Key milestone for SiC module in harsh outdoor environments
“SiC components enable the design of compact, lightweight, low–loss converters required for railway transport applications,” said Michel Piton, semiconductor master expert at Alstom. “Achieving the benchmark for temperature and humidity under high bias voltage is a key milestone for SiC devices in its adoption into our demanding market.” This allows system designers to use this device in outdoor applications such as transportation, wind, solar and other renewables where extreme environmental conditions have historically challenged safe device operation.
The WAS300M12BM2 is rated for 300 A and 1.2 kV blocking and was stressed in an 85 percent relative humidity, 85°C ambient while biased at 80 percent of rated voltage (960V).
Powered by Wolfspeed’s CPM2-1200-0025A MOSFETs and Gen5 Schottky diodes that also pass the harsh environment test at the die level, the new module has a low 4.2 mΩ on-resistance and more than five times lower switching losses than similarly rated, latest generation IGBT modules. Module construction uses high thermal conductivity aluminium nitride substrates and optimized assembly methods to meet industry thermal and power cycling requirements.
“This device is yet another industry-first driven by Wolfspeed,” said John Palmour, Wolfspeed’s chief technology officer. “The latest 1200V module demonstrates our commitment to enabling markets and applications by meeting the anticipated system requirements for 2020 and beyond.”
The WAS300M12BM2 can be driven using existing Wolfspeed gate drivers for 62mm modules.
See www.wolfspeed.com/power/products for more information
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