Atom Power’s silicon carbide modules achieve UL 1557 certification

Atom Power of Charlotte, NC, USA, which invented what is claimed to be the only commercial digital solid-state circuit breaker, says that its SWXFT100CPM and SWXFT50CPM silicon carbide (SiC) power modules are now certified to the UL 1557 standard of Underwriters Laboratories. Atom Power’s Atom Switch was recently the first of its kind listed to the UL 489I standard.

Atom Power is said to be the first company to use wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors in commercially available solid-state circuit breakers. Most module packages for WBG semiconductors are designed for power conversion applications (AC-to-DC or DC-to-AC), so that existing off-the-shelf WBG package designs are not conducive for circuit protection applications, notes the firm. To reduce costs and create a more manufacturable product for the future, the team needed a better implementation than was readily available.

“Our team was challenged by the limitations of off-the-shelf designs,” says chief technology officer Denis Kouroussis. “To make the best product possible for our next generation of circuit breakers, we took the module manufacturing of our wide-bandgap semiconductors in-house and designed them to our specific requirements.”

Atom Power says that its proprietary SiC module design allows it to vertically integrate its future circuit breaker products with the flexibility to design for all frame sizes of circuit protection in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Atom Power’s intelligent product suite currently includes a first-generation circuit breaker (Atom Switch), distribution panel (Atom Panel) and software (Atom OS) that forms what is claimed to be the fastest ever power distribution system, enabling circuit interruption capabilities up to 100,000A and reducing electrical explosion hazards to almost zero.

“Commercial and industrial buildings are long overdue for safer, smarter power distribution and circuit protection,” says CEO Ryan Kennedy. “We are proud to see our mission come to fruition with our silicon carbide semiconductor modules as UL Recognized, which will enable our next generation of solid-state circuit breakers to be more easily manufactured at a reduced cost.”

Tags: SiC power modules

Visit: www.atompower.com