Renesas Electronics Corp. has unveiled a new era of Si-IGBTs (Silicon Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) designed for the next wave of electric vehicle (EV) inverters. The silicon-based AE5 process for IGBTs boasts a remarkable 10% reduction in power losses when compared to the company's current-generation AE4 products. Renesas anticipates that these power savings will empower EV developers to conserve battery power and extend driving range. Moreover, the newly developed products are approximately 10% more compact than their predecessors.
According to Renesas, these cutting-edge IGBTs bring about substantial enhancements in performance and safety as modules by minimizing parameter variations among the IGBTs. This, in turn, ensures stability when operating IGBTs in parallel, providing engineers with increased flexibility to design smaller inverters that deliver exceptional performance.
The IGBT series comprises four products targeting 400 to 800 V inverters: 750 V withstand voltage (220 A and 300 A) and 1200V withstand voltage (150 A and 200). Operating within a junction temperature range of -40°C to 175°C, the IGBTs maintain performance characteristics at an on-voltage Vce (saturation voltage) of 1.3 V. Furthermore, the devices exhibit a reverse bias safe operating area (RBSOA) with a maximum Ic current pulse of 600 A at a junction temperature of 175°C and a short circuit withstand time of 4 µs at 400 V.
The IGBTs' compact chip size (100 mm²/300 A) optimizes for minimal power losses and high input resistance. The chip design achieves an impressive 50% reduction in the temperature dependence of gate resistance (Rg), thereby minimizing switching losses at high temperatures, spike voltage at low temperatures, and short circuit withstand time. This supports the creation of high-performance designs, offering slightly higher power efficiency over their predecessors at the same current density. This advancement allows EVs to cover longer distances and utilize fewer batteries.
Renesas is set to commence mass production of the AE5-generation IGBTs in the first half of 2023 at its factory in Naka, Japan, utilizing 200- and 300-mm wafer lines. Subsequently, production will scale up, beginning in the first half of 2024 at Renesas' new 300-mm wafer fab in Kofu, Japan.
To facilitate developers, Renesas provides the xEV Inverter Reference Solution, a functional hardware reference design incorporating an IGBT, microcontroller, power management IC (PMIC), gate driver IC, and fast recovery diode (FRD). Additionally, Renesas offers the xEV Inverter Kit, a hardware implementation of the reference design. The company plans to integrate the new-generation IGBTs into these hardware and software development kits, enabling enhanced power efficiency and performance in a more compact form factor.
