Power Semiconductors Weekly Vol. 6

GeneSiC’s New 3rd Generation SiC MOSFETs Featuring the Industry’s Best Figure-of-Merits

GeneSiC Semiconductor’s next-generation 1200V G3R™SiC MOSFETs with RDS(ON) levels ranging from 20 mΩ to 350 mΩ deliver unprecedented levels of performance, robustness and quality that exceeds its counterparts. System benefits include higher efficiency, faster switching frequency, increased power density, reduced ringing (EMI) and compact system size.

GeneSiC announced the availability of its industry-leading 3rd generation Silicon Carbide MOSFETs that feature industry-leading performance, robustness and quality to harness never before seen levels of efficiency and system reliability in automotive and industrial applications.

These G3R™ SiC MOSFETs, offered in optimized low-inductance discrete packages (SMD and through hole), are highly optimized for power system designs requiring elevated efficiency levels and ultra-fast switching speeds. These devices have substantially better performance levels as compared to competing products. An assured quality, supported by fast turn-around high volume manufacturing further enhances their value proposition.

ON Semiconductor Announce New 650V Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

ON Semiconductor, driving energy efficient innovations, has announced a new range of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET devices for demanding applications where power density, efficiency and reliability are key considerations. By replacing existing silicon switching technologies with the new SiC devices, designers will achieve significantly better performance in applications such as electric vehicles (EV) on-board chargers (OBC) , solar inverters , server power supply units (PSU) , telecoms and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) .

ON Semiconductor’s new automotive AECQ101 and industrial grade qualified 650 volt (V) SiC MOSFETs are based upon a new wide bandgap material that provides superior switching performance and improved thermals when compared to silicon. This results in improved efficiency at the system level, enhanced power density, reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) and reduced system size and weight.

The new generation of SiC MOSFETs employ a novel active cell design combined with advanced thin wafer technology enabling best in class figure of merit Rsp (Rdson*area) for 650 V breakdown voltage. The NVBG015N065SC1 , NTBG015N065SC1, NVH4L015N065SC1 and NTH4L015N065SC1 have the lowest Rdson (12 mOhm) in the market in D2PAK7L and To247 packages. This technology is also optimized around energy loss figure of merits, optimizing performance in automotive and industrial applications. An internal gate resistor (Rg) allows more flexibility to designers eliminating the need to slow down devices artificially with external gate resistors. Higher surge, avalanche capability and short circuit robustness all contribute to enhanced ruggedness that delivers higher reliability and longer device lifetimes.

NXP and Infineon Plants Hit by Power Outage in Texas Storm

NXP Semiconductors has had to shut down its wafer fab and assembly plants in Austin, Texas, after power was diverted to residents and hospitals. The same has happened to fabs run by Infineon and Samsung in the area.

A major winter storm in Texas has seen rolling power cuts as the electricity generation failed to cope. As a result, electricity and natural gas providers have temporarily suspended service to Austin semiconductor manufacturers, including NXP, requiring the company to idle manufacturing at its two Austin facilities. This will impact on the work in progress in the wafer fab which was acquired with Freescale in 2015 and makes automotive microcontrollers.

Affected customers are being notified directly by NXP of the potential for supply disruptions. Only once power is restored will the company be able to say what will happen with the disrupted production. This will not help after profits fell during the Covid-19 pandemic and automotive chip shutdown and resulting shortages.

TSMC to Help Automotive Industry with Semiconductor Supplies

Recently, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan approached the semiconductor industry in Taiwan to ask for help with automotive semiconductors’ production. The automotive industry is a key industry for many countries, and its inability to restart hurts global economies and could push some automotive companies into financial trouble.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, four major semiconductor foundries have agreed to try and help out with the situation, with TSMC being one of the more notable foundries. TSMC has announced that it will prioritise the manufacture of automotive parts despite the supply chain being long and complex.

Before the automotive crises, automotive devices only accounted for 3% of TSMC total sales with laptops and SoCs being the biggest at around 50%. However, the reallocation of resources to produce automotive parts has now seen this percentage rise to 27% of sales.

Chipmaker Renesas Halts Ibaraki Plant Operations on Quake Checks

Japan’s Renesas Electronics Corp. said it halted operations at its Ibaraki factory to inspect the building’s clean rooms after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake late Saturday.

The chipmaker has power and all utility equipment is functioning, but it decided to cancel Sunday’s production for detailed inspections of the clean rooms as a precaution, the company’s spokeswoman said. It remains unclear when operations would resume.

The Ibaraki factory was forced to shut down for three months after the 2011 earthquake, which destroyed the building. The Renesas spokeswoman said the building looked fine, but she declined to comment on the resumption as employees have only just started inspecting the clean rooms.

Industrial Wide-Bandgap Developer Forum

Infineon invites everyone to the Industrial Wide-Bandgap Developer Forum on 11 March 2021 – streamed from the studio in Munich. Si, SiC or GaN – What is the best fit and why? Learn more about the different semiconductor technologies and understand the value proposition of each one.

Learn more about the different semiconductor technologies and understand the value proposition of each one. Get deep insights into special aspects like gate driving and low inductive designs. Discover the advantages of CoolGaN^TM, providing highest efficiency and power density at fast switching frequencies in medium power applications. Get familiar with the special reliability aspects critical to emerging technologies.

Don’t forget to register by 10 March 2021 latest.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a link enabling you to join the 2021 Industrial Wide-Bandgap Developer Forum.

GaN for Appliance and Industrial Applications

The presentation covers the Power Integrations InnoSwitch3 PowiGaN families of ICs, covering basic operation, features and benefits. There will be the discussion about the PowiGaN products and explanation how GaN switches will come to dominate the power conversion market. There are five power conversion families that incorporate PowiGaN switches – InnoSwitch3-CP, EP, Pro, MX and LYTSwitch-6. Each has their own unique feature set.

Key Takeaways

Learn the basic operation of InnoSwitch3 PowiGaN ICs
Understand PowiGaN features and benefits compared to conventional silicon-based switches
Gather why PowiGaN is more robust, reliable and easier to use than conventional silicon designs
Gain confidence selecting PowiGaN technology by understanding the excellent reliability achieved by these products already shipping in high volume

PCIM Europe to Be Held Digitally Only from 3 – 7 May 2021

Due to the ongoing pandemic and its effects, the PCIM Europe exhibition and conference are to take place digitally only. During the “PCIM Europe digital days” exhibitors and speakers can network and exchange views on product innovations and research findings with visitors and participants.

In addition to extensive exhibitor profiles, participants can expect an outstanding conference program with live and video-on-demand presentations from industry and academia, followed by discussions with the speakers. Detailed information will be available shortly.

At the beginning of February, the decision was made to postpone the PCIM Europe to late summer following talks with exhibitors and partners. In light of the ongoing pandemic and challenging situation, numerous industry players have been hesitant to commit to an on-site event. For this reason, Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH has decided to hold a digital event only.

Find more information about power semiconductors in Marketing in Power Electronics section of the website.