Renesas lança IGBTs Si de nova geração para inversores EV

Renesas launches new generation Si IGBTs for EV inverters

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced the development of a new generation of Si-IGBTs (silicon insulated gate bipolar transistors), which will be offered in a small footprint, providing low power losses.

Aimed at inverters for next-generation electric vehicles (EVs), the AE5 generation IGBTs will be mass-produced from the first half of 2023 on Renesas' 200 and 300 mm wafer lines at the company's factory in Naka, Japan. In addition Additionally, Renesas will increase production from the first half of 2024 at its new 300mm power semiconductor wafer fab in Kofu, Japan, to meet growing demand for power semiconductor products.

The silicon-based AE5 process for IGBTs achieves a 10% reduction in power losses compared to current generation AE4 products, an energy savings that will help EV developers save battery power and increase driving range. Furthermore, the new products are approximately 10% smaller, maintaining high robustness.

The new Renesas devices achieve the industry's highest level of performance for IGBTs, optimally balancing low power loss and robustness tradeoffs. Furthermore, the new IGBTs significantly improve performance and security as modules by minimizing parameter variations between IGBTs and providing stability when operating IGBTs in parallel.

These features give engineers greater flexibility to design smaller inverters that achieve high performance.

“Demand for automotive power semiconductors is growing rapidly as electric vehicles become more widely available,” said Katsuya Konishi, vice president of Renesas Power Systems Business Division. “Renesas IGBTs provide robust and highly reliable power solutions that build on our experience in manufacturing automotive power products over the past seven years. With the latest devices that will soon be in mass production, we are providing ideal features and cost performance for mid-range EV inverters that are expected to grow rapidly in the future.”

Characteristics

  • Four products aimed at 400-800 V inverters: 750 V withstand voltage (220 and 300 A) and 1200 V withstand voltage (150 and 200 A)
  • Stable performance over the entire operating junction temperature range of -40° to 175° C
  • The highest level of performance in the industry with Vce voltage (saturation voltage) of 1.3 V, a key value for minimizing power loss
  • 10% higher current density compared to conventional products and small chip size (100 mm 2 /300A) optimized for low power losses and high input resistance
  • Stable parallel operation reducing parameter variations for VGE(off) to ±0.5V
  • Maintains Reverse Bias Safe Operating Area (RBSOA) with a maximum Ic current pulse of 600A at junction temperatures of 175°C and a highly robust short circuit withstand time of 4µs at 400V.
  • 50% reduction in temperature dependence of gate resistance (Rg). This minimizes high-temperature switching losses, low-temperature voltage spikes, and short-circuit withstand time, supporting high-performance designs.
  • Available as plain die (wafer)
  • It allows a reduction in inverter energy losses, improving energy efficiency by up to 6% compared to the current AE4 process at the same current density, allowing EVs to travel longer distances and use fewer batteries.

Inverter solution

EVs, the engines that power vehicles, are controlled by inverters. Switching devices such as IGBTs are essential for minimizing the power consumption of EVs, as inverters convert DC power to AC power required by electric vehicle motors. To help developers, Renesas offers the xEV inverter reference solution, a functional hardware reference design that combines an IGBT, microcontroller, power management IC (PMIC), gate driver IC and fast recovery diode ( FRD).

Renesas also offers the xEV Inverter Kit, which is a hardware implementation of the reference design. In addition, Renesas provides a motor parameter calibration tool and the xEV inverter application model and software, which combines an application model and sample software to control the motor.

These Renesas tools and support programs are designed to help customers simplify their software development efforts. Renesas plans to add new generation IGBTs to these hardware and software development kits to enable even better power efficiency and performance in a smaller footprint.

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