News Article
Fairchild `s 1200V SiC BJTs push the boundaries
The firm's silicon carbide Bipolar Junction Transistors are the first in its SiC product portfolio. They are claimed to offer the lowest total power losses at high operation temperatures
In an effort to achieve higher power density, and to meet strict efficiency regulations and system up-time requirements, industrial and power electronic designers are challenged with constantly reducing power losses and improving reliability in their designs.
However, improving these critical design capabilities in applications like renewable energy, industrial motor drives, high-density power supplies, automotive, and down-hole can complicate a design as well as drive overall system costs higher.
To help designers meet these challenges, Fairchild Semiconductor has developed an innovative high-performance power SiC transistor technology ideally suited to power conversion systems.
Fairchild says its optimised, semi-standard, and customised technical SiC solutions take advantage of its large portfolio of semiconductor devices and module packaging technologies. The firm maintains its advanced technologies simplify engineering challenges with functional integration and design support resources that minimise components while reducing engineering time.
The company also claims that its latest SiC products meet the needs of device manufacturers and chipset suppliers by integrating leading device technologies into smaller advanced packages that offer size, cost and power advantages.
Among the first products to be released in Fairchild’s SiC portfolio is a family of advanced SiC bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) that offer high efficiency, high-current density, robustness, and easy high-temperature operation. Fairchild’s SiC BJTs enable higher switching frequencies due to lower conduction and switching losses (ranging from 30-50 percent) that provide up to 40 percent higher output power in the same system form factor.
Enabling the use of smaller inductors, capacitors and heat sinks, these robust BJTs can lower overall system costs by up to 20 percent. With performance levels that drive much higher efficiency and superior short-circuit and reverse bias safe operating area, these SiC BJTs will play a significant role in optimising the power management of high-power conversion applications.
Fairchild, as part of a complete SiC solution, has also developed “plug-n-play” discrete driver boards (a 15A and 50A version). When used in conjunction with Fairchild’s advanced SiC BJTs, they not only provide increased switching speeds for reduced switching losses and better reliability, but also allow designers to easily implement SiC technology into their applications.
Application notes, which provide designers with the additional support needed to design with SiC devices, and reference designs that allow for the development of driver boards to meet specific application needs, are also available from Fairchild and are intended to reduce design time and shorten time-to-market.
Fairchild believes that SiC BJTs offer advantages over other SiC power devices. The company claims that with this technology, they have created the most efficient 1200 V power conversion switch ever made. They also exhibit the lowest total losses, including switching, conduction and driver losses and the lowest switching loss at any given RON, of all 1200V devices.
What's more, the normally-off feature reduces risks, complexity and performance limiting designs. Silicon carbide BJTs also have a stable base input that is not sensitive to over/under voltage peaks and have a high-rated operating temperature of Tj=175°C. They also offer easy paralleling due to a positive temperature coefficient for RON and negative temperature coefficient for gain. The devices are stable and have a rugged Vbe forward voltage and reverse blocking capability.
Packaging and pricing Information comes in US 1,000 quantity pieces.
Fairchild’s SiC BJTs are available in a TO-247 package and engineering samples are available now for qualified customers.
Fairchild’s expertise in power semiconductor devices is ideally matched with the growing SiC marketplace. The company’s SiC product portfolio will offer speed, flexibility and overall performance advantages which it says are not currently available from competitors.
However, improving these critical design capabilities in applications like renewable energy, industrial motor drives, high-density power supplies, automotive, and down-hole can complicate a design as well as drive overall system costs higher.
To help designers meet these challenges, Fairchild Semiconductor has developed an innovative high-performance power SiC transistor technology ideally suited to power conversion systems.
Fairchild says its optimised, semi-standard, and customised technical SiC solutions take advantage of its large portfolio of semiconductor devices and module packaging technologies. The firm maintains its advanced technologies simplify engineering challenges with functional integration and design support resources that minimise components while reducing engineering time.
The company also claims that its latest SiC products meet the needs of device manufacturers and chipset suppliers by integrating leading device technologies into smaller advanced packages that offer size, cost and power advantages.
Among the first products to be released in Fairchild’s SiC portfolio is a family of advanced SiC bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) that offer high efficiency, high-current density, robustness, and easy high-temperature operation. Fairchild’s SiC BJTs enable higher switching frequencies due to lower conduction and switching losses (ranging from 30-50 percent) that provide up to 40 percent higher output power in the same system form factor.
Enabling the use of smaller inductors, capacitors and heat sinks, these robust BJTs can lower overall system costs by up to 20 percent. With performance levels that drive much higher efficiency and superior short-circuit and reverse bias safe operating area, these SiC BJTs will play a significant role in optimising the power management of high-power conversion applications.
Fairchild, as part of a complete SiC solution, has also developed “plug-n-play” discrete driver boards (a 15A and 50A version). When used in conjunction with Fairchild’s advanced SiC BJTs, they not only provide increased switching speeds for reduced switching losses and better reliability, but also allow designers to easily implement SiC technology into their applications.
Application notes, which provide designers with the additional support needed to design with SiC devices, and reference designs that allow for the development of driver boards to meet specific application needs, are also available from Fairchild and are intended to reduce design time and shorten time-to-market.
Fairchild believes that SiC BJTs offer advantages over other SiC power devices. The company claims that with this technology, they have created the most efficient 1200 V power conversion switch ever made. They also exhibit the lowest total losses, including switching, conduction and driver losses and the lowest switching loss at any given RON, of all 1200V devices.
What's more, the normally-off feature reduces risks, complexity and performance limiting designs. Silicon carbide BJTs also have a stable base input that is not sensitive to over/under voltage peaks and have a high-rated operating temperature of Tj=175°C. They also offer easy paralleling due to a positive temperature coefficient for RON and negative temperature coefficient for gain. The devices are stable and have a rugged Vbe forward voltage and reverse blocking capability.
Packaging and pricing Information comes in US 1,000 quantity pieces.
Fairchild’s SiC BJTs are available in a TO-247 package and engineering samples are available now for qualified customers.
Fairchild’s expertise in power semiconductor devices is ideally matched with the growing SiC marketplace. The company’s SiC product portfolio will offer speed, flexibility and overall performance advantages which it says are not currently available from competitors.
