Power Semiconductors Weekly Vol. 31

Keysight Launches Scienlab Battery Pack Test System with High Voltage Silicon Carbide Technology

Keysight Technologies, Inc., a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced the Scienlab SL1700A Series, the next generation battery pack test system for high voltage battery packs – up to 1500 V for automotive and industrial application.

Customers need vast labs with multiple test channels to develop batteries, but space and power supplies are limited. Keysight’s SL1700A Series utilizes new high voltage silicon carbide (SiC) technology to achieve higher efficiency and energy recovery capabilities, which is crucial to reduce overall lab costs. It provides high power in a small footprint and is modular and upgradable to address future power needs.

“Our next generation battery pack test systems based on high voltage SiC technology, provide more power and higher voltages in less space, when compared to similar systems,” said Michael Schugt, managing technology director of Keysight’s Automotive & Energy Solutions group. “When combined with the solutions energy efficiency, it allows our customers to design new batteries in their lab with greater flexibility.”

A battery pack is a complex system involving high voltages and currents, electrical and mechanical components, cooling system and a battery management system (BMS). All components require thorough testing to draw conclusions about the durability, range, efficiency and heating of the pack. Keysight’s SL1700A Series addresses these requirements and offers the following key features:

A small footprint to deliver high power and more output in a reduced space
High energy recovery capabilities, reducing energy consumption and lowering lab running costs
Synchronized control of all components in the test environment, including climate chamber, conditioning of the device under test (DUT) and BMS
Recorded measured values to use as a variable during the remainder of the test sequence
Direct evaluation of data using practical analysis tools: post-processing is not necessary

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Expansion of the Crystal Pulling Hall at Siltronic’s Freiberg Site

Siltronic AG broke ground to extend the crystal pulling hall at its Freiberg site, which was inaugurated in 2016. In the extension of the Siltronic building monocrystals will be pulled, to produce 300 mm wafers used by the chip industry.

Once completed, the new extension will provide capacity for further state-of-the-art crystal pulling equipment. “Striving for continuous improvement and developing innovative products are among the most important tasks to ensure and expand our top technology position in the wafer industry. This makes Siltronic an attractive and sustainable employer,” explains Dr. Christoph von Plotho, CEO of Siltronic AG. “With the new crystal pulling equipment, we are well prepared for the future to continue to be at the top of global competition in the semiconductor industry.” The extension is planned to be completed by the end of the next year.

Since Siltronic took over Freiberger Elektronikwerkstoffe GmbH in 1995, the company already invested more than EUR 1 billion at the Freiberg site in Saxony. “The investment in this new building shows that Siltronic remains clearly committed to the Freiberg site,” von Plotho affirms.

A College of Semiconductor Research is Established at NTHU

National Tsing Hua University’s (NTHU) plan to establish a College of Semiconductor Research (CoSR) has been approved by the Ministry of Education and student recruitment will soon follow. President Hocheng Hong said that the institute will be headed by Academician of Academia Sinica Burn J. Lin, whose research in immersion lithography has a major impact on the semiconductor industry worldwide. He added that with Lin’s leadership, combined with NTHU’s strength in technology and interdisciplinary studies, the CoSR will certainly become a major force in semiconductor industry.

In addition to international companies such as Micron Technology and Tokyo Electron, the CoSR is being supported by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, GlobalWafers, Unimicron, United Microelectronics, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Novatek Microelectronics, and Nanya Technology, with an annual endowment totaling over NT$130 million.

This college will consist of four disciplines: Semiconductor Device, Semiconductor Design, Semiconductor Process, and Semiconductor Material. Each year it will enroll about 80 master’s students and 20 doctoral students. The first batch of students will be admitted as early as the spring of 2022.

President Hocheng further indicates that NTHU is the only university in greater China that has three Nobel laureates amongst its alumni. Moreover, NTHU has been rated among the top 100 schools worldwide in electrical engineering and computer science, materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, machinery, and statistics—placing it in an excellent position to turn out graduates with a broad-based creative vision, the basis of cutting-edge research.

Dr. Lin said that domestic universities already turn out plenty graduates for the semiconductor industry in Taiwan, so that the CoSR’s main focus should be on raising the nation’s international competitiveness. To realize this vision, Lin wants to cultivate each student into a specialist, generalist, innovator and problem solver. A student first acquires the ability to dig deep in a given field of the semiconductor technology, thus becomes a sought-after specialist. However, the semiconductor technology encompasses too many fields for any individual to comprehend all. He has to work with people of other disciplines as a team. He needs to be proficient in related fields in order to communicate with other specialists, thus, has to be a generalist.

Besides being broad, the technology also progresses at an awesome pace. The specialist/generalist got to be able to solve new problems and be innovative for revolutionary approaches. Only when someone fully proficient in all three aspects will he be able to become a formidable leader in semiconductor research.

During his 22 years at IBM Research in the United States, Lin was credited with many ground-breaking innovations. He joined TSMC in 2000, and in 2002 he began to develop immersion lithography, which has had a tremendous impact on the semiconductor industry.

Semicon Taiwan 2021 is a Journey

SEMI Taiwan announced the main theme of SEMICON Taiwan 2021, which is “SEMICON Taiwan 2021 is a Journey: Spearheading Next-Generation Semiconductor Technologies.” In an effort to expand the scale of the exhibit, SEMI Taiwan will, starting September, hold five online forums focusing on key technologies; the exhibit is scheduled to be held in Q4 2021 after the online forums. The online forums are open for registration. Early bird discounts are available before the end of August.

“SEMICON Taiwan 2021 is a Journey. For us, this is the first time that we are holding an online technology forum in advance of the exhibit itself. This journey allows us to offer the most forward-looking platforms for communication within the semiconductor industry,” said Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Taiwan, SEMI. “Our goal is ‘Forward as One.’ SEMI will continue to move forward with the semiconductor industry by providing professionals within the global supply chain a three-month long online and offline exhibition experience. The new experience is to let online forums go first and the physical exhibition comes second. We aim to provide the most internationalized and the only professional semiconductor exhibition platform in Taiwan, to promote technology exchange and development, and to position the semiconductor industry as a driver that spearheads the progress of industries in Taiwan.”

SEMICON Taiwan 2021 recently announced the rescheduling of its physical exhibition. However, those who pay close attention to the development of the semiconductor industry still have an opportunity to explore the latest market trends and engage technical exchanges starting from September – SEMICON Taiwan 2021 will be opened with a series of online forums that span from September to December, and then comes the physical exhibition as the finale.

The online forums (see program-at-a-glance) starting from September will bring together industry heavyweight executives and speakers to discuss the latest hot topics and technology applications in the market now, including: power & opto semiconductor, smart manufacturing, ESG and sustainable manufacturing, smart MedTech, and cybersecurity:

Power and Opto Semiconductor Week, 9/7-9/9, 2021: SEMI Taiwan will give you in-depth analyses on the competitive advantages of Taiwan’s next-generation semiconductors and have discussion on three main key technologies, including the applications and future trends of compound semiconductors in radio frequency (RF), power and opto semiconductors, while touching upon gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and the industry trends driven by electric vehicles and 5G. It also marks the first time for the Hon Hai (Foxconn) Research Institute to be working with SEMI Taiwan to hold its ‘NExT Forum’ during the Power and Opto Semiconductor Week that will feature speakers from TSMC, WIN Semiconductors and Foxconn, as well as Nobel Prize winners.

Smart Manufacturing Forum, 9/23-9/24, 2021: The topic SEMI Taiwan proposed here is how digital transformation via smart manufacturing. What’s happening about high-tech smart manufacturing in the world will be talked about, whereas how artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, edge and hybrid cloud, digital twin, and IT technology development and other applications are used in the industrial ecosystem to achieve digital transformation in businesses will also be discussed. The speakers are going to share some best practices and insights regarding resilient supply chains, enhancing cross-region/plant production efficiency, and high-tech smart factories, as well as how to adapt to a ‘new normal’ and the challenges coming with it.

SEMI ESG and Sustainable Manufacturing Summit, 10/6-10/8, 2021: This is a ‘must join’ event centering on the most discussed issue now – high-tech and environmental sustainability plus ESG. SEMI will share the future roadmap and technological development in energy management, zero waste, net-zero emission, circular economy and green manufacturing.

Smart MedTech Forum, to be held on 10/13, 2021: As the government, industry, academia and research institutes are coming to realize that ‘precision health’ will be the next big thing, SEMI Taiwan is holding this forum in the hope to strengthen the interaction between the technology and the healthcare industries, and accelerate the development of technology to make the ‘precision health’ dream come true. Not only emerging technologies and applications of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and digital technology will be thoroughly discussed, we will also take a look at how microelectronics could be instrumental in a cross-sector cooperation model in healthcare, thereby creating a ‘cross-discipline and upgraded’ new ecosystem that is pursuing ‘precision preventive medicine and health promotion’.

Cybersecurity Global Summit, 10/20-10/21, 2021: Responding to the trends of smart manufacturing and digital transformation, frequent hacking incidents, and the operational needs of the post-COVID ‘new normal’, many companies have been working tirelessly to improve their performance and ensure the digital transformation process nice and smooth, while making cybersecurity of the supply chain ecosystem their top priority. This summit will be joined by some of the most prominent speakers from the industry who will be talking about the trends of supply chain cybersecurity for high-tech manufacturing, global cybersecurity standards and frameworks, cybersecurity guidelines for business, and hacking and network security. You are more than welcome to take part in the discussion on the key industry cybersecurity governance strategies.

Registration is now open for SEMICON Taiwan 2021 Online Forums. Don’t miss our early bird discounts that end on August 31.

STMicroelectronics Webinar: New SLLIMM HP Intelligent Power Module for Motor Control Applications

Higher power density, integration and reliability are the fundamental ingredients for better high-power motor control applications.

Join STMicroelectronics’ webinar to find out more about ST’s SLLIMM family of Intelligent Power Modules for motor control applications and discover their wide product portfolio of IPM for power applications as high as 5kW thanks to the new SLLIMM High Power module.

ST’s IGBT technology and power packages boost performance and maximize efficiency in high power 3-phase inverters such as commercial air-conditioners, servo drives and general-purpose inverters.

ST will provide benchmarks for comparison with key competition and show you the wealth of support material available to help you quickly come to terms with STPOWER SLLIMM implementation.

You will learn

how to identify and select the right STPOWER SLLIMM module for your application
how the new SLLIMM HP can drive high power applications like HVAC and servo motors up to 5kW
about the comprehensive support available and where to follow ST authorized partners

Agenda

Market Overview
Discrete IGBTs for Motor Control
Introduction to STPOWER SLLIMM IPMs
New SLLIMM HP series overview
STGIK50CH65T application bench testing
STGIK50CH65T board support material

There will be a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar where ST’s experts will be available to answer your questions.

Registration information

This webinar will be broadcast twice, at convenient times for international audiences. Please review the times listed below and register for the most appropriate option for your time zone.

For EMEA: August 24^th, 2021 at 3:00 pm CEST
For Americas: August 24^th, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT

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