Infineon shows first automotive SiC devices
CoolSiC Schottky diodes use a new passivation layer concept to combine performance with robustness
At this year's PCIM Europe trade fair in Nuremberg, Infineon is presenting the first products of its automotive SiC portfolio: the CoolSiC Schottky diode family designed for on-board charger (OBC) applications in hybrid and electric vehicles.
"The SiC technology is now mature to be deployed at broad scale in automotive systems", says Stephan Zizala, VP and general manager for Automotive High Power at Infineon. "The launch of the automotive CoolSiC Schottky diode family is a milestone in the deployment of Infineon's SiC product portfolio for on-board charger, DC/DC converters and inverter systems".
The new product family is based on Infineon's 5th generation Schottky Diode, which has been further improved to meet the reliability requirements demanded by the automotive industry. Thanks to a new passivation layer concept, this is claimed to be the most robust automotive device available in the market regarding humidity and corrosion. Moreover, because it is based on a 110µm thin wafer technology, it shows one of the best figures of merit (Qc x Vf) in its category, according to Infineon. A lower figure of merit implies lower power losses and therefore a better electrical performance.
Compared to the traditional Silicon Rapid diode, the CoolSiC Automotive Schottky Diode can improve the efficiency of an OBC by one percentage point over all load conditions. This leads to a potential reduction of 200kg of CO2 emissions over the typical lifetime of an electric car, based on the German energy mix.
The first derivate will be available for the open market in September 2018 in the 650V class. Using a standard 3-pinTO247 package, the new products can easily be implemented in an OBC system. They can optimally be used in combination with Infineon's TRENCHSTOP IGBT and CoolMOS products.
