Infineon targets automotive markets with SiC technology
Semiconductor components based on silicon carbide promise higher energy efficiency and thus lower energy losses than conventional silicon components. At the same time, they can be operated at higher temperatures. Against this background, they should be the ideal candidates for use in the car. The technology was not yet fully developed, but now Infineon intends to introduce it to the vehicle market. The first product family of Schottky diodes, for which the manufacturer has coined the brand name CoolSiC.
“SiC technology is now ready for mass use in automobiles,” says Stephan Zizala, Vice President and General Manager for Automotive High Power at Infineon. “The introduction of the Automotive CoolSiC Schottky diode family marks a milestone in the development of Infineon’s SiC product portfolio for on-board chargers, DC/DC converters and converter systems.
The new product family is based on the fifth generation of Schottky diodes from Infineon. The chip manufacturer has further optimized these to meet the high demands of the automotive industry for robustness and reliability. Thanks to a new passivation layer concept, this family offers the highest protection against moisture and corrosion in competition. Furthermore, thanks to the underlying 110µm thin-wafer technology, it has one of the best FOM values (Figure of Merit, Qc x Vf) in its class. A lower FOM value means lower power losses.
Compared to the conventional Silicon Rapid Diode, the CoolSiC Automotive Schottky diode can increase the efficiency of an OBC by one percentage point under all charging conditions. He service life of an electric car distributed allows savings in CO2 emissions in the order of several hundred kilograms.
The first derivative of the new diodes will be available from September 2018 for the 650V class. The new products with 3-pole standard TO247 housings can be integrated into an OBC system and optimally used in combination with the TRENCHSTOP IGBT and CoolMOS products from Infineon.
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