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02_PEE_0413_Layout 03/06/2013 12:10 Page 1

CONTENTS

www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2013 Power Electronics Europe

3

Editor Achim ScharfTel: +49 (0)892865 9794Fax: +49 (0)892800 132Email: [email protected]

Production Editor Chris DavisTel: +44 (0)1732 370340

Financial Clare JacksonTel: +44 (0)1732 370340Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034

Reader/Circulation Enquiries Capsule Publishing Services LtdTel: 0333 577 0801 Fax: 0845 604 2327Email: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICESMainland Europe: Victoria Hufmann, Norbert HufmannTel: +49 911 9397 643 Fax: +49 911 9397 6459Email: [email protected]

Armin Wezelphone: +49 (0)30 52689192mobile: +49 (0)172 767 8499Email: [email protected]

Eastern US Karen C Smith-Kerncemail: [email protected] US and CanadaAlan A KerncTel: +1 717 397 7100Fax: +1 717 397 7800email: [email protected]

Italy Ferruccio SilveraTel: +39 022 846 716 Email: [email protected]

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TaiwanPrisco Ind. Service Corp.Tel: 886 2 2322 5266 Fax: 886 2 2322 2205

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Circulation and subscription: Power ElectronicsEurope is available for the following subscriptioncharges. Power Electronics Europe: annual chargeUK/NI £60, overseas $130, EUR 120; single copiesUK/NI £10, overseas US$32, EUR 25. Contact: DFA Media, 192 The High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BE Great Britain. Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340. Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034. Refunds on cancelledsubscriptions will only be provided at the Publisher’sdiscretion, unless specifically guaranteed within theterms of subscription offer.

Editorial information should be sent to The Editor,Power Electronics Europe, PO Box 340131, 80098Munich, Germany.

The contents of Power Electronics Europe aresubject to reproduction in information storage andretrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical includingphotocopying, recording or any information storageor retrieval system without the express prior writtenconsent of the publisher.

Printed by: Garnett Dickinson.

ISSN 1748-3530

PAGE 13

PCIM 2013

PAGE 24

Industry NewsNew Single-Channel, 2.5-A/5-A GateDrivers for IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs

PAGE 27

Power GaN Opens NewApplicationsEfficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) has been in production withenhancement mode GaN-on-Silicon power transistors (eGaN® FETs) for overthree years. Much progress has been made improving device performance andreliability. There have also been several new power management applications thathave emerged. Two of these applications, RF Envelope Tracking and highfrequency Wireless Power Transmission are beyond the fundamental capability forthe aging power MOSFET due to the requirements of high voltage, high power,and high frequency. As a result, these are early growth markets for GaN on Silicondevices. eGaN FETs have also made inroads in several other applications that wewill discuss along with the latest in device technology and future direction for bothdiscrete and GaN ICs. Alex Lidow, Johan Strydom, David Reusch, Michaelde Rooij, Efficient Power Conversion Corp., El Segundo, USA

PAGE 30

Progress in Silicon-Based 600 V Power GaNThe readiness of 600 V GaN-on-Si based power devices fabricated using theGaNpowIR® technology platform for large scale production is presented in thisarticle. The advantages of such devices over the Silicon incumbent alternatives inseveral common power conversion application circuits is also shown. Michael ABriere, ACOO/International Rectifier, Scottsdale, USA

PAGE 38

Pre-Applied Phase-ChangeMaterial Improves ThermalBehaviorThere are several advantages to using phase-change material (PCM) rather thanconventional thermal grease as the thermal interface material (TIM) between thepower module and heatsink. Vincotech offers modules with a layer of pre-appliedPCM. The thermal interface material is applied in a layer with uniform thickness bya screen-printing process. This article describes the benefits of this phase-changematerial and provides tips on handling modules. Patrick Baginski, FieldApplication Engineer, Vincotech, Unterhaching, Germany

PAGE 40

Products

PAGE 41

Website Product Locator

Silicon CarbideBoost Power ModulePerformanceSilicon Carbide offers new approaches for the designof power semiconductors. In conventional powerSilicon technology, IGBTs are used as switches forvoltages higher than 600 V, and Silicon PINfreewheeling diodes are state of the art. The designand soft switching behavior of Silicon power devicescause considerable power losses. With the largerbandgap of Silicon Carbide, high-voltage MOSFETs canbe designed with blocking voltages up to 15 kV, whileproviding extremely low dynamic losses. With SiliconCarbide, the conventional soft turn-off Silicon diodescan be replaced by diodes in Schottky design, alsooffering extremely low switching losses. As anadditional benefit, Silicon Carbide has a 3 times higherthermal conductivity as compared to Silicon. Togetherwith small power losses, Silicon Carbide is an idealmaterial to boost power density in power modules. Full story on page 34.

Cover supplied by SEMIKRON, Nuremberg, Germany

COVER STORY

PAGE 6

Market NewsPEE looks at the latest Market News and company

developments

PAGE 10

Power ElectronicsResearch

p03 Contents_p03 Contents 03/06/2013 15:30

3-LEVEL POWER MODULES Up to 1500 V DC link

20 A up to 600 A

Less f i l ter ing v ia better harmonics

f ic iency for solar and UPSHigher ef

200 V, 650 V and 1600 V

NPC and TNPC topologies

Less f i l ter ing v ia better harmonics

f ic iency for solar and UPS

200 V

NPC and TNPC topologies

04_PEE_0413_Layout 03/06/2013 12:12 Page 1

OPINION 5


A suitablequote as alead in to

the editorsopinion

After APEC now PCIM Europe again pushed Silicon Carbide and inparticular Gallium Nitride through conference awards, new marketentries, and last but not least some projects which will gain alsopublic interest. The project referred is railway traction at Alsthom inFrance. All new drive inverters in certain trains will be equipped with1700 V SiC MOSFET power modules designed by Danfoss SiliconPower rated at 250 A output current. The message is clear – withSiC inverter efficiency can be increased by 1 % up to 99 %, at firstsight not a high number. But with a 1 % increase in efficiency lossescan be decreased by 50 % - and this is a huge number particularlyin traction with its high-power drive inverters. Thus the cost of theSiC modules are of lesser importance due to the gains at systemlevel, as Michel Mermet-Guyennet pointed out in his PCIM keynote.Since so far only two vendors are serving the SiC MOSFET marketthe choice is somewhat limited, but very recently Mitsubishi Electricand ST Microelectronics announced their plans to enter this market.Certainly more will follow and this trend will give some morepressure to the remaining SiC JFET manufacturers, also as at leastone leading solar inverter vendor announced to make use of SiCMOSFETs in the near future. And with GaN first commercialimplementations and feasibility studies have been presented at thePCIM conference and exhibition, showing a huge market potentialfor future applications even up to 1200 V. Additionally GaNfoundries now will enter the market bringing their microwaveexperience into power applications.Compared to SiC, GaN devices have a cost-saving potential but

their development requires further research efforts especially forhigh voltage ratings. In general, the devices are characterized by highpower density per unit volume or area. Therefore internal losses aredramatically cut down as compared to competitive other devicefamilies. Low on-state resistance values at a given high voltagecapability of the devices are obtained. Furthermore, input andoutput capacitance values at a given on-state resistance capabilityare much lower as compared to other devices. The power density ofGaN can be higher by a factor of 10 against Silicon if the heat of thesmall chips can be removed effectively. The lateral GaN technologyhas limitations at 1000 V and above, thus the structure has to govertical with gate trenches on bulk GaN substrate. For large

production foundries can process GaN on Si wafers on CMOS lineswith 200 mm or larger wafers, for high-performance niches GaN onSiC is still of interest, and true vertical GaN devices will be used forvery high voltage switching applications, so the conclusion at arecent SiC/GaN workshop. As a general result of research on varioushard-switched converter topologies GaN and SiC devices behavemore or less similarly, but GaN devices are better suited for high-frequency resonant applications. Additionally, the monolithicintegration of a lateral half-bridge will be a step towards better GaNperformance and cost reduction at system level. The cost of powersemiconductors do not only depend on material wafer cost, but alsoon process steps, yield and volume. Thus GaN on Silicon deviceshave to settle on the 600 V market, before SiC gets too cheap.So it is not a surprise that worldwide revenue from sales of SiC

and GaN power semiconductors is projected by IMS/IHS to rise to$2.8 billion in 2022, up from just $143 million in 2012. SiC Schottkydiodes have been around for more than 10 years, with SiCMOSFETs, JFETs and BJTs appearing in recent years. In contrast,GaN power semiconductors are only just appearing in the market.GaN is a wide bandgap material that offers similar performancebenefits to SiC but has greater cost-reduction potential. Thisprice/performance advantage is possible because GaN powerdevices can be grown on Silicon substrates that are larger and lowerin cost compared to SiC. The key factor determining market growthwill be how quickly GaN on Silicon devices can achieve price parityto Silicon MOSFETs, IGBTs or rectifiers. IMS expects this will beachieved in 2019, driving the GaN power market to pass the $1billion mark in 2022. SiC Schottky diode revenue exceeded $100 million in 2012,

making it the best-selling SiC device currently. But even though SiCSchottky diode revenue is forecast to grow until 2015, it will declinewhen lower-priced 600-V GaN diodes become available. Stillrevenue will recover to approach $200 million by 2022, with salesconcentrated at voltage ratings of 1200V and above. By then, SiCMOSFETs are forecast to generate revenue approaching $400million, overtaking Schottky diodes to become the best-selling SiCdiscrete power device type. Meanwhile, SiC JFETs and SiC BJTs areeach forecast to generate less than half of SiC MOSFET revenues atthat time, despite their likelihood of achieving good reliability, priceand performance. End users now strongly prefer SiC MOSFETs, sovendors of SiC JFETs and BJTs have a major task ahead in educatingtheir potential customers on the benefits of these technologies. Andindustry confidence in GaN technology has increased, with moresemiconductor companies announcing development projects ortheir market entry.To illustrate what is possible today and in the near future PEE has

organized a Special Conference Session at PCIM. Have a look in ourPCIM report and our research notes and features.

Achim ScharfPEE Editor

Another Push forSiC and GaN

05_PEE_0213_p05 Opinion 03/06/2013 11:46

6 MARKET NEWS

Issue 4 2013 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com

Infineon Technologies has hosted end of April atwo-day meeting at its Villach site to kick-off oneof the largest European research projectsfocused on advancing industrial productioncapability. The research project, “EnhancedPower Pilot Line” (EPPL), is aimed at furtherstrengthening Europe as a high-technologyindustrial production site. A total of 32 European partners from industry

and research are collaborating to advanceproduction technology for power semiconductors,an industry segment where Europe already has theleading position. Europe is home to the first powersemiconductor production sites manufacturingdevices using 300-millimeter thin-wafertechnology, i.e. on silicon wafers with a 300mmdiameter which in addition are extremely thin (see“Power Semiconductors on 300-Millimeter Wafers”,PEE April/May 2013, pages 44 - 47). With EPPL,Europe intends to further expand this productionadvantage. The EPPL partners are Adixen Vacuum Products,

Air Liquide electronics Systems, ams AG, CESTKompetenzzentrum für elektrochemischeOberflächentechnologie GmbH, Commissariat al‘Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives,

CTR Carinthian Tech Research, E-MOSS, EntegrisCleaning Process, EV Group E. Thallner GmbH,Fachhochschule Stralsund, Fraunhofer E.V. IISB,Fronius International GmbH, Heliox BV, InfineonTechnologies (with Austria, Germany and Italy),International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory,Ion Beam Services, KAI, Lear Corporation GmbH,Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH,Montanuniversität Leoben, NANIUM S.A., Nmb-Minebea GmbH, Philips Healthcare (with Germanyand the Netherlands), Plansee SE, SPTSTechnologies SAS, and the Technical Universities ofDresden (Germany), Eindhoven (the Netherlands)and Graz (Austria). The partner organizations cover the entire

industry and research value chain of 300millimeter power semiconductor production,comprising material research with a focus onSilicon, semiconductor development that includes3D integration and packaging, and relateddevelopments in logistics and automationtechnologies. “A project volume of Euro 74 millionand the commitment of 32 partner organizationsstrongly underline the importance of EPPL for thesemiconductor industry in Europe,” says SabineHerlitschka, CTO of Infineon Technologies Austria.

The EPPL research aims to develop an advancedgeneration of power semiconductorsmanufactured in the 300-mm thin-waferproduction technology, such as CoolMOS, IGBT,and SFET, as well as to further refine theproduction technology itself. The results of theproject shall include the setup of a pilot-line aswell as application demonstrators. In its “Europe 2020“ initiative, the European

Commission has set ambitious targets to reducegreenhouse gas emissions, to improve energyefficiency and to establish electromobility inEurope. Power semiconductors that are designedand manufactured at competitive costs and insufficient quantities in Europe are key enablers,and EPPL was set up to make a major contributionto achieve these targets. The project will run until mid 2016, with

Infineon as the project lead. Regarding the 2ndquarter results commented CEO Reinhard Ploss:“Revenues and margin have recovered nicely overthe past quarter. The trough is behind us. Ourorder books are filling up, albeit still with arelatively high proportion of short term business.We therefore expect a further rise in revenue andmargin in the current quarter”.

Research Project on Enhanced 300-Millimeter Power Pilot Line

Support at every stage of the Power Supply Design

System Spec

Systemspecs & parameter definition

Architecture

Architecture Definition

Topology

Topology and Control Definition

Devices

Best Fitdevice selection

Analysis

PCB layout and EMI analysis

Finalisation

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The lack of qualified power design engineers hasled distributor Silica (an Avnet company) to assisttheir customers in the development of powersupplies and even inverters through the recentlyannounced initiative Power’n More.Silica will develop the facilities to support

designers from system specification, architecturedefinition and topology, through to assistance ondevice selection, PCB layout or EMC analysis. Indoing so, the company is to put resources atdesign engineers’ disposal providing its 14dedicated power field application engineers withsimulation technology, backed by five fullyequipped power labs across Europe, which will be

launched in 2013. “We have the major componentsuppliers in our portfolio. i. e. for Silicon CarbideRohm and for Gallium Nitride InternationalRectifier, in total fourteen suppliers of powersemiconductors and related devices”, said Silica’sregional VP Karlheinz Weigl. Dedicated application engineers will combine

power expertise with their knowledge of specificapplication areas, for example in industrialelectronics, home automation, identification, lightingand other growth sectors. “In the past, the powersupply was the least important stage in a designproject, but this situation has been changedsignificantly. Now power management and power

supply have to be optimized in an early designstage in order to realize the goals of energysavings”, Weigl stated. This includes also simulationfrom device to system level via PowerSim. Thecompany will extend this activity towards IGBTpower modules and even drive inverters. In-house resources are to be complemented by

a network of independent power systemsconsultants, each able to provide customers withturnkey solutions for power projects. The strategybuilds on Silica’s expertise in programmable logic,MCU/MPU, analogue and lighting design support.

www.silica.com

Silica Will Boost Power System Designs at Device and System Levels

Silica’s designsupportactivity in itsPower’n Morestrategy

Market News_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:19

MARKET NEWS 7


End of April announced ABB that thecompany will acquire Power-One for $1,028million. The transaction would position ABBas a leading global supplier of solar inverters– the “intelligence” behind a solar PV system.

This market is forecasted by theInternational Energy Agency to grow by morethan 10 percent per year until 2021. Thisrapid growth is being driven by rising energydemand, especially in emerging markets,rising electricity prices and declining costs.“Solar PV is becoming a major forcereshaping the future energy mix because it israpidly closing in on grid parity,” said ABB’sCEO, Joe Hogan. “Power-One is a well-managed company and is highly regarded asa technology innovator focusing on the mostattractive and intelligent solar PV product. Thecombination of Power-One and ABB is fullyin line with our 2015 strategy and wouldcreate a global player with the scale tocompete successfully.” Power-One employsalmost 3,300 people, mainly in China, Italy,the US and Slovakia. Power-One has one ofthe market’s most comprehensive offeringsof solar inverters, ranging from residential toutility applications, and a broad globalmanufacturing footprint. It also has a power

solutions portfolio that is adjacent to ABB’spower conversion business.

On May 7 the company entered into anagreement with Microchip Technology Inc. forDigital Power Technology patents. DigitalPower Technology drives increased systemefficiency, improved design flexibility, fastertime to market, decreased board spacerequirements and lower system costs. It alsoenables telemetry capability, providing accessto critical information including current,temperature and voltage. Telemetry allowsthe system to accurately monitor its powerconsumption and thermal performance,enabling designers to easily engineer keyfeatures such as system power optimization,fault detection and predictive maintenancefeatures into their end products.

Applications utilizing FPGAs, ASICS, DSPscontinue to drive board densities higher,requiring complex power architectures tohandle the increasing number of voltage railsand output voltages dropping below 1 V.Digital Power Technology is an extremelyeffective solution for these complex powerrequirements.

www.abb.com, www.power-one.com

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ABB AcquiresPower-One

New CEO at TransphormFumihide Esaka will join Transphorm as its new CEO starting July 1, 2013. Esaka shall play apivotal role in the company’s expansion plans in GaN-based power conversion devices forpower supplies and adapters, motor drives, solar panels, and electric vehicles. Esaka is currentlyCEO of Nihon Inter Electronics Corporation (NIEC), a Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed powersolutions manufacturer with more than $300 million in revenues.

“When launching in 2007, we started with a breakthrough technology and ambitions toredefine energy efficiency,” said Transphorm’s Co-founder and CEO Umesh Mishra. “Sincethen, we’ve eliminated every dauntingtechnical obstacle and just released at PCIMthe first 1200 V GaN on Silicon product. Iam proud to hand over the reins continueto work with him and Primit Parikh (Co-Founder and President) in my capacity asCTO to help make GaN the industrystandard in electric power conversion.”From material technology and devicefabrication to circuit design and moduleassembly, Transphorm designs and deliversits EZ-GaN power conversion devices andmodules (more in our PCIM review).

www.transphormusa.com

At PCIM Europe Transphorm’s CEO UmeshMishra announced 1200 V GaN technology

and a new CEO


8 MARKET NEWS


The emerging market for Silicon Carbide (SiC) andGallium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductors isforecast to grow a remarkable factor of 18 duringthe next 10 years, energized by demand frompower supplies, photovoltaic inverters andindustrial motor drives. Market revenue is expectedto rise by the double digits annually for the nextdecade. Worldwide revenue from sales of SiC and GaN

power semiconductors is projected to rise to $2.8billion in 2022, up from just $143 million in 2012,according to a new report entitled “The WorldMarket for SiC & GaN Power Semiconductors -2013 Edition” from IMS Research (IHS). The resultof over 50 semiconductor supply chain andpotential end-user interviews, this SiC & GaNPower Semiconductor Report provides detailedanalysis of this fast-moving market. The annualresearch report explains growth drivers and likelyadoption rates in major application sectors. Itprovides 10-year price projections for variouspower devices, giving mid-case, optimistic andconservative scenarios. These price trends driverevenue forecasts for each device in keyapplications. It also analyses the supplier andcompetitive environment, and includes more than50 company profiles.

SiC MOSFETs to become the best-sellersSiC Schottky diodes have been around for morethan 10 years, with SiC MOSFETs, JFETs and BJTsappearing in recent years. In contrast, GaN powersemiconductors are only just appearing in themarket. GaN is a wide bandgap material that offerssimilar performance benefits to SiC but has greatercost-reduction potential. This price/performanceadvantage is possible because GaN power devicescan be grown on Silicon substrates that are largerand lower in cost compared to SiC. “The key factordetermining market growth will be how quickly

A GaN and SiC Power Decade Ahead

GaN-on-Silicon devices can achieve price parityand equivalent performance as Silicon MOSFETs,IGBTs or rectifiers,” said Richard Eden, seniormarket analyst for power semiconductor discretesand modules. “IMS expects this will be achieved in2019, driving the GaN power market to pass the$1 billion mark in 2022.”SiC Schottky diode revenue exceeded $100

million in 2012, making it the best-selling SiCdevice currently. But even though SiC Schottkydiode revenue is forecast to grow until 2015, it willdecline when lower-priced 600-V GaN diodesbecome available. Still revenue will recover toapproach $200 million by 2022, with salesconcentrated at voltage ratings of 1200V andabove.By then, SiC MOSFETs are forecast to generate

revenue approaching $400 million, overtakingSchottky diodes to become the best-selling SiCdiscrete power device type. Meanwhile, SiC JFETsand SiC BJTs are each forecast to generate lessthan half of SiC MOSFET revenues at that time,despite their likelihood of achieving good reliability,price and performance. End users now stronglyprefer SiC MOSFETs, so vendors of SiC JFETs andBJTs have a major task ahead in educating theirpotential customers on the benefits of thesetechnologies. And industry confidence in GaNtechnology has increased, with moresemiconductor companies announcingdevelopment projects or their market entry.

PV storage market set to explode The worldwide market for PV storage is forecast togrow rapidly to reach $19 billion in 2017, from lessthan $200 million in 2012, according to a newIMS report entitled “The Role of Energy Storage inthe PV Industry”. “Because domestic electricity rates now

significantly exceed residential feed-in tariff rates,there is strong interest in increasing self-consumption in residential PV systems to

maximize the financial return of the system,” saidSam Wilkinson, PV analyst at IMS/IHS. “As a result,8 megawatts of PV systems were already installedwith storage in Germany in 2012, prior to thesubsidy being released. The introduction of thewidely anticipated subsidy will quickly accelerateuptake by making the lifetime cost of PV systemswith storage cheaper compared to those withoutit.” The proposed subsidy will reduce the average20-year cost of a PV system with storage to 10percent less than a system without it. Previously,the high cost of batteries had more than offset thesavings created by increased self-consumption,and PV systems without storage offered a moreattractive return.As the first country to introduce a subsidy for PV

storage, Germany will inspire other countries tofollow suit, if the scheme proves successful, IHSexpects. “We do expect that other countries willfollow Germany’s example and adopt similarsubsidy schemes to promote the use of PV energystorage - particularly where there is a case forpromoting self-consumption and grid stability,”Wilkinson said. “Even without subsidies though,storage can be an attractive proposition inconjunction with residential PV systems in somemarkets, such as the UK, where the market isforecast to begin growing quickly in 2014, whenthe price of batteries is predicted to have fallensufficiently to make PV storage financially viable.”Storage is also predicted to be used in largersystems, in order to improve the integration of PVinto the grid, increase the financial return of PVsystems and meet the increasingly demandingconnection requirements that some countries areimposing on intermittent electricity sources like PV.Utility-scale PV systems with storage are forecast togrow to more than 2GW annually by 2017according to the report, with Asia and the Americasdominating this market.

www.ihs.com


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10 POWER ELECTRONICS RESEARCH www.ecpe.org


Joachim Würfl from Ferdinand-Braun-Institute (www.fbh-berlin.de) gave anintroduction to GaN devices for power applications. “Wide bandgap powersemiconductors based on Gallium Nitride have the potential to operate at highswitching frequencies while at the same time maintaining a low on-stateresistance. These properties are especially advantageous in applicationsdemanding a very high efficiency e.g. in photovoltaics, or in mobileapplications where high switching frequencies can be used to reduce volumeand weight of converters. In some of these applications, GaN is competingwith Silicon Carbide power devices. Compared to SiC, GaN devices have acost-saving potential but their development requires further research effortsespecially for high voltage ratings. In general, the devices are characterized byhigh power density per unit volume or area. Therefore internal losses aredramatically cut down as compared to competitive other device families. Lowon-state resistance values at a given high voltage capability of the devices areobtained. Furthermore, input and output capacitance values at a given on-stateresistance capability are much lower as compared to other devices”.GaN HEMTs (High Electron Mobility Transistors) are lateral power transistors

of normally-on or normally-off type. Responding to power electronicsdemands, normally-off transistors are developed at the Ferdinand-Braun-

SiC Now and GaN Later

true vertical GaN devices will be used for very high voltage switchingapplications”, Würfl commented.

GIT for normally-off operation“Panasonic has already five years ago the Gate Injection Technique fornormally-off GaN transistors”, said Hideki Nakata from Panasonic’s R&D CenterGermany. “GIT feature a p-doped AlGaN layer underneath the gate leading toconductivity modulation”. Panasonic’s (http://panasonic.net) 600 V/15 Anormally-off Gate Injection Transistors are processed on 6-inch Si substratesvia proprietary technologies for the epitaxial growth of GaN by metal organicchemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The p-type gate of the GIT greatly helpsto reduce the on-state resistance taking advantages of the conductivitymodulation by the hole injection from it. The GIT exhibits low Ron x Qg of 715mΩnC which is one thirteenth lower than that by the state-of-the-art Si MOStransistors. Panasonic also demonstrated 1 MHz operation of resonant LLCDC/DC converters at high efficiency of 96.4 %. The University of Padova/Italy (www.unipd.it) cooperates with Panasonic

on the GIT for many years. Researcher Enrico Zanoni thus explained the basicstructure and conduction modulation in more detail. “The use of p-dopedAlGaN gate determines a significant decrease in the electron concentration ofthe 2DEG under the gate leading to normally-off operation. Furthermore, atsuffiently high gate voltages, holes can be injected into the channel resultingin a significant channel conductivity modulation. For gate voltages above 5 V

On May 2-3 the European Center for Power Electronics held its fifth User Forum in Munich, this yeardedicated to the potential of Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride. The article points out the major factsof interest for the potential user.

Basic functionalityof GaN HEMTsSource: FBH

Institut (FBH) for different voltage classes up to 1000 V. According to WürflGaN transistors need no doping, the current relies on the so-called 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). At the interface of the undoped AlGaN andthe undoped GaN layer a sea of high-mobility electrons is formed providingthe unipolar current flow. The 2DEG electron concentration depends onspontaneous polarization, piezoelectric polarization, and doping of the AlGaNbarrier. The electron density in the 2DEG channel is controlled by chargesinduced in the gate electrode. “The power density of GaN can be higher by a factor of 10 against Silicon if

the heat of the small chips can be removed effectively. The lateral GaNtechnology has limitations at 1000 V and above, thus the structure has to govertical with gate trenches on bulk GaN substrate. For large productionfoundries can process GaN on Si wafers on CMOS lines with 200 mm orlarger wafers, for high-performance niches GaN on SiC is still of interest, and

GaN performance compared to other power semiconductor materials Source: FBH

Operation of GIT in transistor mode Source: Panasonic

ECPE_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:29

www.power-mag.com

hole injection induces a transconduction increase. At high temperatures achange in the conduction mechanism is responsible for breakdown fromgate-drain leakage to drain-source conduction. Trap effects in GaN HEMTsmay be relevant due to the wide energy gap and the surface role ingenerating channel charge, which can be controlled by improved materialquality, passivation, and field plate engineering. Experience gained onmicrowave technologies enables reliability improvements through correctdevice design”.

ST introduces SiC FETsSimone Buonomo, Market & Application Development Manager at STMicroelectronics (www.st.com) introduced the company’s strategy on widebadgap switches, SiC diodes (600/1200 V) are already on the market. “Wewill introduce in July our first Silicon Carbide MOSFET SCT30N120 rated 1200V and 45 A featuring 80 milliohm on-resistance in the HiP247 packageallowing for junction temperature of 200°C”, he said. The gate charge isaround 100 nC. “One of the advantages of our SiC MOSFET is the use of theinternal body diode for freewheeling application. Though it has a higherforward voltage than an external SiC diode it has no reverse recovery chargeand thus is capable of high switching frequencies, eliminating the externalfreewheeling diode”, Buonomo stated. But he suggested to use this bodydiode in inverters for short time intervals, i. e. for dead time control insynchronuous rectification applications. As driver the standard ST TD350 can be used, perhaps an external isolation

between control and power stage is required. This drawback shall beovercome with the so-called GAPDRIVE providing galvanic isolation as well asnegative gate driving and active Miller clamp, 2-level turn-off, and SPI interfacefor parameter setting and diagnostics. Comparing SiC MOSFETs with IGBTs in a boost converter application the

1200 V SiC MOSFET is able to guarantee similar efficiency levels than 1200 VIGBTs, but at 4 times higher switching frequency, in other words a SiC FET hassimilar efficiency at 100 kHz than an IGBT at 25 kHz. As consequence: “TheIGBT is out of the game”, Buonomo concluded. The company is also workingon GaN.

Evaluation of devicesThe German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE(www.ise.fraunhofer.de) demostrated some results of its evaluation of widebandgap semiconductors in the presentation “Application of Gallium NitrideTransistors in Hard Switched and Resonant Power Electronics”. “Using GaN or SiC devices is a proper way to increase efficiency and power

density, and reduce weight and also cost of passive components”, ISEresearcher Dirk Kranzer stated. As an example he showed three inductors forhard switched 5-kW PV inverters switching at 16 kHz having a weight of 8 kgand volume of 2-0 l, a 48 kHz version (2.3 kg/0.61 l) and a 144 kHz vrsion(0.8 kg/0.29 l). “Reduction of passive components size thus are inductors isthe main motivation for the use of these devices. “One should look at thesystem and not on the component cost”, he said.In comparing SiC and GaN so far most commercial SiC devices are focused

on breakdown voltages of 1200 V and above, whereas most available GaNprototypes are focused on 600 V and below. With SiC a p-doping and thus abipolar or a parasitic bipolar (BJT, JFET, MOSFET) behavior is possible, whereasGaN devices are just unipolar (HEMT. GIT), which leads to a differentavalanche behavior of both technologies. Additionally, GaN devices are mostlylateral whereas SiC have a vertical structure, leading to different heatmanagement and mounting. Thus SiC and GaN are not pure rivals sincetechnologies and applications are not identical.To the question of normally-on or normally-off Kranzer said: “A cascode

configuration leads to a normally-off behavior of a normally-on device, achallenging problem here is the sensitivity of oscillations which can beavoided by an external RC snubber circuitry. The availability of normally-offeGAN devices (EPC) ranging from 20-200 V at low price ($ 3-5) is veryinteresting, but the flip-chip packaging results in improper handling andsoldering.As a general result of his reearch on various hard-switched converter

topologies GaN and SiC devices behave more or less similarly, but GaN

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devices are better suited for high-frequency resonant applications. Additionally,the monolithic integration of a lateral half-bridge will be a step towards betterGaN performance and cost reduction at system level. “The cost of powersemiconductors do not only depend on material wafer cost, but also onprocess steps, yield and volume. Thus GaN on Silicon devices have to settleon the 600 V market, before SiC gets too cheap”, Kranzer concluded. Michael Schlechtweg from Fraunhofer IAF (www.iaf.fraunhofer.de)

sketched the progress of the German Power GaN Plus program featuring theindustrial partners Bosch, Ixys, Kaco and UMS. The running project comprises

two demonstrator units for automotive (Bosch) and photovoltaic (Kaco)applications, IXYS is in charge for the module development of thesedemonstrators. The epitaxy relies on 3- and 4-inch GaN on SiC and 4-inch GaN on Si with

AlGaN/GaN barrier and in total of four passivation and two metallization layers.So far vertical 600 V/2 A Schottky diodes and 600 V/90 A GaN on SiCswitches (65 mΩ on-resistance) featuring only 40 mJ switching energy havebeen realized. The Bosch buck DC/DC demonstrator unit converts 100 V to 41 V at

switching frequency up to 100 kHz with 94 % efficiency at 4 A and 98 % at 1A output current. The second Kaco demonstrator is a boost converter with3-phase output bridge up to 5 kW output power achieving efficiency levelsabove 98 %. Also PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology (www.sma.de) is

evaluating SiC MOSFETs and GaN for central inverters, since the company hassome experience with SiC JFETs in 20 kW inverters so far. “Because of thelower blocking voltages of GaN we are looking for Micro- or 3-phase StringInverters around three years ahead from now”, development manager RegineMallwitz stated. For the automotive industry Continental’s (www.conti-online.com) Hans-

Peter Feustel expects a price target of 3 € / kW in the year 2020, that is thepressure from the automotive OEMs on the Tier 1 suppliers. “Thus for us it isvery important that the wide bandgap semiconductors will drop in pricingsignificantly, and from the system’s view size, weight and cooling effort of theinverters needs to be reduced. Also packaging of the power devices have tobe improved in order to make advantage of the high switching frequenciesand also high temperature capabilities coming with these devices, and that allat this given price point”. AS

Literature: “European Power Electronics on the Forefront”, Power Electronics Europe April/May 2013, pages 10-13

Inductors for hard-switched 5-kW PV inverters at different switching frequencies. Veryobvious are the reductions in weight and volume at higher switching frequencies

Source: ISE

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www.pcim-europe.com PCIM 2013 13


Best PCIM Europe EverPCIM Europe 2013 ended on May 16 with a 15percent increase in visitors up to 7,883 (2012:6,874), 395 exhibitors (2012: 365) and 87represented companies (2012: 88). For three daysthe latest developments and trends in powerelectronics, intelligent drive technology, renewableenergy and energy management have been hereon display. The conference was visited by a total of726 (2012: 744) delegates. PCIM Europe 2014will take place from 20 – 22 May 2014 at theExhibition Center Nuremberg.The Best Paper and three Young Engineer

Awards were presented during the openingceremony of the PCIM Europe Conference 2013.The Best Paper winner was Eckart Hoene ofFraunhofer IZM (www.izm.fraunhofer.de) for hispaper “Ultra-Low-Inductance Power Module forFast Switching Semiconductors”. He received prizemoney and an invitation to the PCIM Asia 2014Conference in Shanghai, sponsored by PowerElectronics Europe and Semikron. The three PCIM Young Engineer (under 35

years old) Awards have been handed over toRadoslava Mitova of Schneider Electric/France forthe paper “Half Bridge Inverter with 600 V GaNPower Switches”; Samuel Araujo, University ofKassel/Germany for the work “High SwitchingSpeeds and Loss Reduction: Prospects with Si, SiC

and GaN and Limitations at Device, Packing andApplication Level”, and Daniel Wigger, University ofRostock/Germany for “Impact of InhomogeneousCurrent Distribution on the Turn-off Behavior ofBIGTs”. The three Young Engineer Award winnersreceived prize money of € 1,000 each sponsoredby ECPE, Infineon Technologies and MitsubishiElectric. The award winning papers were selected from

more than 280 papers by the conferencedirectors. The determining criteria were originality,topicality and quality. The awards were presentedby the Scientific Advisory Board Chairman, Prof.Leo Lorenz of ECPE, Germany.

Packaging for SiC and GaNThe developments in switching semiconductorshave come to a point, were the packaging of thesemiconductors becomes a severe influence onswitching performance. Especially wide bandgapmaterials like SiC or GaN switch so fast, thatparasitic influences of wire bonds or pins influencethe components performance. Furthermore expertknowledge to design a switching cell properly inneeded and inhibits the broad use of the superiorsemiconductor properties. In the BPA paper “Ultra Low Inductance power

module for Fast switching Semiconductors” new

strategies and technologies presented to face thischallenge. First of all a packaging technology wasdeveloped that combines a Direct Copper Bond(DCB) Substrate with Printed Circuit Board (PCB)technologies. Thereby the superior thermalproperties of the ceramic is combined with thedesign freedom of the PCB. These possibilitieswere then used to create packages withextraordinary electromagnetic properties with theadditional feature to be able to directly soldercomponents like capacitors or drivers onto themodule. The manufactured module comprises ahalf bridge with SiC JFETs and a blocking voltage of1200 V. The DC link inductance was measured tobe below 1 nH, which sets the new standard inpackaging. The concept of the module is tointegrate the critical switching cell into the moduleincluding a DC link capacitor. This module conceptshows the way to make high-speed switchingavailable to users with less experience in design forhigh power and speed.

GaN for invertersThe YEA “Half Bridge Inverter with 600V GaNPower Switches” presented by Radoslava Mitovafrom Schneider Electric also covered the emergingGallium nitride (GaN) power devices whichpromise to outperform the legacy Silicon devices

From May 14-16 it was again time for more than 700PCIM conference delegates and around 8000exhibition visitors

PCIM 1_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:56

14 PCIM 2013 www.pcim-europe.com


and challenge the Silicon Carbide devices in 600voltage range; thanks to their faster switchingspeed and low switching and conduction losses. Inlast few years several device manufacturers havecommunicated their development on GaN basedpower devices in the range of 200-600V. Thisarticle presents the evaluation of a new 600V GaNHigh Electron Mobility Transistor [HEMT] in a half-bridge inverter prototype. The static and dynamiccharacterizations of these devices are presented.Several experiments have been conducted to testthe GaN HEMT performances. The results showsthat the GaN based devices improves theefficiency of the inverter prototype compared tothe Silicon and SiC based devices. The advantageof using higher switching frequency on the size ofthe inverter output filter inductor was alsocommented.

Fast switching and loss reductionThe second YEA “Prospects with Si, SiC and GaNand Limitations at Device, Packing and Application

Level” presented by Samuel Araujo from Universityof Kassel covered the prospect of increasing theswitching frequency without sacrificing efficiency.This will be mainly achieved through new devicetechnologies, not only relying on WBG materialsbut also on Silicon, capable of operating at muchfaster switching speeds and thus with lower losses. In the path towards such development it is thus

interesting to identify the true limitations for eachdevice technology based on inherent propertiesand also on properties of the freewheeling path.Several enhancements in the field of packing arealso still necessary in order to fully exploit thereferred power devices’ capabilities. In addition tothis, other issues at application level concerningEMI, driving and also the influence of transientspeed at inductor losses still need to beaddressed. This paper presented an overview ofthese issues based on experimental results andliterature research in order to assert futuredevelopment trends. In addition a benchmarkingof different SiC switch technologies based on a

new figure of merit has been performed.These awarded papers demonstrated very

obviously the impact of wide bandgap devices andin particular GaN for future power electronicdesigns, which was also the aim of PEE’s SpecialSession “Power GaN for Highly EfficientConverters”.

Turn-off behavior of BIGTsThe impact of Inhomogeneous Current Distributionin the BIGT has been presented by the third YEADaniel Wigger, University of Rostock. ABB’s(www.abb.com/semiconductors) BIGTs are anew type of power semiconductors. In opposite toa conventional IGBT/diode module, this deviceincludes the functionality of the diode and theIGBT. An advantage of the device is the softness ofthe turn-off behavior in the IGBT-mode comparedto a conventional IGBT. The reason for this is theinhomogeneous current distribution in the BIGT.The BIGT has a different chip design, compared

to an IGBT. The BIGT chip contains the pilot-IGBTwith a conventional design and the RC-IGBT withthe shorts on the collector. The pilot-IGBT isneeded to prevent the snapback effect. Due to thelack of the shorts the p-emitter efficiency is higherin the pilot area. As a reason of that, the plasmaconcentration during the on-state is higher in thepilot-IGBT, as in the RC-IGBT. The inhomogeneouscharge carrier distribution will have an influence onthe turn-off behavior in the IGBT mode. Thisbehavior has been investigated at different currentlevels and compared to a state-of-the-art IGBT. Atlow current the BIGT has a significant higherdvCE/dt and a lower over-voltage. The large holedensity in the pilot area causes a high dE/dx and ashort space charge region at the same blockingvoltage. So there remains a lot of charge in theBIGT, which leads to a large tail current. At highcurrent the high dE/dx in the pilot-IGBT will causethe dynamic avalanche. Due to the dynamicavalanche the dvCE/dt and the di/dt will belimited. Compared to the IGBT the inceptionvoltage of this effect in the BIGT is significantlysmaller, that’s why the device is softer than theconventional IGBT.

More awards from SemikronAlso the SEMIKRON Foundation(www.semikron-stiftung.de) and the ECPE(www.ecpe.org) jointly honored the team ofMichael Eberlin, Florian Reiners, Olivier Stalter,Sebastian Franz (all of Fraunhofer ISE, Freiburg)and Frank Seybold (KACO new energy) with theInnovation Award 2013 for their “Innovative Power

LEFT: The Best Paper Award was handed over by PCIMConference Director Prof. Dr. Leo Lorenz (right) to EckartHoene of Fraunhofer IZM and PEE Editor Achim Scharfand Uwe Scheuermann from Semikron

LEFT: Winners of the Young Engineer Award andsponsors (in the back) Radoslava Mitova (Jörg Malzon-Jessen/Infineon, left), Daniel Wigger(Gourab Majumdar/Mitsubishi), and Samuel Araujo(Thomas Harder/ECPE)

PCIM 1_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:56

www.pcim-europe.com PCIM 2013 15


Electronics for the next generation village energysupply“ concept. “The researchers have developedpower electronics components for a complete off-grid solar energy supply system“, said BettinaHeidenreich-Martin, member of the SemikronFoundation Board, during the award ceremony.“The innovation is considered a holistic approachto off-grid PV supply for larger consumers, such asvillages and businesses, particularly in emergingcountries.”The SEMIKRON Young Engineer Award has

been handed over to Jordi Everts, PhD studentand research assistant at the Catholic University ofLeuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, Department ofElectrical Engineering (ESAT), for his concept of a“Bidirectional Isolated ZVS DAB DC-DC Converterwith Ultra Wide Input and/or Output VoltageRange, being Applied in a Single-Stage PFC AC-DCElectric Vehicle Battery Charger”. With theseawards, the SEMIKRON Foundation and theEuropean ECPE Research Network honoroutstanding innovations in projects, products,prototypes, services and innovative concepts in thefield of power electronics. In total, there were 19applications and submissions for the twoSEMIKRON awards, 5 of which have beennominated for the Young Engineer Award as well.Prof. Dr. Leo Lorenz, President of ECPE, presentedthe awards on behalf of the SEMIKRONfoundation.

“One of the key objectives for the ECPEEuropean Centre for Power Electronics is to foster

and support research and education in the field ofpower electronics“, said Lorenz. “The ECPEnetwork, with its 70 members, currently includes70 European universities and research institutes asso-called Competence Centres. I welcome thesupport for young researchers in the field of powerelectronics, and want to express my thanks toSEMIKRON Foundation for issuing the awards”.

HVDC keynote Jörg Dorn from Siemens/Germany gave the firstinteresting keynote on the challenges of powerdistribution particularly in Germany due to the so-called “Energiewende” or stepping out of nuclearpower. The growing share of power generation from

renewable energy sources leads to continuative

challenges in the field of electric powertransmission. The load centers are often far awayfrom the location of generation and very longtransmission distances have to be considered.Requirements, such as low environmental impacts,low transmission losses and high availability haveto be fulfilled. In many cases, HVDC (High VoltageDirect Current) transmission it is the only technicaland economical solution to cope with thesechallenges.Line-commuted converter technology was the

unique solution for many decades and is todayfocusing on bulk power transmission up to 8 GW.Since the introduction of IGBT based modularmultilevel converters (MMC) into HVDCtransmission, this VSC technology is becomingsignificantly important. It combines low losses,excellent controllability and failure handling withthe capability to build large multi-terminal systemsor even HVDC grids in the future. HVDC will play a dominant role in tomorrow’s

power transmission systems. In UK, it is planned toconnect more than 30,000 MW offshore by HVDCuntil 2030, in Germany about 20,000 MW until2020. In Germany, that power has to betransmitted to the load centers.Since complete new AC transmission overhead

lines are critical due to the visual impact, parts ofthe transmission lines will be realized as cable. Asa result, HVDC will have to be used. According tothe current status of the network developmentplan in Germany, three HVDC corridors from theNorth to the South are planned by the FederalNetwork Agency, with a total capacity of 8,000MW. The integration of hydropower – includinghydro storage - in Scandinavia and Eastern Europeand solar power from North Africa will also lead tonew HVDC systems, which might result in a hugeHVDC overlay grid in the future. As a vision, evencontinents can be interconnected with thepossibility to balance power generation and loadpeaks over the day and night phases.The second keynote by Alsthom covered the

LEFT: The SEMIKRON Young Engineer Award has beenhanded over to Jordi Everts by ECPE President Leo Lorenz

RIGHT: Jörg Dorn from Siemens/Germany gave aninteresting keynote on the challenges of power

distribution particularly in Germany due to the so-called“Energiewende”

PCIM 1_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:56

16 PCIM 2013 www.pcim-europe.com


move from IGBTs towards SiC MOSFETs intransportation, the third keynote focused onvoltage regulator modules for poweringmicroprocessors.

Special session on gallium nitride PEE’s Special Session “Power GaN for HighlyEfficient Converters” on May 16 afternoonattracted some hundred conference delegates. TheThe third PCIM keynote by Qiang Li, VirginiaPolytechnic Institute on this morning, was a perfectintroduction to this subject, because it impressivelyshowed how Power GaN technology can optimizethe multi-phase voltage regulator (VR) technologythat powers almost every Intel processor today.The VR technology is a specialized distributedpower system that provides precisely regulatedoutput with fast dynamic response so that energy

can be transferred as fast as possible to themicroprocessor. Four papers have been presentedin this session.

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC)has been in production with enhancement modeGaN-on-Silicon power transistors (eGaN FETs) forover three years. Much progress has been madeimproving device performance and reliability. Therehave also been several new power managementapplications that have emerged. Two of theseapplications, RF Envelope Tracking and highfrequency Wireless Power Transmission arebeyond the fundamental capability for the agingpower MOSFET due to the requirements of highvoltage, high power, and high frequency. As aresult, these are early growth markets for GaN onSilicon devices, as CEO Alex Lidow demonstrated.

Devices based on GaN have emerged and now

matured enough to demonstrate higher efficiencyin inverter circuits for both solar and motor drivesystems. The presentation given by Transphorm’sVP Product Development investigated how GaN ismaking such rapid performance progress and usestest results to illustrate what is now possible usingGaN compared to recent SiC transistorperformance.

GaN Systems is investing heavily to acceleratethe adoption of the new technology by designingCMOS integrated driver solutions onto which theGaN die is mounted directly in a stacked chipassembly combining the switch, its driver, sensorsand customized interface circuitry. In solar andwind inverter applications the high voltageoperation, embedded galvanic isolation and highspeed operation of these devices offer theprospect of higher switching speeds with improvedconversion efficiency, lower component count,smaller size and reduced conversion loss, as CEOGirvan Patterson explained.

Experimental results for the use of GaN basedpower devices in highly efficient high frequencypower circuits such as AC/DC power supplies,DC/DC boost and DC/AC motor drive inverterswere presented by Michael Briere, also the currentstatus of the development and currentperformance of the required 600 V rated GaN onSi based devices at International Rectifier, includingthe development of crack free AlxGayN alloy basedepitaxy on standard thickness 150 and 200 mm Sisubstrates. Results of long term reliability studies ofmore than 5000 hrs were presented, as well asresults for device robustness under standardapplication conditions. We will publish thesepapers in this and upcoming issues. AS

Literature“More Power for a Greener World”, PowerElectronics Europe, April/May 2013, pages 25-27

PEE Special GaN Session speakers Alex Lidow, Girvan Patterson, Michael Briere, and Yifeng Wu at the final podium discussion

LEFT: Full house during the PCIM conference sessions

PCIM 1_Layout 1 04/06/2013 09:05

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18 PCIM 2013 www.pcim-europe.com/exhibition


More Power at PCIM Europe ExhibitionDue to the event’s continuing expansion the exhibition has been moved to halls 7and 9 which have led to a significantly increase in space. On an area of 18,500square meters (up 12 %), 395 exhibitors and 87 represented companies (up 8%) from 27 countries presented their companies and products to more than7800 international trade visitors. 55 % of the exhibitors come from abroad,mostly from the US, followed by Britain, Italy, France and China. ABB’s (www.abb.com/semiconductors) new 1200V and 1700V SPT++

chip-sets featuring higher current densities which enable module producers toboost their performance especially in medium to fast switching applications.The HiPak product range will be improved by means of reliability andperformance whilst keeping identical switching behavior. The improved packagefeatures an epoxy-less encapsulation complying with the latest Fire&Smokestandards, an improved emitter bonding boosting the power cyclingperformance and an aluminum bonded substrate gate-print connection as asubstitution of soldered connections. New 4500 V StakPak press-pack IGBTmodules feature exceptional high current ratings and are suited for heavy dutyapplications where series connection may be required. Also the rectifier diodefamily has been enlarged with the 5SDD 50L5500 which has a performancethat earlier only has been seen on diodes in a next larger housing.AVX’s (www.avx.com) new TCH series hermetically sealed SMD tantalum

chip capacitors with polymer electrode have been specifically developed in aproject with ESA for mission critical systems with the need for largecapacitance and low ESR. Tantalum polymer capacitor technology offers thebenefits of much lower ESR values, lower derating and higher ripple currentcapabilities. However, its sensitivity to the combination of high temperatureand humidity conditions has so far restricted its use in the aerospace industry.By now placing the polymer capacitor into a hermetically sealed SMD casefilled by an inert gas, a much improved stability has been achieved. Thehermetical sealing suppresses humidity and oxidative degradations. Theimproved construction of the new capacitors allows the devices to be used for

European aerospace applications and offers a significant payload reduction forpower supplies. Capacitance values of up to 680µF and high voltage of up to100V are available.Avago (www.avagotech.com) demonstrated a new line of 2.5A hermetic

gate drive optocouplers featuring the ACPL-5160 and ACPL-5161. The ACPL-5160 is a rugged commercial-grade version. The ACPL-5161 is a MIL-STDcompliant version manufactured and tested to Class H quality conformancelevel under MIL-PRF-38534 specifications. Optimized for high power motorcontrol and power conversion applications, these devices are robust andwithstand harsh environments across the military temperature range of -55 to+125°C. Complimenting the HCPL-515x and HCPL-512x gate drivers, theACPL-5160 and ACPL-5161 have higher output current drive capabilitysupporting high-power MOSFET and IGBT with power ratings up to 150 A and1200 V. In addition, these new hermetic devices incorporate new functionsincluding VCE desaturation (DESAT) detection, under voltage lockout (UVLO),“soft” IGBT turn-off, and isolated open collector fault feedback. CT-Concept (www.IGBT-Driver.com) launched the 1SC0450V, a single-

channel gate-driver for 6.5 kV IGBT modules. The driver is able to support theoperation of up to four IGBT modules in parallel, and the use of SCALE-2ASICs results in a significantly lower component count compared to a discretesolution and a service life guarantee of over 15 years. Featuring an on-boardpower supply, the drivers have a gate current of ±50 A and operate from a+15 V/-10 V supply. Power capability is 4 W at 85°C. Devices can beconfigured for parallel operation of IGBT modules using one central driver.Isolation is in accordance with IEC 61800-5-1 and IEC 60664-1, and the UL-compliant devices also feature Advanced Active Clamping, short-circuitprotection and under-voltage lockout. Applications include traction, HVDC,STATCOM, wind-power converters and other medium-voltageconverters/drives.Fairchild (www.fairchildsemi.com) introduced the FOD8160, a high noise

The PCIM Europe2013 exhibitionnow in halls 7 and9 at NurembergExhibition Centerwere widelyaccepted by the7800 visitors.Among SiC andGaN devices andapplicationsautomotive playeda major role

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www.pcim-europe.com/exhibition PCIM 2013 19


immunity logic gate optocoupler with Optoplanar® technology in a wide body5-pin small outline package (SOP). The FOD8160 allows designers theflexibility of incorporating the isolation on the high voltage side of the circuit, orreplacing two smaller creepage/clearance distance digital isolators oroptocouplers. In addition, the device has a max. repetitive peak isolationvoltage of 1414 V and a creepage/clearance distance of 10 mm, which ismuch greater than the standard high speed optocouplers. This is a must fordesigns that require a repetitive peak isolation voltage value of equal to orgreater than 1000V. Also on stage were 1200 V SiC BJTs demonstrated onvarious application scenarios. Additionally the FTCO3V455A1 3-phase (40V/up to 130 A) Variable Speed Drive Automotive Power Module has beenshown. This device, intended for 3-phase motor control applications under 2kW such as electric power steering (column-mount and rack-mount), electro-hydraulic power steering, electric water pumps, electric oil pumps and enginecooling fans. Hoffmann Elektrokohle’s (www.hoffmann.at) Aluminium Graphite

Composites are materials for thermal management. They are suited forapplications requiring a high degree of reliability as they combine optimalthermal expansion behavior with a high thermal conductivity. Customer-specific products can be manufactured via a range of machining processes togive, for example, base plates or heat sinks. Additionally, platings can beapplied to facilitate bonding to DCBs.Infineon’s next generation of high-voltage IGBT gate drivers

(www.infineon.com/automotive-eicedriver) are designed for the maininverter of hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV). The new EiceDRIVER™ SIL andthe EiceDRIVER™ Boost drivers enable automotive system suppliers to moreeasily and more cost-effectively design HEV drivetrain subsystems that arecompliant with ASIL C/D functional safety requirements (ISO 26262). Targetapplications are HEV inverters of up to 120 kW using 400 V, 600 V and 1200V IGBTs. EiceDRIVER SIL is based on the Coreless Transformer technology,providing galvanic isolation between low-voltage and high-voltage domains. Itfeatures a standard SPI interface for control and diagnosis, with transmissionspeed up to 2 Mbaud. A large spectrum of safety-related functions isimplemented to support functional safety requirements at system level. Theseinclude over-current monitoring, runtime monitoring of all power supplies,oscillators, gate signals and output stage. A verification mode allows system-level diagnosis including error injection and weak turn-on. On the high-voltageside the EiceDRIVER SIL is dimensioned to drive an external booster stage. Itcomes in a PG-DSO-36 package. The EiceDRIVER Boost is a single-channelIGBT booster fully compatible with the EiceDRIVER SIL. EiceDRIVER Boost isbased on high-performance bipolar technology and replaces buffer stages

based on discrete devices. Because of its thermally optimized exposed padpackage, the EiceDRIVER Boost is able to drive and sink peak currents up to15A. Early samples of the EiceDRIVER SIL and EiceDRIVER Boost are availablenow with broad sampling planned as of December 2013. International Rectifier (www.irf.com) demonstrated the first commercial

implementation of its GaN devices in a home theater entertainment system.Also a new family of automotive-qualified COOLiRFET™ MOSFETs are intendedfor heavy load applications including electric power steering (EPS), brakingsystems and other heavy loads on internal combustion engine (ICE) andmicro hybrid vehicle platforms have been introduced. The 22 AEC-Q101

“EiceDRIVER SIL and the EiceDRIVER Boost drivers enable automotive system suppliersto more easily design HEV drivetrain subsystems that are compliant with ASIL C/Dfunctional safety requirements”, stated Mark Nils Münzer, Head Electric Drive TrainInfineon Technologies

“GaN is accepted and already implemented in a home theater system”, IR’s ManagerEmerging Technologies Tim McDonald underlined

“Our new family of COOLiRFET 40V automotive-qualified MOSFETs deliver a highlyefficient solution for high current automotive applications. We already have won Tier1supplier Eberspächer for Daimler in Germany,” said Jifeng Qin, Product Manager,Automotive MOSFETs, IR’s Automotive Products Business Unit

qualified 40 V N-channel MOSFETs feature proven Gen12.7 trench technologythat delivers on-resistance as low as 0.75 mΩ at 10 Vgs with a current ratingup to 240 A. The new devices offer low conduction losses and robustavalanche performance to deliver higher efficiency, power density andreliability. With this performance, many applications using these new devices

PCIM 2.e$S_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:44



run significantly cooler than with state-of-the-art MOSFETs. Pricing rangesbegins from $0.39 each for the AUIRFU8401 to $1.70 each for theAUIRFS8409-7P in 100,000-unit quantities. Automotive Tier1 suppliers inGermany are already evaluating these new MOSFETs.

Magnetics’ (www.mag-inc.com) new AmoFlux amorphous powder coresstarts with low core loss amorphous ribbon that is pulverized into powder andthen pressed into a toroid. By converting the amorphous ribbon into a powderform, the resulting AmoFlux cores have the same excellent properties,including soft saturation, as Magnetics other powder core materials: Kool Mu,MPP, High Flux, and XFlux. What makes this amorphous powder core materialunique is the combination of low core loss and high DC bias. AmoFlux is anew distributed gap material for PFC and various types of output chokes incomputer, server, and industrial power supplies that require maximumefficiency at high DC currents.

Mitsubishi Electric (www.mitsubishichips.eu) announced thedevelopment of higher current rated intelligent power modules (IPMs) mainlyfor (hybrid) electric vehicle applications. Two new models of the J-Series in 3-phase inverter configuration (6 in 1) have been introduced, based on low-loss

production of the RoHS compliant modules is expected to begin in 2014.Common features of the IPM J-Series are IGBT driver & protection functionsand an isolation by using automotive high-grade photo-couplers. Additionallythis J-Series provides analog output functions on a high-accuracy level tomonitor the temperature at the chip center and the inverter DC-link voltage(optional). All J-Series IPM can be controlled by a ready-signal input for fail-safe operation. Regarding SiC hybrid modules are used already for tractionapplications in Japan, full SiC will be the next step. Mitsubishi is also workingon 3.3 kV/100 A SiC MOSFETs and full SiC IPMs.

Power Integrations (www.powerint.com) introduced theQspeed™LQA200 series of 200 V diodes. These Silicon diodes are based onmerged-PIN technology that offers ‘soft’ switching and low reverse recoverycharge. This balance of features enables high-frequency operation and permitsthe use of small, inexpensive magnetic components. Available from 10 A to40 A in common-cathode configuration, these diodes reduce peak reversevoltage, increasing voltage margin and enhancing operational reliability andruggedness. The need for snubber capacitors is also reduced or eveneliminated, which further improves efficiency and lowers cost. Whencompared with equivalent Schottky products, the Qspeed diodes reducereverse recovery by up to 80 %, and have a 45 % lower junction capacitance.LQA200 diodes are available in DPAK, D2PAK and TO-220 packages, rangingfrom $0.40 to $1.20 each in 10K quantities.

RFMD (www.rfmd.com), so far a SiC/GaN California-based foundryannounced with the RFJS3006F E an own 30 A/650 V normally-off sourcedswitched FET (SSFET) GaN HEMT providing the same insulated gate ease ofuse as a power MOSFET or an IGBT, but enabling much higher PWMfrequencies. The SSFET uses the bidirectional capability of the GaN HEMT toprovide an ultra-fast freewheeling diode function eliminating the need of for aseparate antiparallel diode. The RFJS3006F is housed in a standard 3 leadTO247 with a UL-recognized isolated mounting tab; separate insulatinghardware is not needed. The 650 V, 30 A “fast version” is optimized as adrop-in replacement or for system redesigns for higher efficiency in mediumto high power converter applications operating at PWM frequencies from 100to 500 kHz.

ROHM (www.rohm.com/eu) presented its new line-up of N-channelSiC Power MOSFETs. The SCT2xx series without Schottky diode featuresdifferent on-resistance types and max. currents in a TO247 package. Theyhandle a junction temperature of 175°C and with low on-resistance, highbreakdown voltage, high speed switching and low reverse recovery thesenew SiC MOSFETs are easy to parallel and to drive. With hybrid MOSFETsthe company introduced a newly developed transistor combining theadvantages of a MOSFET and IGBT to a “hybrid MOS” by adopting a newdevice structure to the PFC circuit for the power supply. The new hybridMOSFET is featuring the “best of both worlds” such as high-speed switchingcharacteristics, low-current performance of the MOSFET and high breakdownvoltage of the IGBT. As a result, the high temperature and high currentperformance improved significantly while energy saving is possible over thefull range – from small to large currents. The product is expected to beginsampling in summer 2013.

Semikron (www.semikron.com) launched the MiniSKiiP Dual Module forindustrial motor drives, solar inverters and power supplies up to 90 kW. For thefirst time MiniSKiiP Spring Technology is available for power ratings higher than40 kW. The benefits are lower material costs as compared to traditionalinverter designs because the expensive bus-baring of the load connectors canbe replaced by a cost-efficient PCB connection. In combination with a solder-free assembly, this allows for reducing the system costs by up to 15 %. Thespring contacts make the layout of the PCB simpler and more flexible becausethe PCB does not need holes for soldering pins. Also, the springs allow for amore flexible connection between the PCB and the module than a solderedjoint, which adds extra benefits particularly under thermal and mechanicalstress. For high-power applications the new SKiiPX allows condensation duringoperation. The SKiN base technology enables the integration of a 3 MW drivein a single cabinet due to a reduced number of components and interfaces.SKiN enables doubling of the power density within the module. Consequently,the total volume of the inverter can be decreased by up to 50 %, invertercosts may be reduced by up to 15 %. SKiiPX allows for the first time the

Mitsubishi’s Gourab Majumdar explained the company’s power module and SiC strategy

Mitsubishi’s SiC MOSFET properties

CSTBT chip technology. The PM800CJG060G is rated at 600 V/800 A with alow saturation voltage of typically 1.8 V. For PM500CJG120G these values are1200 V/500 A with a typical saturation voltage of 2.0 V. Both are supporting atthe same footprint area larger currents than existing types of the J-series,starting from 300 A at 600 V rating respectively from 150 A at 1200 V.Additionally, both are equipped with built-in power supplies for IGBT drive andlogic circuits. First samples will be available from August 2013 onwards. Mass

PCIM 2.e$S_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:44

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21_PEE_0413_Layout 03/06/2013 12:47 Page 1



integration of a 3 MW wind inverter into a single cabinet. Due to the highintegration level, the probability of an inverter failure - expressed by the FITrate – is reduced by 30 %. The newly designed integrated liquid coolingsystem allows for a constant operating temperature of the coolant of up to70°C. This hermetically sealed system requires less numbers of gaskets ascompared to conventional systems ensuring higher reliability. The SKiiPX issupplied as a fully tested subsystem (IPM) with integrated gate driverelectronics, cooling and protection functions.Toshiba Electronics Europe (www.toshiba-components.com)

announced a hybrid N-channel IEGT (Injection-Enhanced Gate Transistor)module that features an embedded SiC fast recovery diode (FRD). Rated at1700 V and 1200 A, the half-bridge MG1200V2YS71 is intended for industrial,rail traction, renewable energy and electricity transmission and distributionsystems. The module incorporates two switches (IEGTs), each with its ownembedded SiC diode. Use of an SiC diode leads to a significant decrease inreverse recovery current and a corresponding decrease in turn-on loss. As aresult the new PMI offers a reverse recovery loss up to 97 % lower than amodule with a conventional Silicon diode. Thus the cooling is much smallerthan its Silicon-based predecessor. In addition, thanks to the size reduction ofsome motor control parts, overall equipment size could be reduced by asmuch as 40 %. The new module has an isolation rating of 6000 VAC (rms forone minute) and will operate with junction temperatures from -40°C to150°C.Transphorm (www.transphormusa.com) demonstrated a high-efficiency

off-line 1 kW 48 V power supply that has peak efficiency of 97.5 %. Thepower supply design utilizes GaN on Silicon 600 V HEMTs to implement a 99% efficient totem pole power factor correction (PFC) front end, combined witha 98.6% efficiency LLC converter. Based on Transphorm’s EZ-GaN technology,the TPH3006PS HEMT combines low switching and conduction losses toreduce energy loss by 50 %. The TO-220-packaged GaN transistor featureslow on-state resistance of 150 m?, low reverse-recovery charge of 54 nC andhigh-frequency switching capability. TT electronics (www.ttelectronics.com) offers wide bandgap high

temperature packaging. The advantages of using GaN and SiC are well known:low switching losses, little or no turn off losses, fast switching. TT electronicshas combined this with the latest Silicon Nitride packaging technology toenable the devices to be used for long periods of time at elevatedtemperature. Reliability data on SiC devices at 225°C for 8000 hours can besupplied. Silicon Nitride packaging allows via connections to the outside worldthus eliminating fragile glass / ceramic to pin feed through. Typical weightsavings of 30 % can be achieved over conventional metal hermetic packages.This type of packaging has already achieved Space flight heritage in prestigiousEuropean space agency programs and is now gaining interest in down hole

geothermal exploration. Indeed, reliability data show that no delaminationoccurs beyond 3000 temperature cycles ( -40 to +125°C).Vicor Corp. (www.vicorpower.com) announced the expansion of its Picor

Cool-Power® PI31xx series of isolated, ZVS-based DC/DC convertersoptimized for 24 V industrial, 28 V aerospace/defense and/or demandingwide temperature applications. The new Cool-Power PI31xx converters retainpowermodules.danfoss.com

Drive happy while staying cool Reliable power density for tomorrow’s vehiclesIt cannot be stressed enough: e cient cooling is the most important feature in power modules. Danfoss Silicon Power’s cutting-edge ShowerPower® solution is designed to secure an even cooling across base plates. In addition, our modules can be customized to meet your automation requirements in detail, o ering low weight, compact design, extended life and very low lifecycle costs. In short, when you choose Danfoss Silicon Power as your supplier you choose a thoroughly tested solution with unsurpassed power density.

Please go to powermodules.danfoss.com for more information.

MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

Semikron’s Head of Product Management Thomas Grashoff introduced its new SKiiPXhermetically sealed system for 3 MW wind turbine applications

PCIM 2.e$S_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:44

www.pcim-europe.com/exhibition PCIM 2013 23


The Perfect Fit

the product series’ signature 0.87” x 0.65” x 0.265” surface-mount packageprofile to provide up to 334 W/in3 power density and 2,250 V input to outputisolation. At less than 50 % the size of a conventional isolated 1/16th brick,Cool-Power PI31xx converters provide exceptional performance in an ICpackage for use in high density system designs. Cool-Power PI31xx seriesconverters utilize ZVS architecture and planar magnetics to enable IC-likedensity and greater PCB layout flexibility in space-constrained environments.The high-switching frequency (900 kHz) of PI31xx series converters reducesinput filter and output capacitance requirements, further reducing spaceconstraints. Vincotech (www.vincotech.com) released a new low-inductive power

module designed for applications ranging up to 400 kW such as three-phasesolar inverters. This high-voltage 2xflowNPC 4w module features a higherpower rating in the new wide-body housing. Its Neutral Point Clamped (NPC)topology provides maximum efficiency for higher switching frequencies.Equipped with extremely fast 1200 V components to achieve a 2400 V/800 Arating, the 2xflowNPC 4w module is destined for solar and UPS applicationswith up to 400 kW and a DC link of 1500 V. Its low-inductive (5nH)technology and onboard DC capacitors extend maximum PWM frequencies upto 20 kHz. The 3xflowNPC 4w comes in the new wide-body housing and iswell suited for applications such as three-phase solar inverters ranging up to

200 kW. Rated for 1200 V/600 A, the module’s inductance is asymmetrical. Itachieves low turn-off inductance with integrated DC snubber capacitors anduses parasitic inductance to reduce turn-on losses, so there is no need for low-inductive busbars. This design and its onboard DC capacitors extend PWMfrequencies beyond 20 kHz. A new housing size for 90° PCB mounting iscalled flow90 0. The first product with this new housing is flow90PACK 0featuring 1200 V/6-35 A six-pack topology. The flow90 0 housing follows upthe flow90 1 housing that Vincotech rolled out a few years ago. The ideabehind this design is to mount the power module at a 90° angle to the PCB,making it much easier to connect the module to the heatsink. Regarding SiCthe company will switch over to MOSFETs, possibly reducing the complexity of3-level inverters down to 2 levels, but the Silicon solution meets the pricepoints of the customer base today. AS

Vincotech’s Director of Product Marketing Werner Obermaier presented the company’snew high-power NPC power modules. “Though SiC MOSFETs can reduce the complexityof 3-level inverters down to 2 levels, werely on Trenchstop 5 IGBTs and Stealth diodesfor NPC”

PCIM 2.e$S_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:44

24 INDUSTRY NEWS


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Texas Instruments recently introducedthe 35-V, single-channel, output stagepower management gate driversUCC27531/32 for IGBTs and SiCFETs. Its split output provide efficientoutput drive capability, short

applications require powercomponents that safely deliver morepower with greater efficiency.Designers prefer to use IGBTs or thelatest SiC FETs that achieve lowerpower loss at higher voltages. Those

propagation delay and increasedsystem protection for isolated powerdesigns, such as solar DC/ACinverters, uninterruptible powersupplies and electric vehicle charging.Today’s renewable energy

devices also have breakdown voltagesup to 1200 V, and offer lower on-resistance than equivalent MOSFETs.They are often managed by amicrocontroller or dedicated digitalpower controller. Next-generationIGBT- and SiC FET-based designs alsorequire both power and signalisolation from the noisy switchingenvironment of the power stage. TheUCC27531 and UCC27532 preventthe digital controllers from operatingtoo close to the power circuitry,extending the lifetime of isolatedpower designs.

More features than buffersHigh-current gate driver devices suchas the UCC27531 and UCC27532are required in switching powerapplications for a variety of reasons.In order to enable fast switching ofpower devices and reduceassociated switching power losses, apowerful gate driver can beemployed between the PWM outputof controllers or signal isolationdevices and the gates of the powersemiconductor devices. Further, gatedrivers are indispensable whensometimes it is just not feasible tohave the PWM controller directlydrive the gates of the switchingdevices. The situation will be oftenencountered since the PWM signalfrom a digital controller or signalisolation device is often a 3.3-V or 5-V logic signal which is not capable ofeffectively turning on a power switch.A level shifting circuitry is needed toboost the logic-level signal to thegate-drive voltage in order to fullyturn on the power device andminimize conduction losses.Traditional buffer drive circuits basedon NPN/PNP bipolar, (or p- n-channel MOSFET), transistors intotem-pole arrangement, beingemitter follower configurations, proveinadequate for this since they lacklevel-shifting capability and low-drivevoltage protection. Gate driverseffectively combine both the level-shifting, buffer drive and UVLOfunctions. Gate drivers also find otherneeds such as minimizing the effectof switching noise by locating thehigh-current driver physically close tothe power switch, driving gate-drivetransformers and controlling floating

New Single-Channel, 2.5-A/5-A Gate Drivers for IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs

Industry News_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:53

INDUSTRY NEWS 25


power device gates, reducing powerdissipation and thermal stress incontrollers by moving gate chargepower losses into itself.The UCC27531/32 are very

flexible in this role with a strongcurrent drive capability and widesupply voltage range up to 35 V. Thisallows the driver to be used in 12-VSi MOSFET, 20-V and -5-V (relative tosource) SiC FET, 15-V and -15-V(relative to emitter) IGBTapplications and many others. As asingle-channel driver, theUCC27531/32 can be used as alow-side or high-side driver. To useas a low-side driver, the switchground is usually the system groundso it can be connected directly to thegate driver. To use as a high-sidedriver with a floating return nodehowever, signal isolation is neededfrom the controller as well as anisolated bias to the UCC27531.Alternatively, in a high-side driveconfiguration the UCC27531 can betied directly to the controller signaland biased with a non-isolatedsupply. However, in this configurationthe outputs of theUCC27531 need to drive a pulse

transformer which then drives thepower-switch to work properly withthe floating source and emitter of thepower switch. Further, having the

provides normal operation. The ENpin can be used as an additionalinput with the same performance asthe IN pin. Leaving the input pin ofdriver open holds the output low.Internal circuitry on VDD pin providesan under voltage lockout function

ability to control turn-on and turn-offspeeds independently with both theOUTH and OUTL pins ensuresoptimum efficiency whilemaintaining system reliability. Theserequirements coupled with the needfor low propagation delays andavailability in compact, low-inductance packages with goodthermal capability makes these gatedrivers important components inswitching power applications.

Gate driver applicationsA special feature is split-outputconfiguration where the gate-drivecurrent is sourced through OUTH pinand sunk through OUTL pin. This pinarrangement allows the user to applyindependent turn-on and turn-offresistors to the OUTH and OUTL pinsrespectively and easily control theswitching slew rates.The driver has rail-to-rail drive

capability and small propagationdelay of typically 17 ns. The inputthreshold is based on TTL andCMOS compatible low-voltage logic,which is fixed and independent ofthe supply voltage. The 1-V typicalhysteresis offers excellent noiseimmunity. The driver has EN pin withfixed TTL compatible threshold. EN isinternally pulled up; pulling EN lowdisables driver, while leaving it open

that holds output low until VDD supplyvoltage is within operating range. The internal under voltage lockout

(UVLO) protection feature on theVDD pin supply prevents theoperation of the gate driver at lowsupply voltages. Whenever the driveris in UVLO condition (when VDD

voltage less than VON during power-up and when VDD voltage is less thanVOFF during power down), this circuitholds all outputs LOW, regardless ofthe status of the inputs. The UVLO istypically 8.9 V with 700-mV typicalhysteresis. This hysteresis helpsprevent chatter when low VDD supplyvoltages have noise from the powersupply and also when there aredroops in the VDD bias voltage whenthe system commences switchingand there is a sudden increase in IDD.The capability to operate at voltagelevels such as 10 V to 32 V providesflexibility to drive Si MOSFETs, IGBTs,and emerging SiC FETs.The input pin is based on a

standard CMOS compatible inputthreshold logic that is dependent onthe VDD supply voltage. The inputthreshold is approximately 55 % ofVDD for rise and 45 % of VDD for fall.With 18-V VDD, typical high threshold= 9.4 V and typical low threshold =7.3 V. The 2.1-V hysteresis offersexcellent noise immunity comparedto traditional TTL logicimplementations, where thehysteresis is typically less than 0.5 V.

New UCC27531/32drives IGBTs andSiC MOSFETs indemandingapplications

Block diagram ofUCC27531/32 gatedrivers (EN Pull-Up Resistance toVREF = 500 kΩ,VREF = 5.8 V, inpull-downresistance to GND= 230 kΩ)

Split voltage application showing also driver device and daughter card


26 INDUSTRY NEWS


For proper operation using CMOSinput, the input signal level shouldbe at a voltage equal to VDD. Usingan input signal slightly larger than thethreshold but less than VDD for CMOSinput can result in slowerpropagation delay from input tooutput for example.

The drivers also features tightcontrol of the input pin thresholdvoltage levels which eases systemdesign considerations andguarantees stable operation acrosstemperature. The very low inputcapacitance, typically 20 pF, on thesepins reduces loading and increasesswitching speed.

The devices features an importantsafety function wherein, wheneverthe input pin is in a floatingcondition, the output is held in thelow state. This is achieved usingGND pull-down resistors on thenon-inverting input pin (IN pin), asshown in the device block diagram.

The input stage of the driver shouldpreferably be driven by a signal with ashort rise or fall time. Caution mustbe exercised whenever the driver is

used with slowly varying input signals,especially in situations where thedevice is located in a separatedaughter board or PCB layout haslong input connection traces.

If limiting the rise or fall times tothe power device to reduce EMI isnecessary, then an externalresistance is highly recommendedbetween the output of the driver and

the power device instead of addingdelays on the input signal. Thisexternal resistor has the additionalbenefit of reducing part of the gatecharge related power dissipation inthe gate driver device package andtransferring it into the externalresistor itself.

The Enable (EN) pin has aninternal pull-up resistor to an internalreference voltage so leaving

Enable floating turns on the driverand allows it to send output signalsproperly. If desired, the Enable canalso be driven by low-voltage logic toenable and disable the driver.

The output stage features aunique architecture which deliversthe highest peak source currentwhen it is most needed during theMiller plateau region of the powerswitch turn-on transition (when thepower switch drain/collector voltageexperiences dV/dt). The deviceoutput stage features a hybrid pull-up structure using a parallelarrangement of N-Channel and P-Channel MOSFET devices. By turningon the N-Channel MOSFET during anarrow instant when the outputchanges state from low to high, thegate driver device is able to deliver abrief boost in the peak sourcingcurrent enabling fast turn on.

The UCC27531 and UCC27532gate drivers are available in a 6-pin,SOT-23 package and are priced at$0.75 in quantities of 1,000. TheUCC27531EVM-184 IGBT driverdaughter card evaluation module ispriced at $49. A PSpice model andapplication note 35-V single-channelgate drivers for IGBTs can help speeddesign time.

www.ti.com/ucc27531-pr

Driving IGBT with13-V negativeturn-off bias

Using UCC27531 drivers in an inverter

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www.epc-co.com POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 27


Power GaN Opens New ApplicationsEfficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) has been in production with enhancement mode GaN-on-Silicon power transistors (eGaN® FETs) for over three years. Much progress has been made improvingdevice performance and reliability. There have also been several new power management applications thathave emerged. Two of these applications, RF Envelope Tracking and high frequency Wireless PowerTransmission are beyond the fundamental capability for the aging power MOSFET due to the requirementsof high voltage, high power, and high frequency. As a result, these are early growth markets for GaN onSilicon devices. eGaN FETs have also made inroads in several other applications that we will discuss alongwith the latest in device technology and future direction for both discrete and GaN ICs. Alex Lidow, JohanStrydom, David Reusch, Michael de Rooij, Efficient Power Conversion Corp., El Segundo, USA

For Silicon power devices, the gains inperformance have slowed as thetechnology has matured and approached itstheoretical limits. Gallium nitride (GaN)devices have emerged as a possiblereplacement for Silicon devices in variouspower conversion applications and as anenabler of new applications not previouslypossible. GaN devices are a high electronmobility transistor (HEMT) with a higherband gap, electron mobility, and electronvelocity than Silicon and Silicon Carbidedevices [1]. These material characteristicsmake the GaN device more suitable forhigher frequencies and higher voltageoperation.

The first commercially availableenhancement mode Gallium Nitride onSilicon transistors (eGaN FETs) have a lateralstructure with voltages ranging from 40-200V. These devices operate similarly to thetraditional Si MOSFETs and offer superiorpower conversion performance. As GaNtechnology matures, significant performancegains and higher blocking voltages areprojected.

Wireless power application Wireless power applications are gainingpopularity in many applications such asmobile phone chargers, medical equipment,and defense electronics. Most of thewireless power solutions have focused ontight coupling with induction coil solutions atoperating frequencies around 200 kHz, andClass E, F and S converter topologies.Recently, however, there has been a pushfor operation in the restricted andunlicensed lower ISM band at 6.78 MHzwhere traditional MOSFET technology isapproaching its capability limit.Enhancement mode GaN devices offer analternative to MOSFETs as they can switch

fast enough to be suited for such wirelesspower applications. To illustrate theopportunity to improve efficiency, anexperimental evaluation was performed foran induction coil wireless energy systemusing eGaN FETs in a half-bridge topologyoperating at 6.78 MHz designed to besuitable for multiple 5 W USB-basedcharging loads (Figure 1). The experimentalsystem was compared to a similar unitbased on equivalent MOSFETs in the powerconverter stage.

Switching-based converters are requiredfor wireless power applications becauseclassic amplifiers do not have sufficientconversion efficiency to make them practicalchoices. This reduces the number ofsuitable converter choices for high efficiencywireless energy applications to Class D,Class E & F and Class S configurations. Theamplifier selected was a Class D converteroperating at a fixed frequency. The converteris operated above the resonant frequency totake advantage of zero-voltage switching(ZVS) and therefore obtain maximum

power amplifier efficiency. The smallest 40V eGaN FET, EPC2014, was chosenbecause it has a low on-state resistance andlow C) which are factors that will ensureminimum losses.

A demonstration unit was designed andbuilt to evaluate the performance of boththe eGaN FET and the MOSFET. UsingeGaN FETs in the power amplifier yields a 4% amplifier efficiency improvement overthe MOSFET version (a 24% reduction ofpower losses).

Envelope tracking application The concept of envelope tracking (ET) forradio frequency (RF) amplifiers is not new.But with the ever increasing need forimproved cell phone battery life, better basestation energy efficiency, and more outputpower from very costly RF transmitters, theneed for improving the RF Power Amplifier(PA) system efficiency through ET hasbecome an intense topic of research anddevelopment.

The key to improve efficiency lies in the

Figure 1: Schematic block diagram of the evaluated wireless energy system

EPC_Feature_Layout 1 03/06/2013 12:59

28 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.epc-co.com


PA’s peak to average power (PAPR)requirements. As shown in Figure 2 it ispossible to achieve peak PA efficiencies ashigh as 65 % with a fixed supply, but givenPAPRs as high as 10 dB, the averageefficiency is likely to be lower than 25 %.Through modulation of the PA supplyvoltage, this can be improved to over 50 %- essentially doubling the efficiency andreducing PA losses by two thirds. This notonly reduces power consumption, but alsolowers the cost of operation, coolingrequirements, and size.The high PAPR requirements that make

ET possible also mean that average outputvoltage is typically between 30 – 50 % ofthe buck converter supply voltage, withshort duration excursions below and above

this average. Thus, for demonstrationpurposes a steady state buck converterrunning at a similar duty cycle can be usedto demonstrate the efficiency and thermalrequirements of a multi-phase ET buckconverter. This can be further simplified byevaluating a single phase of a multi-phasesystem, as all phases are identical. StandardEPC9002 or EPC9006 development boardswere used to generate all the results in thiswork.Efficiency results for both converters are

shown in Figure 3 and show that building abuck converter for high power envelopetracking applications is viable using eGaNFETs. The actual power level and number ofphases required will depend on the powerlevel and bandwidth requirements of the

specific application. Over 97 % efficiencywas achieved at 1 MHz and over 94 %efficiency was achieved at 4 MHz.

Resonant converter application To achieve improved efficiency at higherswitching frequencies, resonant topologiesmay be considered. Resonant topologiesare particularly beneficial in DC/DCtransformer applications due to the removalof the regulation requirements, allowing theconverter to always operate at the resonantfrequency. To demonstrate the opportunitiesenabled by converting from Silicon-basedpower MOSFETs to enhancement modeGaN devices, we chose the topology asshown in Figure 4 that employed a resonanttechnique utilizing the transformer’smagnetizing inductance (LM) and resonanceof the leakage inductance (LK), together witha small output capacitance (CO), to achievezero voltage switching (ZVS), limit turn-offcurrent, and eliminate body diodeconduction.To obtain a direct comparison in

performance between GaN devices and SiMOSFETs in a high-frequency resonant busconverter application, devices with similaron-resistance were selected, the samecircuit topology was used, and a similarlayout was maintained for both designs. TheFigures of Merit (FOM) of importance in thiswork are QG x RDS(ON) and QOSS x RDS(ON) due tothe soft switching topology that reduces theswitching related losses, thereby renderingthe FET gate drive and conduction being themajor loss contributors. The device’s outputcharge has a direct impact on the energyrequired to achieve ZVS. A reduction inenergy required to achieve ZVS can result inreduced dead time, providing a larger powerdelivery period and lower RMS currents in ahigh frequency resonant converter. These FETs show significant

improvements when compared to SiMOSFETs, with the gate drive FOM (QG xRDS(ON)) improved by a factor ofapproximately 4 and 3 for the 100 V and40 V devices respectively, while the outputcharge FOM (QOSS x RDS(ON)) is improvedaround a factor of 1.6 and 2 for the primaryand secondary devices respectively. Theyalso provide performance improvements inthe form of reduced Miller charge thatreduces the turn-off switching losses in theprimary devices. As a further advantage, theland grid array (LGA) packaging has lowparasitic package inductance as comparedto the traditional Si MOSFET package(TSDSON-8, 5x6 mm). When putting allthese benefits together, multi-MHz switchingfrequencies can be obtained through theuse of advanced topologies combined withlow-loss eGaN FETs.Due to almost a factor of 2 decrease in

output charge (QOSS) provided by theFigure 3: Efficiency results for EPC9006 and EPC9002 demonstration boards in ET applicationoperating at 45 V input and 22 V output voltage

Figure 2: Conceptual PA efficiency vs. output power for fixed supply and ET operation


www.epc-co.com POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 29


primary and secondary eGaN FETs, the ZVStransition is achieved in a proportionallyshorter period, increasing the effective dutycycle and improving the overall converterperformance. With the faster switchingeGaN FETs, the dead time was reduced to42 ns resulting in a 42 % duty cycle foreach device while allowing for an extendedpower delivery period.

Radiation toleranceEnhancement-mode FETs have alsodemonstrated their ability to operate reliablyunder harsh environmental conditions andhigh radiation conditions. Normal operationcan be maintained after more than 1MRad(Si) gamma radiation exposure andhave also shown the ability to perform todata sheet specifications after substantialsingle event effects (SEE). As a result, bothhard-switched and resonant topologies withvery high efficiency, such as those discussedherein, can be used in satellites as well asother applications requiring these extremeconditions.

ConclusionIt has been previously shown that GalliumNitride devices have a distinct advantageover Silicon MOSFETS in conventionalapplications, but little has been

demonstrated about the impact of GaNdevices in emerging applications such asenvelope tracking and soft switchingconverters which are commonly used inwireless power and high frequencyintermediate DC/DC bus converters. In thiswork, it is shown that eGaN FETs can alsoprovide significant efficiency improvementsover power MOSFETs in these emergingapplications. Putting eGaN FETs to work inhigh frequency applications can help pushthe frequency without sacrificing converter

performance, even in very demandingenvironments [2].

Literature[1] “GaN Transistors for Efficient Power

Conversion”, Power Electronics April/May2013, pages 38-40

[2] “GaN on Silicon Technology,Devices and Applications”, PEE SpecialSession Power GaN for Highly EfficientConverters, PCIM Europe 2013,Nuremberg

Figure 4: High frequency bus converter schematic

FeaturesS M P Device

Applications

Building Blocks

IXYS Expands its SMPD Portfolio with Fast Rectifier Bridges

For more information please

In Tape and Reel

Examples


30 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.irf.com


Progress in Silicon-Based 600 V Power GaNThe readiness of 600 V GaN-on-Si based power devices fabricated using the GaNpowIR® technologyplatform for large scale production is presented in this article. The advantages of such devices over theSilicon incumbent alternatives in several common power conversion application circuits is also shown.Michael A Briere, ACOO/International Rectifier, Scottsdale, USA

It has been well documented that theadvent of high voltage GaN based powerdevices provides unprecedentedopportunities to reduce both conduction(Rdson) and switching losses (Qsw) in a widevariety of power conversion circuits. Thecombination of hetero-epitaxy using Siliconsubstrates and device fabrication along sideSilicon CMOS products in high volumefactories provides the necessary coststructure to compete commercially withSilicon based alternatives.

The capability to grow thick crack freeAlxGayN alloys on standard thicknessSilicon substrates in manufacturing volumeshas often been underestimated either asan essential element to commercializationof GaN based power devices or as asignificant technological hurdle whenmoving from non-commercially viablesubstrates such as SiC. In the ranking ofrequired capabilities to successfullycompete in the commercialization of GaNbased power devices, such capability,together with supporting intellectualproperty should be considered the mostimportant. As such, IR has previouslydemonstrated the manufacturability of upto 5 µm thick AlxGayN epitaxy on standardthickness 150 mm Si substrates. Inaddition, Figure 1 shows themanufacturability of low distortion crack-free GaN on Si epitaxy for 2.25 µm thickfilms on standard thickness (725 µm) 200mm diameter Silicon substrates.

The use of such substrates is essential toachieve commercial viability of thetechnology platform. These results aremade possible through the use of IR’sproprietary compositionally gradedtransition layer III-N on Si epitaxialtechnology. Another essential requirementfor commercialization is the ability toproduce devices alongside the incumbenthigh volume silicon based power devices.In addition to the use of standardphotolithographic and plasma and wetchemical process technologies, thisrequires the elimination of Gold basedohmic contacts. In this regard, IR was the

Figure 1: Measured distribution of final wafer bow for over 20 multi-wafer process runs producingmore than 60 crack free 2.25 µm thick AlGaN alloys based hetero-epitaxy on 200 mm standardthickness (725 µm) Silicon substrate

Figure 2:Measured transfercharacteristics ofa 600 V ratedGaN-on-Si basedHEMT with anactive area of 8mm? and a gatewidth of 330 mm,cascoded with alow voltageSilicon FET, in adual sided cooledpackage, at roomtemperature and150°C

first to reproducibly demonstrate sufficientlylow ohmic contact resistances ( < 0.35ohm-mm) in volume production.

Enhancement mode not requiredFurther, it is often stated that developmentof an enhancement mode GaN based highelectron mobility transistor (HEMT) is anessential element of commercialization.This is not a valid assertion. Besides theopportunity to use depletion mode,normally-on devices in a majority of power

electronic circuits (using DC enable switchbased topologies), several topologies suchas AC/AC converters used for motor driveactually are superior when implementedwith the inherently bi-directional capabledepletion mode GaN based HEMT devices,In addition, the inherent instability of thetwo dimensional electron gas (2DEG) topositive applied fields which collapse thebuilt in barrier potential of the AlGaN barrierlayer (in AlGaN-GaN HEMTs) presents asevere crippling restriction of gate drive to

IR_Feature_0413_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:42

www.irf.com POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 31


any enhancement mode barrier based2DEG device, through the limitation ofapplied overdrive gate voltage abovethreshold. Of course, the addition of voltage clamps,

e.g. in intimately coupled gate drive circuitry,can be used at the expense of increasedeffective gate capacitance, leakage currentsand cost. Therefore, in the cases wherenormally-off behavior is preferred, thecascoded configuration, using a low voltageMOSFET, is recommended. In addition toproviding a well established and reliablegate drive interface for external circuits, thisapproach has many advantages not foundin an enhancement mode GaN basedpower device. When properly configured,one such advantage is the effective HEMTgate drive current capability afforded by themilli-ohm level low voltage cascode deviceon-resistance, compared to 0.2 to 1 Ωresistance found in commercial driver ICs. In addition, the effective overdrive

capability of the cascoded HEMT is thevoltage between Vpinch and ground, oftenabout 6-12 V. This is compared to the 2-4V of overdrive available to a standardclamped enhancement mode GaN basedHEMT. This internal gate drive configurationmaintains the HEMT gate in the optimalvoltage range of –Va to ground, where Va islimited by the avalanche clampedbreakdown voltage of the low voltageMOSFET. In addition to improved powerdevice performance, the cascode basedgate drive configuration reduces hot carrierinduced degradation through beneficialbarrier potential between the 2DEG andthe gate structure, as opposed to thedecreased barrier inherent to positivevoltage HEMT gate overdrive.

Circuit performance and reliabilityIn addition to inherent and revolutionaryintegratability, the lateral GaN based(HEMTs) exhibit advantages of significantlylower terminal capacitances, several timeslower specific source-drain resistance andessentially zero reverse recovery chargecompared to either Silicon basedSuperjunction FETs or IGBT alternatives. Itis shown that the often feared currenthandling capability limitation associatedwith the lateral nature of the HEMTs can beeffectively addressed through the use offront side solderable devices and dualsided surface mount packaging techniques.Current handling densities of more than500 A / cm2 at 150°C are demonstratedwith 600 V rated devices capable ofprocessing more than 80 A at roomtemperature. Figure 2 shows the measurednormally-off transfer characteristics for sucha device, in a cascaded configuration with alow voltage Silicon FET.The establishment of simultaneous long-

Figure 3: Source-drain resistance of 600 V rated cascode switch for a population of representativecascoded GaN-on-Si based HEMT devices with Wg = 120 mm, under a drain bias of 480 V and 0 V gatebias for 5000 hrs at 150ºC

Figure 4: Source to drain leakage current measured with 500 V drain bias and 0 V gate bias of 600 Vrated cascode switch for a population of representative cascaded GaN-on-Si based HEMT devices withWg = 120 mm, under a drain bias of 480 V and 0 V gate bias for 5000 hrs at 150°C

Figure 5: Measured conversion efficiency for a resonant LLC converter with 300 V input and 30 Voutput voltage operating at 400 kHz, using either IR’s GaNpowIR® based devices on both the primary(600 V rated) and secondary side (100 V rated) of the transformer (with synchronous secondary siderectification) or state-of-the-art Silicon alternatives


32 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.irf.com


term reliability and device robustnessRBSOA (including dynamic Rdson effects)and FBSOA in application conditions isessential for the adoption of any powerdevice technology. Figures 3 and 4 showsome early results demonstratingexemplary stability for such devices under480 V drain to source reverse bias stressfor 5000 hours.

Application performanceThese 600 V rated GaN-on-Si baseddevices have been tested in several widelyused power conversion topologies. Figure 5shows the improved conversion efficiencyfor a 300 V to 30 V LLC resonant converter

operating at 400 kHz, exhibiting remarkablyimproved efficiency ( > 17 %) at lightloads and > 3 % improvement at full loadconditions. Figure 6 shows theperformance of a GaN based synchronousboost converter for application in a powerfactor correction front end of an AC/DCconverter. Though the replacement of theboost diode with a GaN based powerdevice in a synchronous boost convertercircuit was first presented in the issued USpatent number 7276883, filed in August2004 assigned to IR, only now are therequisite 600 V devices available to makethis circuit commercially available. Note thatsuch a circuit would be impractically

expensive if implemented with SiCMOSFETs or JFETs.One of the most wide-spread

applications for 600 V rated devices is inthe inverter drive circuitry for motors. It istherefore important to assess the valueprovided by GaN based power devices inmotor drive applications. Two of the largestpotential volume applications areappliances and electric or hybrid electricvehicles. Figure 7 shows the drasticimprovement in power loss in a nominally400 W motor drive inverter circuit, usingIGBTs and first generation 600 V GaNcascoded switches. As can be seen theconduction losses are reduced by a factorof 6, while at the same time the switchinglosses are reduced by a factor of 2. Thisremarkable result is based on the 4-10 ximprovement in the Vceon x Esw (or Rdson xQsw) improvement in the performancefigure of merit (FOM) of the GaN baseddevices over the Silicon based IGBTspreviously reported. Such improvements inpower handling capability allow for therelated increase in the inverter powerdensity of a factor of more than 10. In thisinstance, taking into account that the GaNbased inverter does not require the heatsink of the IGBT-based inverter, the powerprocessing volume density is actuallyincreased by more than 100. Suchimprovements in power processingefficiency and density are examples of thepotential of GaN based power devices totransform power electronics.Another example is shown in Figure 8

for a nominally 60 kW inverter drive for anelectric vehicle propulsion system. Thiswork was the result of cooperationbetween International Rectifier, DelphiAutomotive Systems and Oak RidgeNational Laboratory, funded through a grantby US Department of Energy throughARPA-e. As can be seen the modeledperformance of a state-of-the-art Siliconbased inverter is compared to that of aGaNpowIR based inverter using asimulated drive cycle/power scheduleknown as US-06. The results are based onthe extracted device models of measuredhigh current devices, such as those shownin Figure 2 and leveraging the performanceof dual sided cooled packaging developedat Delphi known as VIPER. The GaN basedinverter exhibits an approximately 50 %reduction in power loss with a coolanttemperature of 105°C.

Literature“The Status of 600 V GaN on Si based

Power Device Development atInternational Rectifier”, PEE SpecialSession Power GaN for Highly EfficientConverters, PCIM Europe 2013,Nuremberg

Figure 6: Measuredconversion

efficiency forsynchronous boost

power factorcorrection frontend of an AC/DCconverter using

GaNpowIR® baseddevices for both

switches

Figure 7:Measuredconversionefficiency fornominally 500 Wmotor driveinverter usingeither GaNpowIRbased devices orIGBTs (IC = 1.5 A,Vbus = 300 V, Vout =160 V, Pout = 415 W,Tc = 150°C)

Figure 8: Modeledinverter power lossover the systempower processingmodel for electricpropulsion US-06,for a nominally 60kW motor drive

inverter, comparingthe expected

performance basedon device and

circuit models forSi IGBTs and diodesand 600 V rated

GaNpowIRcascoded switches


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34 POWER MODULES www.semikron.com


Silicon Carbide Boost PowerModule PerformanceSilicon Carbide offers new approaches for the design of power semiconductors. In conventional powerSilicon technology, IGBTs are used as switches for voltages higher than 600 V, and Silicon PIN freewheelingdiodes are state of the art. The design and soft switching behavior of Silicon power devices causeconsiderable power losses. With the larger bandgap of Silicon Carbide, high-voltage MOSFETs can bedesigned with blocking voltages up to 15 kV, while providing extremely low dynamic losses. With SiliconCarbide, the conventional soft turn-off Silicon diodes can be replaced by diodes in Schottky design, alsooffering extremely low switching losses. As an additional benefit, Silicon Carbide has a 3 times higherthermal conductivity as compared to Silicon. Together with small power losses, Silicon Carbide is an idealmaterial to boost power density in power modules. Volker Demuth, Head of Product ManagementComponents, SEMIKRON, Nuremberg, Germany

It is been a long way for Silicon Carbide(SiC). I remember purchasing 2-inch SiCwafers for crystal defect analysis at theuniversity in the mid 90’s at unbelievableprices. In fact, those were “science grade”wafers, as “industrial grade” wafers wereeven more expensive. The defects were anightmare for crystal growers and devicemanufacturers: high defect density andhollow tubes in crystal growth direction,that would show as holes in the SiCwafers after cutting. More than 15 yearslater, the SiC industry moves to 6-inchwafer production as a standard, and byintelligent growing techniques, the crystaldefects are reduced to a minimum,increasingly making SiC an alternative tostandard Silicon devices in powerelectronics. And the future lookspromising. In some markets, such as solar,SiC devices are already in operationdespite the fact that the prices for thosemodules are still higher by factors ascompared to conventional Silicon devices.Current designs are available in SiC hybridmodules (IGBT + SiC Schottky diodes)and full-SiC modules.

SiC hybrid modulesIn SiC hybrid modules, a conventionalIGBT is switched together with a SiCSchottky diode. Although the mainbenefits of SiC devices are clearly relatedto low dynamic losses, the static losses ofSiC Schottky diodes are discussed first. Oftentimes, the static losses of SiC

devices seem to be higher compared toconventional Silicon devices. Figure 1shows the forward voltage drop Vf of aconventional soft switching 600 VSEMIKRON CAL HD freewheeling diode, a

Fast Silicon diode optimized for lowswitching losses and a SiC Schottky diode,all rated at 10 A.At rated current of 10A, the Silicon

freewheeling diode reveals the lowestforward voltage drop, the Vf of the SiCSchottky diode is higher, whereas the FastSi diode shows the highest forwardvoltage drop. The temperaturedependence of the forward voltage isquite different: the Fast Silicon diode has anegative temperature coefficient, as Vf islower at 150°C than it is at 25°C. Thetemperature coefficient of the CAL ispositive for currents above 12 A and theSiC-Schottky diode, as characterized bypositive temperature coefficient even forcurrents as low as 4 A. Since diodes are often paralleled to

achieve high power devices, a positive

temperature coefficient is required toavoid unbalanced current sharing andinhomogeneous operation temperature ofthe paralleled diodes. Here the SiCSchottky diode shows the best behavior.But compared to the conventional Silicondiode, the static losses are higher for theSiC Schottky. As the diodes werecompared based on the nominal currentof 10A, it is important to take into accountthat the definition of nominal currents issometimes unequal between devices bydifferent suppliers. To gain better insight todevice performance, it is useful to the plotthe current density (forward currentdivided by chip area) as a function of theforward voltage drop, which takes intoaccount the chip area. Figure 2 shows thatfor equivalent current densities, theconventional Silicon and SiC Schottky

Figure 1: Forward current and forward voltage drop of different 10 A freewheeling diodes at 25°C and150°C (SiC Schottky diode, soft switching Silicon diode (CAL HD), and fast Silicon diode (Si-Fast))

Semikron-Feature_Layout 1 03/06/2013 14:28

www.semikron.com POWER MODULES 35


diode have quite similar forward voltagedrops, whereas the Vf of the Fast Si diodeis still highest. In other words: Silicon andSiC diodes have comparable static losses,as identical chip areas are used. UsuallySiC chips exploit smaller chip sizes, as thenominal current rating is done consideringstatic and dynamic losses, causing lowtotal losses, and therefore allow a chipsize shrink. Looking at the dynamic losses,the main benefit of SiC devices becomesclear (see Table 1).Compared to the conventional Silicon

diode, the reverse recovery current IRRMis more than 50 % lower for the SiCSchottky diode, the reverse recovery

charge QRR drops by a factor of 14 and theturn-off energy Eoff is lower by a factor of16. The Si Fast diode shows bettercharacteristics than the conventionalSilicon diode, yet it does not reach thesuperior dynamic characteristics of the SiCSchottky diode. Due to the low dynamiclosses of SiC Schottky diodes, the inverterlosses can be reduced significantly, savingexpenses for cooling and increasing thepower density of the inverter. In addition,the low dynamic losses make the SiCSchottky diodes ideal for high switchingfrequencies.On the other hand, fast-switching

freewheeling diodes may come with a

drawback, as the very steep decrease ofthe reverse current may lead to a currentcut-off and oscillations. In the case ofSilicon diodes, the current cut-off iscontrolled by soft turn-off characteristics.Figure 3 compares the turn-offcharacteristics of the CAL HD and the SiCSchottky freewheeling diodes.With the Silicon-based CAL HD diode,

the well-known soft turn-off behavior isobserved. As the reverse current isreduced smoothly, no over-voltage peaksnor oscillations are visible. On the otherhand, the soft turn-off behavior causes asignificant turn-off energy, because aconsiderable reverse current is flowing asthe voltage at the diode rises. The SiCSchottky diode basically does not showany reverse recovery charge, andconsequently an extreme low turn-offenergy. Due to the rapid decrease of thereverse current, small oscillations areinduced, visible as ripples in the reversecurrent and in the voltage drop. In ourcase, the fast turn-off behavior of the SiCSchottky diode was addressed by anoptimized chip layout on the DCB and alow stray inductance of the module.Consequently, the voltage oscillations aresmall and do not lead to significant over-voltage peaks. It is therefore possible tomanage the disadvantages of fast-switching diodes and fully exploit thebenefits of SiC Schottky diodes byoptimized module designs. In Figure 4the advantage of the SiC diodes is shownby comparison of a conventional Siliconmodule and a SiC hybrid moduleequipped with fast Silicon IGBTs and SiCSchottky diodes.As expected, the superior dynamic

behavior of the SiC Schottky diodesincreases the output power of the modulesignificantly. With the given chip setup,which was chosen for optimumperformance at higher switchingfrequencies, the usable output current canbe increased by more than 70 % at 30kHz. As the switching frequency risesfurther, the benefit of the hybrid SiCmodule is even larger. The lower losses and the resulting

higher power output on module level canbe exploited on several ways. Weight andvolume of inverters can be reducedsignificantly, important for example forautomotive and aerospace applications.Exploiting high switching frequenciessmaller LC-filters are possible, reducing

Figure 2: Forward voltage drop and current density (forward current divided by chip area) of thediodes in Figure 1

Table 1: Dynamicparameters of aconventional

Siliconfreewheeling

diode (CAL HD),a SiC Schottky

diode and a FastSilicon diode(1200 V, 10 A

rating)

LEFT Figure 3: Turn-off characteristics of Siliconand SiC freewheeling diodes. The turn-offenergy of the SiC diode is barely visible. As theturn-off energy of the SiC diode is small, thereverse current drops rapidly, leading to smalloscillations in reverse current and voltage


36 POWER MODULES www.semikron.com


size and inverter cost. Last but not least,the lower losses cause also an significantadvantage in energy efficiency, importantfor solar, UPS, and automotiveapplications.

Full SiC modulesUsing SiC switches like SiC MOSFETS theoverall losses of power modules can bedecreased even further. In Table 2, staticand dynamic losses of a 1200 V, 25 A 6-pack IGBT module are compared to a 20A Full-SiC module.

The static losses of the full SiC moduleare higher by 17 %, while the dynamiclosses are significantly lower: turn-on

losses are lower by a factor of 3, the turn-off losses by a factor of more than 6.Consequently, the usable output power ofa full SiC module much higher comparedto conventional Silicon technology,especially at higher switching frequencies(see Figure 5).

At switching frequencies higher than 20kHz, the output power of the full SiCmodule is more than 100 % higher ascompared to the IGBT module. Inaddition, there is little dependency of theoutput power on the switching frequency.In turn, the full SiC power module can beused up to very high switchingfrequencies, as the output power is only

Figure 4: Outputcurrent of aconventional Silicon6-pack module (1200V, 450 A trench IGBT+ CAL freewheelingdiode) and a SiChybrid 6-pack module(1200 V, 300 A FastIGBT + SiC Schottky).Thermal losscalculation of SKiM93modules on watercooler

Table 2: Static and dynamic losses of a 1200 V, 25 A IGBT module (trench IGBT + CAL diode) incomparison to a 20 A full SiC module (SiC MOSFET + SiC Schottky)

Figure 5: Outputpower Pout of a 1200V, 20 A 6-pack Full-SiC module and aconventional 1200 V,25 A 6-pack IGBTmodule

28 % lower at 40 kHz compared to theoutput power at 10 kHz. At switchingfrequencies lower than 5 kHz, the IGBTmodules shows higher output power. Thisis a result of the SiC chipset used in thefull SiC module, which was optimized forvery high switching frequencies.

An optimization for lower switchingfrequencies is also possible. Again, it isuseful to address the power density ofboth modules by considering the chipareas used for the Silicon and SiC chips. InFigure 6 the output power is divided bythe chip area, showing the power density.The power density of the full SiC moduleis much higher as compared to the IGBTmodule, even at switching frequencieslower than 5 kHz. An optimization of fullSiC modules for low switching frequenciesis therefore possible by using larger chipsizes. SiC devices can provide higheroutput currents and output power over abroad range of switching frequencies, asthe SiC chip sizes are adapted.

ConclusionsAt module level, SiC has two mainbenefits: smaller chip sizes and lowerdynamic losses. At system level, theseadvantages can be exploited in severalways. Lower dynamic losses lead to asignificant increase of the output power,offering the chance to save weight andvolume. Worth mentioning is the fact thatthis power increase can be achievedwithout additional cooling power. SinceSiC leads to an actual loss reductioncompared to Silicon devices, higher outputpower is possible with the same coolingefforts. Small power losses improve theenergy efficiency, enabling the design ofhigh efficient inverters, e.g. for solar andUPS applications. In addition, lowdynamic losses make SiC devices ideal forhigher switching frequencies above 20kHz.

Exploiting high switching frequenciesallows for reducing the cost and size of LCfiltering. Depending on the chip area used,SiC shows advantages also at switchingfrequencies as low as 4 kHz. Otheradvantages of SiC are related to theenhanced thermal heat dissipation andthe positive temperature coefficient,important for paralleling SiC chips. All ofthat makes SiC a very attractive materialfor a wide range of possible applications.However, the price of SiC power devices isstill higher by factors, causing the prices ofhybrid and full SiC modules to be muchhigher compared to conventional Siliconsolutions. These higher costs constrain themarket entry, and SiC solutions havefound their way into niche applicationsmainly. Cost evaluations show that inmany applications, the price of SiC


www.semikron.com POWER MODULES 37


modules needs to be 2-3 times higher inorder to achieve positive business cases.In some applications, higher prices maybe affordable, as benefits like small size,low weight, high efficiency, etc. canoutweigh the higher cost. Much more thanwith conventional Silicon solutions, thetotal cost of ownership needs to becarefully considered with SiC. Some benefits are not related directly

to higher power output or higher

efficiency. For example, reduced size andweight of wind inverters not only savesspace inside the wind installation, but alsoreduces transportation and installationefforts. SiC offers lots of benefits andforces designers of power systems to thinkdifferently, to review conventional designsand to find new ways to take fulladvantage of the SiC technology. Atmodule level, low inductive designs,optimized DCB layouts for extensive chip

paralleling and of course new assemblytechnologies like sinter technology forhigh reliability and high operatingtemperatures are needed. SEMIKRONsupports the SiC solutions by intensiveresearch, SiC devices can be assembled inall standard packages; optimized solutionsand topologies are evaluated in closerelationship with the customers, which isindeed necessary. Tailored solutions arethe way to be cost competitive.However, the price issue persists and

needs to be resolved for a broadbreakthrough of SiC devices in the powerelectronics market. And the outlook ispositive: according to market studies, theprices of SiC Schottky diodes are expectedto drop by ~30 %, the prices for SiCMOSFETs are expected to drop by about40 % within the next years, significantlyincreasing the competitiveness of SiC. Itcan be expected that the prices of hybridand full SiC modules will be suitable notonly for niche applications, but also forstandard solutions within the next 3 years.Indeed, it’s been a long way for SiC intopower electronics, and the quest for abroad market entry is not yet finished. Butthe signs are positive for SiC to become amature technology for power electronicapplications within the next years.

Figure 6: Outputpower divided bychip area showing thepower density of theused powersemiconductors.Thermal losscalculations on air-cooled heat sink,40°C ambienttemperature


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38 POWER MODULES www.vincotech.com


Pre-Applied Phase-ChangeMaterial Improves ThermalBehaviorThere are several advantages to using phase-change material (PCM) rather than conventional thermalgrease as the thermal interface material (TIM) between the power module and heatsink. Vincotech offersmodules with a layer of pre-applied PCM. The thermal interface material is applied in a layer with uniformthickness by a screen-printing process. This article describes the benefits of this phase-change material andprovides tips on handling modules. Patrick Baginski, Field Application Engineer, Vincotech,Unterhaching, Germany

Heat has to be transferred from themodule to the heatsink and thermalinterface material is a necessary evil thatgets the job done. However, thermalresistance increases if the layer is too thinor thick. This issue can be addressed bysupporting modules with a pre-appliedlayer of phase-change material. Themodule’s size and technology determinesthe layer’s thickness.The phase-change material is solid at

room temperature, so it requires no specialcare during transportation, handling andapplication. Because of its thixotropicconsistency, the material softens but doesnot flow when heated during soldering.The surface needs protection only if thepower module’s phase-change material

comes into contact with other objectsduring or directly after soldering, forexample, the soldering oven’s carpet. Thescreen-printing process is precise, therebymaximizing heat-transfer capability. Figure1 shows the backside of a flow0 modulewith pre-applied phase-change material.The user is spared the task of applying

thermal interface material, thereby savingtime and reducing the failure risk. Noadditional process step is needed at thecustomer’s side.

Properties of the phase-changematerial Vincotech uses Loctite PSX-Pm phase-change material. It has the advantage thatit can be applied by screen or stencil

printing. It is fluid during the applicationand dries out over time and temperature.Another strong advantage can be seen inTable 1. The thermal conductivity is muchhigher compared to a lot of standardthermal greases. This result in a lowerjunction temperature compared tomodules where usual grease is used. Andfor sure this material is silicone free. Oncethe phase-change material solidifies, themodule may be handled like anyconventional module. Faster, easier module mounting,

optimized thickness of the thermalinterface material, improved thermalresistance (Rth) and reduced risk of DBCcrack, no need for screen-printing facilities,automated screen printing for utmost

Figure 1: Moduleswith applied phase-

change material

Table 1: Physical and thermal properties of the phase-change material

Vincotech_0413_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:38

www.vincotech.com POWER MODULES 39


reliability, no risk of smearing of thethermal paste (material is solid at roomtemperature), standard solder profileapplicable (e.g. J-STD-001, J-STD-003),and compatible with press-fit pins aresome features of modules that are appliedwith this material.The physical and thermal properties of

the used phase-change material can beseen in Table 1. For more informationplease refer to the manufacturer’sdatasheet (http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/PSX-PM-EN.PDF).

Modules with pre-applied PCMVincotech offers its modules with a pre-applied layer of phase-change material. Allmodules are UL-listed; therefore moduleswith phase-change material are also UL-approved. They come in a standard blisterbox with a protective lid.Modules should be stored in these

blister boxes. No aging effect is known;means no expiration date. This compound was subjected to a

battery of tests like a TST and hightemperature storage to verify its reliability.Figure 2 shows the pattern of the appliedphase-change material onto the modulesbackside in thickness and dimension afterthe screen printing. The small triangle at

the top right of the printed phase-changepattern is one of four corner markers usedto align the press-in tool for modules withPress-fit pins.

Handling and operationThe module can be mounted to theheatsink after it has been soldered orpressed in. A special press-in block has tobe used in case of modules with Press-fitpins. The press-in block has to haveneedles because the phase-changematerial would stick on this block if a flatblock would be used.The procedure is the same as the

standard mounting process described inthe housing specifications or handlinginstructions, apart from one majordifference: screws to the heatsink can befastened and tightened in a single step.The phase-change material is solid at roomtemperature, so screws can be tightenedimmediately without having to give thematerial any relaxation time. Upon initial start-up, the Rth between the

junction and the heatsink of a systemwithout soft material will be 10 to 15 %higher than that of an operating system;that is, a system where the module isoperating a temperature higher than 45°Cand the phase-change material has

attained its ultimate thickness (Figure 3).The higher Rth is not a problem becausethe heatsink temperature is below 45 to50°C, a state at which chips cannotoverheat. Time-to-melt is a function oftemperature and the speed of temperaturechange. The material will not flow unlessheat and force are applied.Once the module has been mounted,

the system should be heated up (e.g.during the system’s burn-in test) whileleaving enough time for the phase-changematerial to melt. If the temperature of thePCM exceeds 45°C, the material will melt,fill gaps and after a short time provide anoptimal thermal connection between themodule and heatsink. Screws do not haveto be tightened again.The phase-change material returns to its

solid state when the temperature dropsbelow 45°C. This means the material’sphase changes every time it reaches 45°C.

ConclusionVincotech offers modules with pre-appliedphase-change material. This PCM isapplied in a screen printing process thatleaves an optimum and always consistentlayer thickness. This phase-change materialis thixotropic and therefore will not flowwithout the application of pressure.Standard soldering profiles may be used. Alid or a foil can prevent the phase-changematerial’s surface from coming into contactwith the soldering oven’s carpet. Powermodules with Press-fit pins and phase-change material are compatible. Pleaserefer to the module’s handling instructionsto learn more about this.

Figure 2: Dimension and pattern after screen-printing

Figure 3: Thermal resistance versus heatsink temperature


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Europe

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Vincotech_0413_Layout 1 03/06/2013 11:38

40 PRODUCT UPDATE


Infineon’s TRENCHSTOP™ 5 IGBT efficiency results in 60 % lower turn-offswitching losses compared to HighSpeed (H3) family plus mild positivetemperature coefficient of the saturation voltage, which is associated with theconduction losses. The gate charge is 2.5 times lower compared to H3,which translates into an IGBT that is easier to drive, offering a cost reductionsince the driver can be smaller. Furthermore, TRENCHSTOP 5 features atemperature stable forward voltage drop of the fast recovery free-wheelingdiode and reverse recovery time of less than 50 ns. Low output capacitanceprovides outstanding light-load efficiency, which is perfect for designs thatpredominately operate below 40 % of maximum rating. Applications includethe boost stage in photovoltaic inverters switching between 16 and 30 kHz,or UPS PFC stages and battery chargers switching between 20 and 70 kHz.The increased efficiency allows for either lower junction temperatures duringoperation, which ensures higher lifetime reliability, or higher power densitydesigns. The latter enables customers to rethink designs and adopt smallerpackages, for example implementing a TO-220 package instead of TO-247.Samples are available from 8A to 50A in TO-220, TO-220FP and TO-247packages.

www.infineon.com/trenchstop5

650 V TRENCHSTOP 5 IGBTs

The 420 W regulated UDQ2204/001 is the first in a series of DC/DCconverters from Murata Power Solutions to include a PMBus compatible digitalinterface. The UDQ series is packaged in the industry standard quarter-brickformat incorporating the ABC (Advanced Bus Converter) pinout for PMBuscommunications to an isolated DC/DC converter. Input voltage ranges from36 V–75 V with a typical efficiency of 95.5 % at 12 V output. To achieve thislevel of performance the UDQ utilizes a 32-bit ARM7 processor andproprietary firmware to control all critical functions. The module provides adigital interface (ABC pinout) supporting the PMBus standard for digital powermanagement in systems. By attaching the UDQ to the system’s I2C bus, anengineer can monitor Vin, Iin, Vout, Iout, and operating temperature. The PMBuscan be used to set warning flags for these parameters and allows the user tocustomize these and others. A GUI and evaluation boards are available toassist the power engineer in designing a state-of-the-art power system. Typicalapplications for the UDQ series include Distributed Power Architectures (DPA)and Intermediate Bus Architectures (IBA) in MicroTCA, data center, server,storage, networking, wireless base stations, fan trays, industrial and testequipment applications.

www.murata.eu

420 W PMBus Compliant1/4 Brick Converter

Vishay Intertechnology extends its optoelectronics portfolio with therelease of two series of 4-pin optocouplers. They offer a high CTR(Current Transfer Ratio) from 40% to 600% at low input currents ofdown to 1mA and a phototransistor output. The new series in theultra-compact SSOP-4 mini-flat package are available at distributorRutronik. The new series VOS618A and VOS617A feature a GaAsinfrared emitting diode and a Silicon planar phototransistor detector.DC input currents is 1 mA (VOS618A) and 5 mA (VOS617A). They aredesigned for isolated feedback loops, I/O isolation, and isolation inswitch-mode power supplies, AC adapters, motor drives, solarinvertors, networking switches, telecom line cards and homeappliances. The optocouplers, also known as opto-isolators, in thecompact half-pitch mini-flat package save more than 60 % boardspace compared to a DIP-4 package. Their package provides a 3750VRMS isolation voltage rating, a half lead pitch of 1.27 mm, packageheight of 2 mm and creepage and clearance distance of ≥5 mm.

www.rutronik.com

Low Input CurrentOptocouplers

Product Pages__Layout 1 03/06/2013 14:33

WEBSITE LOCATOR 41


AC/DC Connverters

www.irf.comInternational Rectifier Co. (GB) LtdTel: +44 (0)1737 227200

Diodes

Discrete Semiconductors

Drivers ICS

EMC/EMI

www.microsemi.comMicrosemiTel: 001 541 382 8028

Fuses

Ferrites & Accessories

GTO/Triacs

Hall Current Sensors

IGBTs

DC/DC Connverters

DC/DC Connverters


www.power.ti.comTexas InstrumentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.neutronltd.co.ukNeutron LtdTel: +44 (0)1460 242200

Harmonic Filters

www.murata-europe.comMurata Electronics (UK) LtdTel: +44 (0)1252 811666

Direct Bonded Copper (DPC Substrates)

www.curamik.co.ukcuramik electronics GmbHTel: +49 9645 9222 0


www.mark5.comMark 5 LtdTel: +44 (0)2392 618616


www.dgseals.comdgseals.comTel: 001 972 931 8463



www.digikey.com/europeDigi-KeyTel: +31 (0)53 484 9584


www.dextermag.comDexter Magnetic Technologies LtdTel: +44 (0)1189 402630

www.dextermag.comDexter Magnetic Technologies LtdTel: +44 (0)1189 402630


www.protocol-power.comProtocol Power ProductsTel: +44 (0)1582 477737

Busbars

www.auxel.comAuxel FTGTel: +44 (0)7714 699967

Capacitors

Certification

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

Connectors & Terminal Blocks


www.productapprovals.co.ukProduct Approvals LtdTel: +44 (0)1588 620192

www.proton-electrotex.com/ Proton-Electrotex JSC/Tel: +7 4862 440642;

www.voltagemultipliers.com Voltage Multipliers, Inc.Tel: 001 559 651 1402



Website Locator_p41-42 Website Locator 03/06/2013 14:42

42 WEBSITE LOCATOR


Power Modules

Power Protection Products

Power Semiconductors

Power Substrates

Resistors & Potentiometers

RF & Microwave TestEquipment.

Simulation Software

Thyristors

Smartpower Devices

Voltage References

Power ICs

Power Amplifiers

Switches & Relays

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Thermal Management &Heatsinks


www.rubadue.comRubadue Wire Co., Inc.Tel. 001 970-351-6100











www.ar-europe.ieAR EuropeTel: 353-61-504300



www.universal-science.comUniversal Science LtdTel: +44 (0)1908 222211

www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.dau-at.comDau GmbH & Co KGTel: +43 3143 23510

www.lairdtech.comLaird Technologies LtdTel: 00 44 1342 315044

www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399



www.isabellenhuette.deIsabellenhütte Heusler GmbH KGTel: +49/(27 71) 9 34 2 82

ADVERTISERS INDEXAgilent.............................................................................9

Cascade ........................................................................12

Cornell Dubiliers.........................................................17

CT Concepts ................................................................11

Danfoss .......................................................................22

Drives and Controls 2014.......................................IBC

Fuji.................................................................................33

HKR .................................................................................8

International Rectifier............................................OBC

Infineon ......................................................................IFC

Isabellenhutte .............................................................24

Ixys ................................................................................29

LEM...............................................................................23

Omicron .........................................................................7

Semikron........................................................................4

The Bergquist Company ..........................................21

Mosfets

Magnetic Materials/Products

Test & Measurement

Line Simulation

Optoelectronic Devices


Packaging & Packaging Materials






www.biaspower.comBias Power, LLCTel: 001 847 215 2427

www.digikey.com/europeDigi-Key Tel: +31 (0)53 484 9584


www.digikey.com/europeDigi-Key Tel: +31 (0)53 484 9584






www.abl-heatsinks.co.ukABL Components LtdTel: +44 (0) 121 789 8686

www.rohrer-muenchen.deRohrer GmbH Tel.: +49 (0)89 8970120

www.hero-power.com Rohrer GmbH Tel.: +49 (0)89 8970120

www.rohrer-muenchen.deRohrer GmbHTel.: +49 (0)89 8970120

Website Locator_p41-42 Website Locator 03/06/2013 14:42

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DFA Media Ltd . 192 The High Street . Tonbridge TN9 1BE . UK . tel: +44 1732 370340 . [email protected]

ContactDoug Devlin on: t: +44 (0) 1922 644766 m: +44 (0) 7803 624471 e: [email protected]

Mark Barton on: t: +44 (0) 1732 370 341 m: +44 (0) 7912 847 043 e: [email protected]

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Drives 2014 Jigsaw ad A4 5 piece_Layout 1 30/04/2013 17:12 Page 1

For more information call +49 (0) 6102 884 311or visit us at www.irf.com

StrongIRFET™ Rugged,Reliable MOSFETs

Specifications Features:• Ultra low RDS(on)

• High current capability

• Industrial qualified

• Broad portfolio offering

Applications:• Battery Packs

• Inverters

• UPS

• Solar Inverter

• DC Motors

• ORing or Hotswap

Part Number BVDSS

ID@ 25°C

RDS(on) max@ Vgs = 10V

Qg@Vgs = 10V

Package

IRFH7004TRPbF 40 V 100 A 1.4 m 134 nC PQFN 5x6



IRF7946TRPbF 40 V 90 A 1.4 m 141 nC DirectFETMedium Can

IRFS7437TRLPbF 40 V 195 A 1.8 m 150 nC D2-Pak

IRFS7440TRLPbF 40 V 120 A 2.8 m 90 nC D2-Pak

IRFS7437TRL7PP 40 V 195 A 1.5 m 150 nC D2-Pak 7pin

IRFR7440TRPbF 40 V 90 A 2.5 m 89 nC D-Pak

IRFB7430PbF 40 V 195 A 1.3 m 300 nC TO-220AB


IRFB7437PbF 40 V 195 A 2 m 150 nC TO-220AB



IRFP7430PbF 40 V 195 A 1.3 m 300 nC TO-247

THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER

44_PEE_0413_Layout 03/06/2013 14:34 Page 1

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