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Semikron Danfoss and the Kyoto-based company ROHM Semiconductor have been collaborating for more than ten years with regards to the implementation of silicon carbide (SiC) inside power modules. Recently, Semikron Danfoss added ROHM’s new 1200V RGA IGBT to its low power module offering. In doing so, both companies show that they remain committed to serving worldwide motor drive customers’ needs.
The worldwide growth in electrification technologies has created unprecedented demand for power modules. Often, it is the chip supply that limits power module availability. Despite ongoing investments in production capacity by the chip manufacturers, the supply situation remains tight. It is against this backdrop that ROHM has introduced the new 1200V RGA IGBT, targeted as an alternative to the latest Generation 7 IGBT devices in industrial applications. ROHM is now expanding their bare die offering to Semikron Danfoss, positioning themselves as an advanced alternative to traditional chip suppliers.
“The RGA is a newly designed, light punch through, trench gate IGBT with Tj,max = 175°C. The conduction, switching, and thermal characteristics are optimized for new industrial drive applications in the low to medium power range. At the same time, the RGA is intended to remain compatible with existing IGBT solutions, enabling a multiple source approach. In addition, the RGA can also be used to improve transient overcurrent handling during overload conditions in motor drive applications,” says Kazuhide Ino, Member of the Board, Managing Executive Officer, CFO at ROHM.
Semikron Danfoss can offer the 1200V RGA IGBT in a full range of nominal current classes from 10A to 150A. This range, combined with the suitability of the RGA chip in motor drive applications, means that the MiniSKiiP family is the ideal choice for module implementation. The baseplate-less, spring-contact MiniSKiiP is already deeply embedded in the worldwide motor drive market and always equipped with the latest generation IGBTs. Therefore, it is important for this product to have an alternative IGBT source to diversify the supply chain. The uniform-height MiniSKiiP housing family is also offered on the market as a multiple source package, making an alternative IGBT a valuable option for manufacturers.
For press-fit/solder applications, the industry-standard SEMITOP E package will also be available in pin-compatible configurations to existing Generation 7 IGBT module offerings. This housing family will also offer sixpack (“GD”) and converter-inverter-brake (“DGDL”) circuit configurations.
“The power electronics industry continues to recover and learn lessons from the supply issues in recent years. It’s clear that diversification in semiconductor chip and module manufacturing is required to generate true ‘multiple source’ power modules”, says Claus A. Petersen, President, Semikron Danfoss. “In the case of 1200V Generation 7 IGBTs, a reliable equivalent from a reputable manufacturer is now available to address this issue also in the low power range. The 1200V RGA IGBT from ROHM is a perfect alternative to the Generation 7 IGBT and can be made to behave in a remarkably similar manner with small gate resistor adjustment,” continues Peter Sontheimer, Senior Vice President Industry Division & Managing Director at Semikron Danfoss.
Original – Semikron Danfoss
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) announced that it has started construction of a new wafer fabrication factory for power semiconductors at Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corporation, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, its main discrete semiconductor production base. Construction will take place in two phases, with the production start of Phase 1 scheduled for within fiscal 2024. Toshiba will also construct an office building adjacent to the new fab to respond to the increase in personnel.
The new fab will have a quake absorbing structure and enhanced BCP systems, including dual power supply lines, and also aim to use 100% renewable energy. Product quality and production efficiency will be improved by introducing artificial intelligence systems and other measures.
Toshiba started power semiconductor production on a 300-milimeter wafer line in the second half of fiscal 2022. Going forward, Toshiba will expand production capacity of power semiconductors with the new fab and further contribute to carbon neutrality.
Original – Toshiba
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Nexperia introduced a 650 V Silicon Carbide (SiC) Schottky diode designed for power applications which require ultra-high performance, low loss, and high efficiency. The 10 A, 650 V SiC Schottky diode is an industrial-grade part that addresses the challenges of demanding high voltage and high current applications. These include switched-mode power supplies, AC-DC and DC-DC converters, battery-charging infrastructure, uninterruptible power supplies and photovoltaic inverters and allow for more sustainable operations. Data centers, for example, equipped with power supplies designed using Nexperia’s PSC1065K SiC Schottky diode will be better placed to meet rigorous energy efficiency standards than those using solely silicon-based solutions.
The PSC1065K delivers leading-edge performance with temperature-independent capacitive switching and zero recovery behavior culminating in an outstanding figure-of-merit (QC x VF). Its excellent switching performance is almost entirely independent of current and switching speed variations. The merged PiN Schottky (MPS) structure of the PSC1065K provides additional benefits, such as outstanding robustness against surge currents that eliminates the need for additional protection circuitry. These features significantly reduce system complexity and enable hardware designers to achieve higher efficiency with smaller form factors in rugged high-power applications. Designers can be further reassured by Nexperia’s proven reputation as a supplier of high-quality products in a range of semiconductor technologies.
This SiC Schottky diode is encapsulated in a Real-2-Pin (R2P) TO-220-2 through-hole power plastic package. Additional package options include the surface mount (DPAK R2P and D2PAK R2P) and through-hole (TO-247-2) with a real 2-pin configuration that enhances reliability in high-voltage applications at temperatures up to 175 °C.
Katrin Feurle, Senior Director of the Product Group SiC at Nexperia, adds: “We are proud to offer a high-performance SiC Schottky diode that ranks among the top tier of currently available solutions. In an increasingly energy-conscious world, we are bringing greater choice and availability to the market as demand for high-volume, high-efficiency applications increases significantly.”
Nexperia plans to continuously augment its portfolio of SiC diodes by including automotive-grade parts that operate at 650 V and 1200 V voltages with currents in the 6-20 A range. Samples and production quantities of the new SiC diodes are available now.
Original – Nexperia
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Power electronics technologies have undergone a radical transformation following the introduction of wide-bandgap (WBG) devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). These materials, in fact, have characteristics that make them particularly suitable for applications that operate at high voltages and high switching frequencies. To fully exploit the potential offered by wide-bandgap semiconductors, designers must understand the challenges of these materials.
Power electronics design will continue to focus on reducing the size and complexity of devices while increasing their functionality. The design will increasingly incorporate AI and machine learning algorithms to improve performance, monitor system health, and optimize energy management. Future developments will be integrated not only in automotive, industrial, aerospace markets, but also with IoT technologies to create a more connected and automated energy system.
Semiconductor devices are used to drive motors and control power. As efficiency standards for these applications get better, cost-effective and energy-efficient control solutions, test and measurement solutions, and transducers/sensors make design easier and offer a high level of integration, as well as better safety features and certified isolation capabilities.
Moreover, using energy harvesting techniques and new power semiconductors to make electrical and electronic systems work as well as possible is an important part of engineering.
The PowerUP Expo is a three-day virtual conference and exhibition focusing on power electronics. With an exhibition area, live stage, and messaging center, the PowerUP Expo functions similarly to a live exhibition and conference. This technical conference will include a number of sessions including keynotes, panel discussions, technical presentations, and tutorials on a variety of subject matters, including significant technical trends, market demands, and new application areas. The exhibition area will include virtual booths from top power electronics businesses and a Live Chat facility that allows attendees to communicate with booth staff directly.
PowerUP offers an opportunity for engineers, managers, academics, and students from all over the world to learn the latest technological advances and applications in Power Electronics and to connect with each other in our community. The newest trends and advancements in the field of power electronics, from components to intelligent systems, are discussed by leaders in the industry.
Conference Tracks:
- June 27: Tutorial/Lectures, Panel Discussion & Conference Preview
- June 28: Wide Bandgap Semiconductors and Power Applications
- June 29: Power Conversion and Management Design Trends in low and high power
Detailed agenda can be found at PowerUP Expo.
Original – PowerUP Expo
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The technology group ZF will, from 2025, purchase silicon carbide devices from STMicroelectronics. Under the terms of the multi-year contract, ST will supply a volume of double-digit millions of silicon carbide devices to be integrated in ZF’s new modular inverter architecture going into series production in 2025. ZF will leverage ST’s vertically integrated silicon carbide manufacturing in Europe and Asia to secure customer orders in electromobility.
“With this strategically important step, we are strengthening our supply chain to be able to securely supply our customers. Our order book in electromobility until 2030 now amounts to more than thirty billion euros. For this volume, we need several reliable suppliers for silicon carbide devices,” says Stephan von Schuckmann, member of the ZF Board of Management responsible for electromobility as well as materials management. “In STMicroelectronics, we now have a supplier whose experience with complex systems meets our requirements and who, above all, can produce the devices in exceptionally high quality and at the required quantities.” With this agreement, ZF has gained a world-class supplier for silicon carbide technology, in addition to ZF’s existing partnership agreement on silicon carbide technology announced in February.
“As a vertically integrated company, we are investing heavily to expand capacity and develop our silicon carbide supply chain to support our global and European customers across automotive and industrial sectors, as they pursue electrification and decarbonization targets,” says Marco Monti, President Automotive and Discrete Group of STMicroelectronics. “The key to success in electric vehicle technology is greater scalability and modularity with increased efficiency, peak power, and affordability. Our silicon carbide technologies help deliver these benefits and we are proud to work with ZF, a leading automotive supplier for electrification, to help them differentiate and optimize the performance of their inverters.”
ST will manufacture the silicon carbide chips at its production fabs in Italy and Singapore with packaging of the chips into STPAK, an ST-developed advanced package, and testing at its back-end facilities in Morocco and China.
ST will supply ZF from 2025 with a volume of double-digit millions of third generation silicon carbide MOSFET devices. ZF can connect a variable number of such devices together to match customers’ performance requirements without changing the design of the inverter. Among others, ZF will use the technology in inverters for vehicles of a European car manufacturer whose production start is planned for 2025.
The inverter is the brain of electric drivetrains. It manages the flow of energy from battery to e-motor and vice versa. Inverters have become more efficient and more complex with every development step. The combination of the inverter design and the semiconductors, like silicon carbide, is the key to improving electric vehicle performance. Silicon carbide devices significantly reduce power losses in electric car inverters, as well as in wind turbine and photovoltaic inverters. Devices made with silicon carbide have decisive advantages over conventional silicon-based products, such as higher efficiency, power density and reliability. At the same time, they enable smaller and more cost-effective system designs. Simply put, an electric vehicle charges faster, drives further and has more space when equipped with silicon carbide-based semiconductors.
Original – STMicroelectronics
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Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a leading supplier of enabling ion implantation solutions for the semiconductor industry, announced the shipment of its 500th Purion™ ion implanter system. The shipment went to a leading semiconductor device maker located in North America.
President and CEO Mary Puma commented, “This 500th Purion shipment validates our market leadership and strong customer partnerships. We look forward to extending this leadership within our broad and diverse global customer base as they continue to expand their manufacturing capacity. This large and growing Purion installed base provides a solid foundation for our Customer Solutions & Innovation aftermarket business.”
Executive Vice President of Marketing and Applications Greg Redinbo stated, “The Purion ion implanter platform provides a winning combination of highly differentiated, enabling technology and productivity, designed to solve customers’ high value, high impact, ion implantation challenges. The advanced Purion Product Extensions have quickly established Purion as the leader in image sensor and power device manufacturing, making Axcelis the only company with a complete family of implant products for both the Si IGBT and SiC power device market segments.”
Original – Axcelis Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG has changed the name of its Industrial Power Control (IPC) Division to Green Industrial Power (GIP). The semiconductor manufacturer is thus highlighting its consistent alignment with the Decarbonization and Digitalization trends. For the newly named Division, green energies are key growth drivers for the business.
“Infineon is making green, cost-efficient electrical energy possible. We have a leading position in the fields of wind energy and solar power, with our power semiconductors setting the standard for higher efficiency levels throughout the entire energy conversion chain. This represents an enormous amount of growth potential, and we’re putting a name on that potential by rebranding our Division”, says Dr. Peter Wawer, President of the Green Industrial Power Division.
“The focus on industrial business has made us highly successful. This field will continue to grow in the future. At the same time the decarbonization of energy supplies and mobility will additionally accelerate the growth of renewable energies, grid expansion and charging infrastructures. Our extensive product portfolio, technologies, leading-edge expertise in power semiconductors, software and services, together with our highly experienced, global team all mean we are in a perfect position to shape the green transformation of our society.”
Traditionally, one focus of the Division’s sales has been on power semiconductors for efficient energy supplies in the industry and consumer sectors, for example drive technologies for electric motors. In the future, above-average growth will be driven primarily by the energy transformation and among other things will come from the field of renewable energies and the expansion of the necessary infrastructure.
The name change to Green Industrial Power documents the strong orientation of the Division towards its growth segments, with industrial business remaining an important part of GIP’s portfolio in the future as well. There will be no corresponding new organizational structure. The name change took effect as of 1 April 2023.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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DENSO CORPORATION announced that it has developed its first-ever inverter with silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. This inverter, which is incorporated in the eAxle, an electric driving module developed by BluE Nexus Corporation, will be used in the new RZ, Lexus’ first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) model has been released on March 30, 2023.
SiC power semiconductors consist of silicon and carbon that significantly reduce power loss compared with silicon (Si) power semiconductors. The verification of cruising test in a certain condition, which test was performed by BEV consisted of SiC semiconductor inverters, demonstrated inverters with SiC power semiconductor reduce power loss less than half of ones with Si semiconductor. As a result, the energy efficiency of BEVs is improved and cruising range is extended.
Key elements of developing the new inverter:
- SiC power semiconductors with DENSO’s unique trench-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure improve the output per chip due to reducing the power loss caused by heat generated. The unique structure achieved high voltage and low on-resistance operation.
Key elements of manufacturing the new inverter:
- Based on the high-quality technology jointly developed by DENSO and Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., we utilize SiC epitaxial wafers that incorporate the results of work commissioned by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). As a result, we have halved the number of crystal defects that prevent the device from operating normally due to the disorder of the atomic arrangement of the crystal.
- By reducing crystal defects, the quality of SiC power semiconductor devices used in vehicles and their stable production are ensured.
DENSO calls its SiC technology “REVOSIC®,” and uses it to comprehensively develop technologies for products ranging from wafers to semiconductor devices and modules such as power cards.
DENSO will contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society through development aimed at more efficient energy management for vehicles, while also utilizing the grant from Green Innovation Fund (GI Fund), which was adopted in 2022.
Original – Denso
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Diodes Incorporated (Diodes) introduced the latest addition to its portfolio of Silicon Carbide (SiC) products: the DMWS120H100SM4 N-channel SiC MOSFET. This device addresses demand for higher efficiency and higher power density for applications such as industrial motor drives, solar inverters, data center and telecom power supplies, DC-DC converters, and electric vehicle (EV) battery chargers.
The DMWS120H100SM4 operates at a high voltage (1200V) and drain current (up to 37A) while maintaining low thermal conductivity (RθJC = 0.6°C/W), making it well-suited for applications running in harsh environments. This MOSFET has a low RDS(ON) (typical) of only 80mΩ (for a 15V gate drive) to minimize conduction losses and provide higher efficiency. In addition, the device has a gate charge of only 52nC to reduce switching losses and lower the package temperature.
This product is the first SiC MOSFET on the market in a TO247-4 package. The additional Kelvin sense pin can be connected to the source of the MOSFET to optimize the switching performance, thereby enabling even higher power densities.
Original – Diodes Incorporated
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Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has launched a 150V N-channel power MOSFET “TPH9R00CQ5,” which uses the latest generation U-MOSX-H process, for switching power supplies of industrial equipment, such as that used in data centers and communications base stations.
TPH9R00CQ5 features an industry-leading low drain-source On-resistance of 9.0mΩ (max), approximately a 42% reduction from Toshiba’s existing product, “TPH1500CNH1.” Compared with Toshiba’s existing product “TPH9R00CQH,” the reverse recovery charge is reduced by about 74% and the reverse recovery time by about 44%, both key reverse recovery characteristics for synchronous rectification applications. Used in synchronous rectification applications, the new product reduces the power loss of switching power supplies and helps improve efficiency. Furthermore, compared to TPH9R00CQH, the new product reduces spike voltage generated during switching, helping lower the EMI of power supplies.
The product uses the popular, surface-mount-type SOP Advance(N) package.
Toshiba also offers tools that support circuit design for switching power supplies. Alongside the G0 SPICE model, which verifies circuit function in a short time, highly accurate G2 SPICE models, which accurately reproduce transient characteristics, are now available.
Toshiba has also developed “1 kW Non-Isolated Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter for Telecommunications Equipment” and “Three-phase Multi Level Inverter using MOSFET” reference designs that utilize the new product. They are available on Toshiba’s website from today. The new product can also be utilized for the already published “1 kW Full-Bridge DC-DC Converter” reference design.
Toshiba will continue to expand its lineup of power MOSFETs that reduce power loss, increase the efficiency of power supplies, and help to improve equipment efficiency.
Applications:
- Power supplies of industrial equipment, such as that used in data centers and communications base stations.
- Switching power supplies (high efficiency DC-DC converters, etc.)
Features:
- Industry-leading low On-resistance: RDS(ON)=9.0mΩ (max) (VGS=10V)
- Industry-leading low reverse recovery charge: Qrr=34nC (typ.) (-dIDR/dt=100A/μs)
- Industry-leading fast reverse recovery time: trr=40ns (typ.) (-dIDR/dt=100A/μs)
- High channel temperature rating: Tch (max)=175°C
Original – Toshiba
