Embedded MOSFET boost for 48V powertrain designs

Technology News | May 6, 2019

By Nick Flaherty

With this approch, an embedded MOSFET is not soldered to boards as before, but integrated into the substrate. The thermal advantages associated with this should enable a significantly higher power density; in addition, this technology increases system reliability, says Dr. Frank Findeis, who is responsible for Infineon’s business with automotive MOSFETs. “The bottom line is that system developers can increase the performance of a 48 V system or make it more cost-efficient.”

Continental Powertrain is the first to use this embedded MOSFET technology, with production starting in 2021. “Chip embedding of power MOSFETs opens up completely new possibilities for the electrification of mild hybrid vehicles,” says Dr. Rolf Merte, CEO at Schweizer Electronic. “The fact that one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers has opted for our technology underlines its potential.

Continental Powertrain uses the embedded MOSFET technology in a 48 V starter generator for vehicles of a major European car manufacturer. “Chip embedding allows us to increase performance by 60 percent compared to a conventional system,” said Dietmar Vogt, System Technical Project Leader at Continental Powertrain.

48 V starter generators make a major contribution to the fact that mild hybrid vehicles emit up to around 15 percent less CO₂ than with conventional powertrains. With them, the engine can stop more frequently and longer than with a 12 V start-stop system. They can also reduce the load on the combustion engine by boosting when accelerating. When braking, they recuperate more kinetic energy than a 12 V system, helping to charge the battery in the hybrid powertrain.

Infineon contributes its OptiMOS 5 power MOSFETs to the new approach for powertrain designers, while Schweizer is providing its embedding technology Smart p² Pack. The two companies plan to start mass production in 2021.