Renesas to ship next generation IGBTs on 300mm wafers
Renesas Electronics has developed a new generation of silicon IGBT power devices that it plans to build on high volume 300mm wafers in Japan.
The 750V and 1200V AE5 IGBTs will be mass produced starting in the first half of 2023 on Renesas’ 200- and 300mm wafer lines at the company’s factory in Naka, Japan for inverters for electric vehicles. It also plans to ramp production starting in the first half of 2024 at its new power semiconductor 300mm wafer fab in Kofu, Japan.
The silicon based AE5 process for IGBTs achieve a 10% reduction in power losses compared to the AE4 products, a power savings that will help EV developers save battery power and increase driving range. IGBTs are increasingly under pressure from silicon carbide MOSFETs for inverter designs.
The new devices are also 10% smaller at 100mm2 for the 300A version while maintaining high robustness and improve performance and safety as modules by minimizing parameter variations among the IGBTs and providing stability when operating IGBTs in parallel with VGE(off) at ±0.5V. These features help engineers design smaller inverters that achieve high performance. They will also be available as bare die for modules.
There are four devices targeting 400-800V inverters with a 750V withstand voltage at 220A and 300A and 1200V withstand voltage at 150A and 200A. They have steady performance throughout the operating junction temperature (Tj) range from -40°C to 175°C and an on-voltage Vce (saturation voltage) of 1.3V, a key value for minimizing power loss.
The reverse bias safe operating area (RBSOA) is a maximum Ic current pulse of 600A at 175°C junction temperatures, with a highly robust short circuit withstand time of 4µs at 400V.
There is also a 50% reduction in the temperature dependence of gate resistance (Rg). This minimizes switching losses at high temperatures, spike voltage at low temperatures and short circuit withstand time, supporting high performance designs.
“Demand for automotive power semiconductors is rapidly growing, as EVs become more widely available,” said Katsuya Konishi, Vice President of Renesas’ Power System Business Division. “Renesas’ IGBTs provide highly reliable, robust power solutions that build on our experience in manufacturing automotive-grade power products for the last seven years. With the latest devices soon to be in mass production, we are providing optimal features and cost performance for mid-range EV inverters that are expected to grow rapidly in the future.”
Samples of the 750V, 300A version are available from Renesas now. Additional versions are planned for future release.
https://www.renesas.com/products/automotive-products/automotive-power-devices/automotive-igbt-0.
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