News: Microelectronics
3 May 2021
Infineon launches first automotive-qualified SiC six-pack power module for EV traction inverters
At the virtual PCIM Europe (Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion) Digital Days trade show, Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany is introducing a new power module based on automotive CoolSiC trench MOSFET technology for high-power density and high-performance applications.
In production now and available from June, the HybridPACK Drive CoolSiC is a full-bridge module with 1200V blocking voltage optimized for traction inverters in electric vehicles (EV). This offers higher efficiency in inverters with longer ranges and lower battery costs, particularly for vehicles with 800V battery systems and larger battery capacity.
“The 800V system of the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) represents the technological basis for the next generation of electric vehicles with reduced charging time,” notes Dr Jin-Hwan Jung, head of the Electrification Development Team at Hyundai Motor Group. “By using traction inverters based on Infineon’s CoolSiC power module, we were able to increase the range of the vehicle by more than 5% because of efficiency gains resulting from the lower losses of this SiC solution compared to silicon-based solutions,” he adds.
“The automotive e-mobility market has become highly dynamic, paving the ground for ideas and innovation,” says Mark Münzer, head of Innovation and Emerging Technology at Infineon. “As the price of SiC devices significantly decreases, the commercialization of SiC solutions will accelerate, resulting in more cost-efficient platforms adopting SiC technology to improve the range of electric vehicles,” he believes.
The HybridPACK Drive was first introduced in 2017 using Infineon’s silicon EDT2 technology, specifically optimized to deliver the best efficiency on a real-world driving cycle. It offers a scalable power range of 100-180kW within the 750V and 1200V class. This product is Infineon’s market-leading power module, with a track record of more than 1 million units shipped for more than 20 electric vehicle platforms. The new CoolSiC version is based on Infineon’s SiC trench MOSFET structure. Compared with planar structures, the trench structure enables a higher cell density, resulting in what is claimed to be the best-in-class figure of merit. Trench MOSFETs can therefore be operated at lower gate-oxide field strengths, resulting in increased reliability.
Picture: The HybridPACK Drive CoolSiC module, which offers an upscale path from silicon to SiC with the same footprint.
The power module offers an easy upscale path from silicon to silicon carbide with the same footprint. This allows the inverter design to achieve higher power of up to 250kW in the 1200V class, greater driving range, smaller battery size and optimized system size and cost. To offer an optimal cost-performance ratio for different power levels, the new product is available in two versions with different chip counts, resulting in either a 400A or 200A DC rating version in the 1200V class.
CoolSiC automotive MOSFET technology
The first generation of CoolSiC automotive MOSFET technology is optimized for use in traction inverters, with a focus on achieving the lowest conduction losses, especially under partial load conditions. Combined with the low switching losses of SiC MOSFETs, this enables an efficiency gain in inverter operation compared with silicon IGBTs.
Infineon says that, in addition to optimizing performance, it puts great emphasis on reliability. Automotive CoolSiC MOSFETs are designed and tested to achieve short-circuit robustness and a high degree of cosmic-ray and gate-oxide robustness (key for designing efficient and reliable automotive traction inverters and other high-voltage applications). The HybridPACK Drive CoolSiC power module is fully qualified to the AQG324 norm for automotive power modules.
The HybridPACK Drive CoolSiC power module is being showcased at Infineon’s Virtual Power Conference (available live, 4-6 May), which complements the PCIM Europe Digital Days event.
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