low turn-off switching loss of 230 mJ (typ.). These contribute to reducing the power loss of equipment and the size of cooling device.
The lineup of Toshiba’s MOSFET modules of iXPLV package has three products, including existing product MG800FXF2YMS3 (3300 V / 800 A / Dual SiC MOSFET module.) This provides a wide range of product selection. This can be used in 2-level inverters, buck/boost converters and 3-level inverters.
Toshiba will continue to meet the market needs for high efficiency and the downsizing of industrial equipment.
Applications
Industrial equipment
- Inverters and converters for railway vehicles
- Renewable energy power generation systems
- Motor control equipment for industrial equipment, etc.
Features
- Low drain-source on-voltage (sense):
VDS(on)sense=1.3 V (typ.) (ID=800 A, VGS=+20 V, Tch=25 °C) - Low turn-on switching loss:
Eon=230 mJ (typ.) (VDD=1800 V, ID=800 A, Tch=175 °C) - Low turn-off switching loss:
Eoff=230 mJ (typ.) (VDD=1800 V, ID=800 A, Tch=175 °C)
Original – Toshiba
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ROHM has expanded the library of SPICE model lineup for LTspice® of its circuit simulator. LTspice® is also equipped with circuit diagram capture and waveform viewer functions that make it possible for designers to check and verify in advance whether the circuit operation has been achieved as designed.
In addition to the existing lineup of bipolar transistors, diodes, and MOSFETs, ROHM has added SiC power devices and IGBTs that increases its number of LTspice® models to more than 3,500 for discretes (which can be downloaded from product pages). This brings the amount of coverage of LTspice® models on ROHM’s website to over 80% of all products – providing greater convenience to designers when using circuit simulators that incorporate discrete products, now including power devices.
In recent years, the increasing use of circuit simulation for circuit design has expanded the number of tools being utilized. Among these, LTspice® is an attractive option for a range of users, from students to even seasoned engineers at well-known companies. To support these and other users, ROHM has expanded its library of LTspice® models for discrete products.
Besides product pages, ROHM has added a Design Models page in October that allows simulation models to be downloaded directly. Documentation on how to add libraries and create symbols (schematic symbols) is also available to facilitate circuit design and simulation execution.
Going forward, ROHM will continue to contribute to solving circuit design issues by expanding the number of models compatible with various simulators while providing web tools such as ROHM Solution Simulator to meet growing customer needs.
Original – ROHM
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Navitas Semiconductor secured the 49th position on Forbes’ 2024 America’s Successful Small Companies list. The ranking is recognition of the company’s growth based on strong demand for Navitas’ advanced, high-efficiency, wide bandgap (WBG) GaN and SiC power components, across growing and diverse global markets and an expanding customer base.
Forbes evaluated Navitas on earnings growth, sales growth, return on equity, and total stock return over the preceding five years, with a specific focus on the last 12 months, including Navitas’ 115% increase in revenue (Q3’22 to Q3’23).
Looking ahead, Navitas will host an in-person 2023 Investor Day at the company’s new Torrance HQ (with livestream), from 12:30 pm Pacific / 3:30 pm US Eastern on Tuesday 12th December. Highlights include a deep dive into four major new GaN/SiC technology platforms and focus markets, plus customer testimonials and a refresh on the $1B+ customer pipeline, plus 2024 and long-term financial outlook.
“The top 50 ranking is great recognition by Forbes for Navitas’ growth,” said Gene Sheridan, co-founder and CEO. “GaN and SiC are accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels to ‘Electrify Our World™’ with renewable sources and efficient uses of electricity. This disruptive, displacement technology upgrades from legacy silicon chips, to make existing applications more efficient, lighter, faster charging and longer range, with lower system costs.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Efficiency is a big deal for heat pumps and HVAC systems that require higher power from a smaller footprint. The new Vincotech power module 1200V PIM+PFC resolves that contradiction by taking efficiency to a whole other level. Featuring a 3-phase ANPFC and an inverter stage, it enables your engineers to design more deeply integrated systems that drive costs down.
Main Benefits
- All-in-one solution: 3-phase PFC with inverter stage in a compact flow1 housing allows for more compact designs and higher power density
- AN-PFC with SiC MOSFETs and SiC diodes for up to 200 kHz: remarkably efficient topology brings down system costs
- Thin Al2O3 substrate facilitates overall thermal design
- Inverter stage featuring SiC MOSFETs for high-frequency switching
- Integrated thermal sensor simplifies temperature measurement
Applications
- Embedded Drives
- HVAC, Heatpumps
Original – Vincotech
