active clamping

[ www.infi neon.com/cav ]

Power Density – next Level of Energy efficiencyA complete solution for Commercial, Agriculture and Construction Vehicles

As electrification in Commercial, Agriculture and Construction Vehicles beco-

mes a standard, Infineon offers a complete IGBT module portfolio dedicated to

these applications. The reliability requirements of power switches in terms of

extreme vibration and extended cycling capabilities have been practically imple-

mented. Due to new joining techniques, optimum thermal impedance and longer

lifetime for the power modules have been achieved.

Key features:

600V, 1200V and 1700V IGBT modules in full/half-bridge and chopper confi-

gurations for both AC and switched reluctance electric machines

2 times higher power cycling capability at tvjop=150°C operating temperature

e.g. 2 mio@∆Tj=40K

up to 5 times higher thermal cycling compared to industrial modules

extended lifetime compared to industry standard modules

02_PEE_0809_02_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 09:12 Page 1

CONTENTS

Power Electronics Europe Issue 8 2009

3

Editor Achim Scharf

Tel: +49 (0)892865 9794

Fax: +49 (0)892800 132

Email: [email protected]

Production Editor Elaine Gladwell

Tel: +44 (0)1322 380057

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Mainland Europe:

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www.power-mag.com

Circulation and subscription: Power ElectronicsEurope is available for the following subscriptioncharges. Power Electronics Europe: annual chargeUK/NI £60, overseas $130, EUR 120; single copiesUK/NI £10, overseas US$32, EUR 25. Contact:Techmedia International Ltd, Kildonan, St Mary’sRoad, Wrotham, Kent TN15 7AP, Great Britain. Tel: +44 (0)1732 886495. Fax: +44 (0)1732886149. Refunds on cancelled subscriptions willonly be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unlessspecifically guaranteed within the terms ofsubscription offer.

Editorial information should be sent to The Editor,Power Electronics Europe, PO Box 340131, 80098Munich, Germany.

The contents of Power Electronics Europe aresubject to reproduction in information storage andretrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical includingphotocopying, recording or any information storageor retrieval system without the express prior writtenconsent of the publisher.Origination: Elaine GladwellPrinted by: Wyndeham Heron Limited.ISSN 1748-3530

PAGE 18

Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles Decisive for the mass acceptance of electric cars is the development of acorresponding charging infrastructure to be able to recharge the electric cars. Themost important prerequisite for this is, above all, a uniform charge socket and thecorresponding plug.

PAGE 20

Power Semiconductor Solutions forMicro-Hybrid SystemsCurrent CO2 discussion and the need for the higher efficiency lead to the highlygrowing market share of the hybrid automotive systems. One of the significantagenda points is so-called micro-hybrid cars. In those cars, the alternator is usedalso as a starter and the braking energy, or at least some part of it, is recuperatedby the battery. The belt-driven micro-hybrid systems operating on a 14V board netare easy to integrate into the existing cars, both mechanically and electrically. Themost important task in the alternator mode of operation is to maximise theefficiency of the electrical energy generation. Dr. Ing. Dušan Graovac (SeniorStaff Engineer, Automotive), Benno Köppl (Principal Engineer, PowertrainSystems), Frank Auer (Director, Powertrain Systems), and MichaelScheffer (System Expert Powertrain Systems), Infineon Technologies,Neubiberg, Germany

PAGE 22

Driving Improvements in MotorControl Design Electrically actuated automotive systems offer greater convenience for users, aswell as enabling car makers to reduce the size, weight and cost of the equipmentfitted to modern vehicles. New driver and power stage technologies forautomotive BLDC motors can enhance performance, shorten time to market, andreduce costs for vehicle comfort and convenience features. Dr GeorgesTchouangue and Wolf Jetschin, Power Semiconductors Division, ToshibaElectronics Europe

PAGE 31

New 1200V SPT+ IGBT and Diode forHigh Temperature Applications The application spectrum for the 1200V voltage class chips and modules isincreasing worldwide due to the constant increase of power electronic systemspresent in various fields like automotive, industrial, regenerative power sourcesetc. Higher demands for improved electrical performance and reliability due to theincreased levels of power and switching speeds in modern applications haveresulted in development efforts for more optimised devices capable ofwithstanding such conditions. Bulent Aydin and Marta Cammarata, ABBSwitzerland Ltd, Semiconductors, Lenzburg, Switzerland

PAGE 36

Comprehensive Testing withCombination Testers Increasing quality demands require comprehensive, 100% testing ofsemiconductors. Static tests are no longer enough. Only supplemental dynamictesting procedures, such as switching unclamped inductive load and a doubleimpulse test can meet the requirements. Inspection of thermal impedance is veryimportant in the process. The simplest approach uses a test system that canperform all these tests. Günther Dörgeloh, General Manager MRSElectronic, Rottweil, Germany

PAGE 39

Product Update A digest of the latest innovations and new product launches

PAGE 41

Website Product Locator

Advantages of AdvancedActive Clamping Power semiconductor manufacturers are offering IGBTmodules with ever greater power densities. The limit isrepresented by the maximum power loss that can bedissipated; optimisation criteria are the packagingtechnology as well as the conduction and switchinglosses of the semiconductor chips. The high currentdensity of the modules together with high switchingspeeds place increased demands on the drivingcircuits, both in normal switching operation and underoverload conditions. Advanced Active Clampingswitching technology offers a solution showing howmodern high-power IGBTs can be better utilised.Full story on page 27.

Cover supplied by CT-Concept Technologie AG,Switzerland

COVER STORY

PAGE 6

Market NewsPEE looks at the latest Market News and company

developments

PAGE 13

E-Mobility GainsAcceptanceElectric vehicles first came into existence in the mid-19th century, when electricity was among thepreferred methods for automobile propulsion,providing a level of comfort and ease of operationthat could not be achieved by the gasoline cars ofthe time. Increased concern over the environmentalimpact of the petroleum-based transportationinfrastructure, along with the spectre of peak oil, ledto renewed interest in electric (hybrid) vehicles. Aspecial fair in Munich and a strategic Europeanresearch program highlights this trend, which is alsoan interesting opportunity for power electronics.

p03 Contents.qxd_p03 Contents 25/11/2009 10:18

$ 20from US

04_PEE_0809_04_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 10:33 Page 1

OPINION 5


Achim ScharfPEE Editor

A suitablequote as alead in to

the editorsopinion

Global semiconductor revenue is set to contract by 16.5% in 2009,according to market researcher iSuppli. This follows a 5.4%decrease in 2008. However, revenue is expected to rise by 10.6%in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to the same period in2008. The fourth quarter will mark the first quarter in 2009 thatrevenue has risen, compared to the same period a year earlier. This has helped Munich-based Infineon Technologies, not only

the market leader in power semiconductors, but also active inautomotive, communication, and security markets. Fiscal year 2009was also an extremely challenging year for Infineon. Revenues wereEuro 3,027 million, down 22% compared to the 2008 fiscal year,reflecting the strong contraction of the semiconductor market in allof the company’s target markets such as automotive, industrial orcommunication. But the company is hopful of turning the situationback round. “The first half of the year saw a sharp fall in revenues.Fortunately, the downslide did not continue in the second half of theyear. As the global economy recovered slightly, so our businesspicked up in the second half of fiscal year 2009 – even though itwas still distinctly below the previous year’s level. A major milestonewas the refinancing of the bonds falling due in the 2010 financialyear. We successfully placed new convertible bonds which wereseveral times over-subscribed. Yet the greatest contribution by far tothe refinancing was made by the capital increase. Almost all thesubscription rights were exercised, which we regard as a strong signof confidence“, CEO Peter Bauer said. “Many didn’t believe we’d beable to master the task. To cap the dubious honour of penny stockstatus, we were thrown out of the German stock index DAX. Wetook decisive action and turned the tables. The refinancing wassuccessfully resolved. The share price increased more than ten-foldfrom its all-time low of 35 euro cents in April to today. We returnedto the DAX in record time“.I think that’s good news, not only to have a world-class

semiconductor manufacturer located in Europe, but also to have theleading power semiconductor and power module manufacturerhere. This will hopefully lead to a more rapid adoption of green

technologies not only in products, but also in society and politicalactions. Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are alsobecoming more and more important for Infineon. Energy efficiencyremains a perennial hot topic, despite the economic crisis. Theprospect of a long-term rise in energy prices is making consumersrethink. Semiconductors are indispensable for implementing theseenergy policy objectives. Particularly high growth rates are to beexpected in renewable energies, but also in more efficient motordrives. In the automotive industry, the call for fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles is also spurring a growth in long-term demand forsemiconductors. Automakers are working on raising the efficiency ofinternal combustion engines to meet CO2 targets. High-performancesemiconductors are needed for the purpose. The same applies toalternative drive technologies in hybrid and electric vehicles, whoseimportance is gaining in momentum. Recently Europe’s largest research project to advance the

development of electric vehicles has been launched under theleadership of Infineon Technologies. The E3Car (Energy EfficientElectrical Car) project brings together 33 automotive companies, keysuppliers, and research facilities from a total of eleven countries tocollaborate on boosting the efficiency of electrically-driven vehiclesby more than one-third. The goal of the project is to extend thetravel range of electric vehicles by up to 35%, with a battery unit ofthe same size as a current baseline. Alternatively, this means batteryunits up to 35% lighter and more compact, while providing thesame travel range as a current baseline, will be possible. As part ofthe E3Car project and by the end of 2011, Europe is targetingresearch on innovative electronic components that play a key role inelectric vehicle power consumption. Research will focus primarily onsemiconductor components and power modules that control thesupply and distribution of power in electric vehicles. These are usedin the powertrain, which consumes most of the car’s energy, as wellas in power converters and Lithium-ion batteries.Also, a new trade fair for electric mobility has been established in

Munich and was running successful (195 exhibitors, 10,600 visitors)from October 13-15. “With ECarTec, we are establishing a new Expoin Germany's trade fair landscape that exclusively deals with thetopic of electric mobility. An event of this kind is unique”, said RobertMetzger, organiser of eCarTec. At this fair, German utility RWEpresented charging stations equipped with already standardisedplugs for charging purposes, one of the prerequisites for broaderinternationa acceptance for e-vehicles.These efforts will hopefully help the European automotive

industry defending their leading position, since other countries in FarEast are planning to catch up rapidly. In April 2009, Chinese officialsannounced their plan to make China the world’s largest producer ofelectric cars. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will work with China’sMinistry of Industry and Information Technology (MITI) to help setup battery recharging networks throughout the city of Wuhan, thepilot city in the country’s electrical vehicle pilot program. Though this market is in its infancy it is forecast to grow rapidly,

first with hybrid electric vehicles. The following pages will illustratethe potential market and related technologies from various angles. Enjoy reading!

Achim ScharfPEE Editor

Power for a Greener World

p05 Opinion.qxd_p05 Opinion 25/11/2009 10:21

6 MARKET NEWS

Issue 8 2009 Power Electronics Europe

ABB Semiconductors receives IRIS Certificate

Semikron Solution Centres Network expands to China

ABB has been awarded a certificateof compliance with InternationalRailway Industry Standards (IRISCertification) for its high powersemiconductor components. Thecertification was awarded to ABBSwitzerland Ltd, Semiconductors;ABB’s manufacturing plant for powersemiconductor components such asIGBT’s, IGCTs, Thyristors and Diodesused in the railway industry for rollingstock, as well as for track side supply.The certificate follows four earlier

awards for ABB'ts tractiontransformers and medium-voltageproducts, surge arresters, convertersand motors. ABB Switzerland Ltd,

Semiconductors has a long history assupplier of high powersemiconductors for the railwayindustry. For many years, locomotives,high speed trains and mass transithave been equipped with Thyristors,Diodes, GTOs and IGBTs. ABB’sThyristors, Diodes and IGCTs have

been installed in track side supplyunits with ratings up to 400MW. Withthe on-going investments to increasethe production capacities at its factoryin Lenzburg and by investments indevelopment of new products ABBSwitzerland Ltd, Semiconductors willcontinue to be a reliable partner forsupply of high power semiconductorsfor the railway industry.IRIS is an internationally recognised

standard for the evaluation of railwayindustry management systems.

Developed by UNIFE, theIndependent Association of EuropeanRailway Industries, and supported bysystem integrators, equipmentmanufacturers and operators likeBombardier Transportation, SiemensTransportation System, AlstomTransport, Ansaldo Breda, SBB andSNCF, it is an extension of ISO9001and ISO/TS 16949 with a strongfocus on project management andcontinuous improvement. www.abb.com/semiconductors

Nuremberg-headquartered SEMIKRON expanded itsglobal network of solution centres to Zhuhai, China.The new solution centre specialises in the designand manufacture of SEMISTACK power assemblies,for wind generators and solar power inverters in

China. Chinese customers can now benefit from‘made in China’ power assemblies with flexible andcustomized designs, local technical support, fastdeliveries and competitive pricing.“The solution centre in China is a milestone for

the development of power solutions for the fastgrowing renewable energy market, a market whichis of great importance globally, and also in China.Our customers receive custom-designed powerassemblies with guaranteed German quality andcompetitive pricing made in China by a team ofspecialists”, commented Peter Frey, GeneralManager at Semikron International. “Additionally,our customers benefit from faster delivery, shorterresponse time and direct technical support”. The expertise of the company’s Solution Centres,

one on each continent, is combined within the

network. They unify their resources in purchasing,development and service. Mutual assistance isgiven to capitalise on skills in different fields withvaried local requirements. Each centre has its ownteam of application engineers, whose expertise isguaranteed by a policy of knowledge sharing withinthe network. In addition, the qualification andtesting policy guarantees the promised functionalityof the delivered product. They supply powerassemblies into industrial markets such as wind,solar and hydro power, motor drives and elevators,power supplies, process control and transport.SEMIKRON technology powers 57GW of installedwind power capacity. The global total wind powercapacity installed is 122GW (Source: BTM ConsultApS, 2009).www.semikron.com

Semiconductor Recovery CommencesAlthough global semiconductorrevenue is set to decline in 2009 forthe second consecutive year, quarterlyyear-over-year growth is expected tofinally return to the market in thefourth quarter, signaling the start of theindustry recovery, according to marketrearcher iSuppli.Global semiconductor revenue is

set to contract by 16.5% in 2009.This follows a 5.4% decrease in2008. However, revenue is expectedto rise by 10.6% in the fourth quarterof 2009 compared to the sameperiod in 2008. The fourth quarter willmark the first quarter in 2009 thatrevenue has risen compared to thesame period a year earlier. “The seedsof the current recovery were sown inthe second quarter”, commetedanalyst Dale Ford. “During that period,manufacturers began to reportpositive book-to-bill ratios, indicating

future revenue growth. This wasfollowed by another sequentialincrease in revenue in the thirdquarter. Meanwhile, semiconductorinventories returned to more normallevels in the third quarter after chipsuppliers shed stockpiles. They didthis by slashing costs dramatically inorder to reduce unsold inventorythey’d been carrying since thebeginning of 2009”.While these signs are encouraging,

and sequential quarterly increases inrevenue will continue into 2010, thisgrowth will not be sufficient to liftsemiconductor revenues back to pre-recessionary levels until the 2011-2012 time frame. The pattern of aweak first half of the year followed bya strong second won’t be relegatedto 2009 alone. iSuppli forecasts thatthe first two quarters of 2010 willsee revenue that is slightly down

compared to the fourth quarter of2009, but the second half of theyear will deliver a strongperformance. This will result in 14%growth in global semiconductorrevenue in 2010, ending the two-

year losing streak. Subsequent yearswill see a return to single-digitpercentage growth in thesemiconductor industry as conditionsstabilise.www.isuppli.com

iSuppli’s forecast and estimate of year-over-year percentage semiconductor sales for allfour quarters of 2009 Source: iSuppli

SEMIKRON’sPeter Frey isproud toannounce theopening of theChinese SolutionCentre focusingon the renewableenergy market

p06-07 Market News.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:27

Shade and Light in Drives Market

MARKET NEWS 7


The worldwide industrial drives market was estimated to beworth approximately $16.5 billion in 2008, with more than20 million drive units shipped during the year. According tothe latest statistics supplied by IMS Research, revenuegrowth was substantial in 2008, with market revenuesincreasing by 12.6% over 2007 levels. In contrast, themarket is expected to decline by more than 10% in 2009as a result of the global economic downturn.The total industrial drives market comprises 7 product

types – compact AC, standard AC, premium AC, DC,medium voltage, servo, and stepper drives. Of these,premium drives and medium voltage drives had thegreatest growth in 2008, increasing by more than 20% over2007 levels. This is linked to rapid growth of the majorindustry sectors that use these drives, namely renewableenergy, oil & gas, mining, and metals. This growth is alsoattributed to the shift in focus from low-end to high-performance products, specifically by automation giants ABBand Siemens. These premium product categories are alsoexpected to outperform the total industrial drives marketduring the global recession. However, the markets formotion control products, such as servo and stepper drives,are expected to perform poorly during the downturn. Theserely heavily on the semiconductor, robotics, machine tool,and printing industries, sectors that have been severelydepressed by the recession. As a result, the servo drivesmarket is predicted to contract by nearly 20% in terms ofrevenues in 2009, while the stepper drives market isforecast to decline by more than 8%.“The EMEA region continues to be the leading consumer

of industrial drives. Total drive revenues for EMEA wereapproximately $7 billion in 2008, accounting for more than43% of the worldwide market. The region represents thelargest geographic market for all 7 industrial drive types, buthas a significantly greater proportion of sales into thehigher-end product categories, accounting for more than58% of 2008 global premium drive revenues“,commented analyst Sarah Sultan. “After witnessing growthof 15% in 2008, the industrial drives market in the EMEA isprojected to decline by 14% in 2009. The 2009 marketcontraction is expected to be more significant in the EMEAthan in the Americas, but less severe than in Japan. TheAsia Pacific drives market is the only regional marketforecast to have positive growth in 2009. The positiveoutlook is attributed to continued economic expansion inChina, where GDP is forecast to increase by nearly 9% thisyear, and the focus on energy conservation by the Chinesegovernment, witnessed in both the recent stimuluspackage and the existing Top-1000 program, which targetsa 20% reduction in Chinese industrial energy consumptionover a five-year period“.Production data collected by IMS Research indicate that

while EMEA has been the largest manufacturing location forindustrial drives through 2007, Asia Pacific became the largestproducer of drives in 2008 after continued increases in low-end product manufacturing in the region. The largest designcenter for drives has been Japan, although it is predicted thatbeginning in 2011 the EMEA region will overtake Japan as thelargest design centre for industrial drives.In contrast, Variable Speed Drives (VSD) in Home

Appliances are set to double by 2013. Currently, applianceswith VSD account for just 1 in 8 new appliances - mainlyroom air conditioners and washing machines. However, timesare changing quickly. At the heart of the uptake of VSD aregovernment labelling schemes to promote more energyefficient appliances. In October, the US Environmental

Protection Agency announced it would be takingcontrol over the popular Energy Star program andwould introduce a new top-tier classification called‘Super Star’ to create a more rigorous set of criteriafor top performing appliances. “While home appliance shipments have

decreased globally, the use of electronics withinthem has not”, commented analyst JasondePreaux. “One of the main drivers of this trendhas been the global emphasis on energyefficiency. Many countries continue to amendminimum performance standards andcomparative labelling schemes in an effort to

curb electricity consumption. For example, the EUis currently revamping its label of refrigeratorsdespite the fact that it was updated a mere fouryears ago. The swiftness of appliance efficiencyrulemaking means that future appliances mustbe smarter in the way they use power”. Inaddition to increased efficiency, variable speedmotor control, also appeal to MHA makers’desire for more reliable performance and quieteroperation. Shipment growth of appliances withvariable speed motor drives is forecast to growrapidly over the next five years. www.imsresearch.com

p06-07 Market News.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:27

8 MARKET NEWS


The Visualizer tool supports avariety of power supplytopologies such as buck, boost,buck-boost, SEPIC and flyback.Several alternative circuitconfigurations are alsoavailable to address specificneeds like fixed-frequency andconstant-on-time architectures,as well as current-mode andvoltage-mode control loops.With a power parts library from110 manufacturers, designerscan specify a wide range ofparameters such as:l VIN from 1 – 100Vl VOUT from 0.6 – 300Vl Power up to 300Wl Efficiency up to 96%l Frequency up to 3MHzl Footprint from 14 by 14mm“With WEBENCH Visualizer,

we enable analog experts to besuperior business decisionmakers because we’ve giventhem all of the tools to producethe best possible design in theshortest time. We’ve also givennon-power experts the ability

to do extraordinary things withanalog power designs”, saidPhil Gibson, National’s VP ofTechnical Sales Tools. “The toolcreates a graphical snapshot ofoptions across multiple criteria,such as power efficiency,footprint and system bill ofmaterials (BOM) cost. Drawingfrom 25 different switchingpower supply architectures and21,000 components, engineerscan navigate through billions ofpower supply designalternatives in seconds. Designcriteria can be modified and thereal-time effects observed,allowing for selection of thebest DC/DC power supply basedon the designers unique needs.So far, 200 thousand registeredusers, the majority of themlocated in Europe, have createdmore than one million DC/DCpower supply designs using theWEBENCH toolset“.The Visualizer tool features

an optimiser dial that enablesengineers to ‘dial-in’ their

preference for footprint, systemBOM cost and power efficiency.The tool instantly creates 50 to70 designs from 48 billionpossible design options. It thenhighlights the smallest andmost efficient designs, with onerecommended as a startingpoint for further optimisation. A second visualizer control

panel allows engineers toadjust their design options for

voltage, current andtemperature. In seconds, anupdated set of solutionsappears, highlighting eachdesign’s topology, schematic,footprint, efficiency, operatingvalues and BOM cost/count.The tool’s interactive filterallows engineers to furtherfine-tune the power supplydesign to meet the targetsystem’s requirements. Once a design is selected, the

WEBENCH design environmentoffers the ability to further tuneand optimise that designthrough additional componentoptions and electrical andthermal simulation. With the‘Build It!’ feature, National shipsa custom power supplyprototype kit within 24 hours. The WEBENCH Visualizer tool

is an extension of National’sWEBENCH tools for LEDs andpower design. These tools offerinstant access to the latestsimulation models, parametricdata and package information,enabling designers tosimultaneously compare theperformance of multipledevices in multiple circuitrequirements. www.national.com/visualizer

Real-Time Comparison of PowerDesigns

Online tools such as Webench speed up the power electronics’ design cycleSource: National

Entry point for designing a power supply using WEBENCH Visualizer

National Semiconductor’s newly introduced WEBENCH Visualizer is a powerful comparison and selectiontool that enables engineers to rapidly select an optimal power system design.

p08 Market News - National.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:35

national.com/led

High Performance. Low Power. Energy-Effi cient LED Lighting Solutions National’s new low-side, constant-current LED driver offers integrated thermal control to increase system reliability. The thermal foldback feature of the PowerWise® LM3424 LED driver provides a more robust thermal design to extend the life of the LEDs, making it an ideal solution for a variety of indoor/outdoor lighting and automotive applications.

Thermal ManagementSince thermal design greatly impacts the light output and lifetime of the LEDs, a well-designed thermal system is critical. The LM3424’s thermal foldback feature eliminates the need for external thermal management circuitry, allowing for a more robust and reliable thermal system and extending the life of the LEDs.

Easy to UseWith National’s WEBENCH® LED Designer online tool, designers can use the LM3424’s thermal foldback feature to visualize the design’s behavior at user-selected LED temperature breakpoints for easy and quick development of a thermal management system.

Flexible Design National’s LM3424 LED driver, with a wide input voltage range, can be easily confi gured in buck, boost, buck-boost, and SEPIC topologies with minimal adjustments. Driving a maximum of 18 LEDs in one string, the LM3424 gives designers fl exibility while providing up to 96% effi ciency and accurate current regulation with less heat and power dissipation.

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09_PEE_0809_09_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 10:38 Page 1

Focusing on Automotive Power

10 MARKET NEWS


California-based Linear Technology was not hit so much by the financial crisis in the years 2000 and2008. The company has restructured itself and focuses more on industrial and automotive applications,as CEO Lothar Maier stated on a recent trip to Munich.

Fiscal 2009 was a very challengingyear as we managed throughdifficult economic times whilepositioning ourselves for growthwhen the global recession ends.This kind of challenge enables usto distinguish ourselves.Managing through tough timesbegins with mitigating the impactof reduced sales on bothprofitability and cash flow fromoperations. Revenues for fiscal2009 were $968.5 million.Revenue of $236 million for thefirst quarter of fiscal year 2010increased $28 million or 14%compared to the previousquarter’s revenue of $208 millionand decreased $74 million or 24%from $310 million reported in thefirst quarter of fiscal year 2009.Net income of $60.7 millionincreased $9.3 million or 18%over the fourth quarter of fiscalyear 2009 and decreased $41.6million or 41% from the firstquarter of fiscal year 2009. The financial effects of the

global recession are certainly notover and continue to impactmany of our customers.Customer orders continue to callfor short lead times and turnsbusiness, or bookings that arerecorded and shipped during thequarter, remains at a high level.While there are some concernsthat recent improvements in theoverall marketplace are at leastpartially attributable to areplenishment of inventory stock,we continue to experiencebookings improvement.Therefore, based on the strengthof our positive book-to-bill ratioand the recovery we appear to bewitnessing in automotive andindustrial end-markets, we fore-casting revenue growth for thesecond fiscal quarter in the range2 to 5% over the first quarter. Managing through tough times

required careful attention to ourvariable costs, particularly in thelabour area. We reduced our

workforce by approximately 10%.In addition, we implementedtemporary weekly shutdowns,reduced profit sharing, temporaryreductions in base pay, and othercost reductions in many non-labour expense categories. Thesesavings were instrumental inachieving operating marginswhile maintaining our core oftalented employees.Innovation and technical

support remain our mostimportant objectives. Innovationis brought to bear in specificproducts and on broad industrytrends. One such industry trendincludes energy harvesting andenergy efficiency, not only toachieve environmental objectives,but also to reduce energy costs.Lowering power consumption isan effective response to thistrend. The company hasintroduced several power productsthat, among other features,deliver higher power whiledissipating less heat, and providehigh efficiency over a broad rangeof output currents. New partsdesigned to charge super-capacitors (energy storage devices)transfer energy from alternativeenergy sources such as solar,wind or vibration to activatecircuitry in long-life remote and

unattended applications. The company continues to put

effort into the automotive end-market. The electronic content inautomobiles is increasing,particularly in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. During fiscal2009, we introduced a batterymonitoring circuit which hasreceived early acclaim and broadinterest (see PEE8-2008‘Monitoring Multicell Li-IonBattery Stacks’). This circuit hasbeen employed in the first majorLithium-ion battery-powered all-electric vehicle in Japan, theMitsubishi iMEV. The UScarmakers are not of so muchinterest, since they do not offerthe leading edge technology.Here, we are waiting for (H)EVsmade by GM such as the Volt, orother models in the future.µModule products are another

area of growth emphasis for us.These products are sold intomany end-markets fromindustrial to automotive tocommunications and enterprisecomputers. We expanded our lineof µModule products for powersupplies and introduced µModuledevices for driving LEDs and alsoin analog signal chain areas foremployment in communicationsinfrastructure. These are complex

analog-intensive subsystemproducts housed in an ICpackage. These bring value tocustomers by shortening designlead times, while also taking upless printed circuit board space. Our strategy of serving diverse

end-markets continues to becritical to our success. This year,74% of our business was in thetraditional analog end-marketsof industrial, communicationsinfrastructure/networking,automotive, and military andaerospace. The remaining 26%was in the computer, cell phoneand portable handheld productend-markets. In summary, wehave managed through adifficult year and remainedfinancially healthy. We havedone this before during the dot-com bust and are doing it againduring this global recession. Linear Technology, head-

quartered in Milpitas, California,employs 3,800 people worldwideand has technical sales andsupport locations throughoutNorth America, Europe and Asia.In addition to manufacturing,assembly and test facilities inCalifornia, Washington, Singaporeand Malaysia, the company has12 design centers in the US,Singapore, and Munich/Germany.www.linear.com

“We are focusing on automotiveapplications in Europe and Japan,particularly on hybrid and full electricvehicles“, stated Linear’s CEO LotharMaier

The (power) electronic content of a car is increasing and can reach 15% of the car's totalcost in 2012 Source: Linear Technology

p10 Market News - Linear.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:40

Tame the Power

ABB Switzerland Ltd SemiconductorsTel: +41 58 586 1419 www.abb.com/semiconductors

Power and productivityfor a better world™

Efficientlywith ABB thyristors

11_PEE_0809_11_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 10:42 Page 1

Back on Track

12 MARKET NEWS


Fiscal year 2009 ended September was anextremely challenging year also for Infineon.Revenues were Euro 3,027 million, down 22%compared to the 2008 fiscal year, reflecting thestrong contraction of the semiconductor market inall of the company’s target markets such asautomotive, industrial or communication. But thecompany is hopeful of turning the situation backround.

“Amidst the global economiccrisis, we had to resolve ourrefinancing and cope withQimonda’s insolvency. Manydidn’t believe we’d be able tomaster the task. To cap thedubious honour of penny stockstatus, we were thrown out ofthe German stock index DAX.We took decisive action andturned the tables. Therefinancing was successfullyresolved. The share priceincreased more than ten-foldfrom its all-time low of 35euro cents in April to today.We returned to the DAX inrecord time. How was thatpossible? Well, it called for ashow of strength on everyone’spart to overcome theseexceptional challenges,involving all cost items andrequiring painful staffcutbacks. For the staffremaining after the headcountreduction, the last twelvemonths meant burdens andfinancial losses. We madegood progress over the lastfinancial year, but there’s stilla long way to go“, Infineon’sCEO Peter Bauer looks back. “The first half of the year saw

a sharp fall in revenues.Fortunately, the downslide didnot continue in the second halfof the year. As the globaleconomy recovered slightly, soour business picked up in thesecond half of fiscal year 2009 –even though it was stilldistinctly below the previousyear’s level. A major milestonewas the refinancing of thebonds falling due in the 2010

financial year. We successfullyplaced new convertible bondswhich were several times over-subscribed. Yet the greatestcontribution by far to therefinancing was made by thecapital increase. Almost all thesubscription rights wereexercised, which we regard as astrong sign of confidence“,Bauer said.Energy efficiency and

renewable energy sources arebecoming more and moreimportant also for Infineon.Energy efficiency remains aperennial hot topic, despite theeconomic crisis. A good part ofthe economic stimuluspackages from governmentsaround the globe is earmarkedfor green technologies. Theprospect of a long-term rise inenergy prices is makingconsumers rethink.Semiconductors areindispensable for implementingthese energy policy objectives.Particularly high growth ratesare to be expected in renewableenergies, but also in moreefficient motor drives. In theautomotive industry, the call forfuel-efficient and low-emissionvehicles is also spurring agrowth in long-term demand forsemiconductors. Automakersare working on raising theefficiency of internalcombustion engines to meetCO2 targets. High-performancesemiconductors are needed forthe purpose. The same appliesto alternative drive technologiesin hybrid and electric vehicles,whose importance is gaining in

momentum. “The firstcommercial offshore wind parkbeing built in the Northern Seanear Borkum i.e. will operatewith power modules fromInfineon. The importance ofenergy efficiency is alsogathering pace in householdappliances such as washingmachines, refrigerators or air-conditioning systems. Thesewhite goods are designed andproduced primarily in Asia. Tobetter penetrate this market, wehave established a joint venturewith LS Industrial Systems inKorea. We have also widenedour collaboration with Bosch,making us Bosch’s preferredsupplier of powersemiconductors. We areworking together on optimisingthe energy efficiency ofelectronic components in theautomotive sector. Here, weintend to grow faster than theautomotive industry as a whole,since the semiconductorcontent in the car is continouslyincreasing. And, we have againbeen confirmed by IMS as theworld market leader for powersemiconductors“, Bauer pointedout.The Asian economies are

recovering from the economiccrisis much faster thananticipated, with China andIndia especially playing therole of economic locomotive.“We already generate almosthalf our revenues in Asia andwill systematically expand our

business there. The ChineseGovernment is currentlyinvesting a lot of money in theinfrastructure. Renewableenergies – water, solar andwind – and expansion of therail network are just twoexamples of the growthpotential we address there.This might offset the weakmarket conditions forautomation and automotive inother regions“, Bauer stated.“What awaits us in the currentbusiness year 2010? At themoment, we are seeing a smallupswing. It is difficult to tellhow strong it will be and howlong it will last. We arebenefiting from warehousesbeing replenished in the value-added chain, but thefundamental demand is alsopicking up. It has to be saidthough, that our customers’ordering practices are notfollowing normal patterns atpresent. Another element ofuncertainty is the movement ofthe Euro/US Dollar exchangerate. Were the Euro to continueits climb versus the Dollar, itwould have a negative impacton revenues and profit. Ourplans are based on an assumedEuro to Dollar exchange rate of1.50. Assuming the globaleconomy will continue tostabilise or grow, we expectrevenues to be up at least 10%for the year as a whole“, Bauerconcluded.www.infineon.com

Infineon’s share pice (Euro) and revenue development (Euro million) throughout fiscalyear 2009

p12 Market News - Infineon.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:44

“The recession has hit theautomotive industry especially hard.Our industry has been plagued by oilprices which remained too high fortoo long, the climate debate has atendency to bring forth easyremedies which cannot be put onthe road overnight, the resultingtechnical and political uncertaintiesweighing upon potential car buyers,and, finally, the worldwide plunge indemand as a consequence of thefinancial crisis. For 2009, we expectworldwide automobile production tofall by some 15 to 20%. But wecurrently see signs of recovery, andnot only because of governmenteconomic stimulus packages. Afterall, the various cash incentives totrade in older vehicles have had thedesired effect, especially in Germany.As a supplier to the industry, Boschhas also benefited from these

programs, even if only to a lowdegree. This is because these buyerincentive programs have stimulateddemand above all for smaller cars.And these cars are not as oftenequipped with advanced safetysystems and diesel drivetechnologies. This is how the shareof diesel, for example, among newlyregistered cars in Western Europe,which in 2008 lay at a full 53%, hassunk to only 44% this year. This isstill, of course, a high value, and onethat is set to rise yet again. After theincentive programs have largelysparked premature sales for smallercars, new opportunities for vehiclesin the upper and premium segmentswill open up in 2010 – against thebackground of further economicrecovery. What is more, these upperand premium segments have somecatching up to do, since in the

meantime, we have a lot of upper-class cars on our roads that aresimply too old. This situation

coincides with an increased offeringof fuel-efficient and eco-friendly drivesystems. So some things will setthemselves straight again, but thereis no mistaking that the crisis has ledto shifts in market structures”,commented Franz Fehrenbach,Chairman of the Board at Bosch, onthe current situation of theautomotive industry.

Alternative drive technologies arebecoming increasingly important,even if the internal-combustionengine is set to dominate theautomotive market for the next 20years. Bosch i.e. is workingintensively on the development ofalternative drive systems, which willmake the automobiles of the futureeven more energy-efficient and willfurther reduce emissions. In doingso, the company is responding notonly to legislative demands to furtherreduce fuel consumption and CO2

emissions, but also to stricteremissions legislation worldwide andto the risks resulting from the finitesupply of fossil fuels.

First fair on electric vehiclesNevertheless, a new trade fair for

electric mobility has been

E-Mobility Gains Acceptance

RWE presentedelectric fillingstations and TeslaRoadsters atECarTec in Munich

“The electrification of the powertrain in the car won't come tomorrow because ofhigh cost for the Lithium-ion battery”,said Franz Fehrenbach, Chairman of theBoard at Bosch

ELECTRIC VEHICLES 13


Electric vehicles first came into existence in the mid-19th century, when electricity was among the preferredmethods for automobile propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not beachieved by the gasoline cars of the time. Increased concern over the environmental impact of thepetroleum-based transportation infrastructure, along with the spectre of peak oil, led to renewed interest inelectric (hybrid) vehicles. A special fair in Munich and a strategic European research program highlights thistrend, which is also an interesting opportunity for power electronics.

p13-16 ECartec.qxd_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:50

14 ELECTRIC VEHICLES


established in Munich and wasrunning successfully (195 exhibitors,10,600 visitors) from October 13-15.“With ECarTec, we are establishing anew Expo in Germany’s trade fairlandscape that exclusively deals withthe topic of electric mobility. An eventof this kind is unique”, said RobertMetzger, Managing Director andorganiser of eCarTec. “Driving fun is akey purchasing motive for endconsumers and has today becomereality as a result of considerableprogress made in batterydevelopment. The Tesla Roadster, abattery-driven electric car, featuresimproved power and handling anddoes 0 to 100 km per hour in just4s. It has a top speed of 200km/hrand can cover a distance of 400km.And, it does not produce any exhaustfumes. Only those who are at thecutting edge of this trend can benefitfrom this promising market. And thesales potential is incredibly high”,Metzger commented.At this fair, German utility RWE

presented charging stations equippedwith already standardised plugs fromGerman connector manufacturerMennekes. “We wanted to show thatelectromobility is not onlyenvironmentally friendly, but also hasa lot of fun”, said Carolin Reichert,Business Division Manager for electricmobility. “Today, many people cannotyet imagine that the electric motorwill become a solution to the mobile

future. As a matter of fact,developments surrounding this topicare already in full swing. Batterymanufacturers are working on thelatest generation of high-performanceLithium-ion batteries with significantlyincreased ranges. Vehiclemanufacturers are poised to beginseries production. Politicians arecurrently defining the legislativeframework required to get the marketup and running. And RWE is alsomaking an important contributiontowards the breakthrough of electriccars by establishing a universalnetwork of charging stations inGermany”. At this fair, RWE alsodemonstrated with six TeslaRoadsters the fun of driving outsidethe exhibition hall.ESG Automotive, a Munich-based

subsidary of ESG systems, showed itsown design of an electric city carequipped with solar cells for chargingpurposes. The company has alsodesigned a battery managementsystem incorporating charging withsolar cells and monitoring ofindividual battery cells. VP RobertMorgner is confident that e-mobilityhas a bright future. “The Chinesegouvernment is funding thistechnology, that’s why Europeanautomakers have to take thisupcoming market seriously”. Indeed,many electric car companies arelooking to China as the leader offuture electric car implementation

“The Chinese gouvernment is funding electric vehicles, that’s why European automakershave to take this upcoming market seriously”, stated ESG Automotive VP Robert

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around the world. In April 2009,Chinese officials announced theirplan to make China the world’slargest producer of electric cars. TheRenault-Nissan Alliance will work withChina’s Ministry of Industry andInformation Technology (MITI) tohelp set up battery rechargingnetworks throughout the city ofWuhan, the pilot city in the country’selectrical vehicle pilot program.

Hybrid drives as a bridge to theelectric car

Hybrid drives allow fuelconsumption and emissions to befurther reduced in conventional driveconcepts. The mild hybrid achievesthis by providing a comfortable start-stop function, by supportingacceleration with a power boost, andby recovering electrical energy duringbraking operations. This makes asmaller and more economicalinternal-combustion engine feasible.In the New European Driving Cycle(NEDC), this mild hybrid approachresults in fuel savings of up to 15%,as compared with a modern gasolineengine. A strong hybrid approach, onthe other hand, has the additionaladvantage of making purely electricdriving over short distances possible.For this, the car needs a morepowerful electric motor and a largerbattery. Here, fuel savings amount toas much as 25%. The plug-in hybridgoes a step further. This system canbe recharged from the power gridand makes purely electric driving overlonger distances possible.

The electric car with a rangeextender, which is a small, highlyefficient internal-combustion engine,goes even further. When the batteryreaches a low charge level after alonger drive with the electric motoralone, the range extender kicks in torecharge the battery. The rangeextender always runs at the idealoperating point, meaning that itconsumes less fuel. The next step isan electric vehicle which runs solelyon a larger battery that is rechargedexclusively from the power grid. If arenewable resource has been usedto generate this energy, then we canspeak of almost zero-emissiondriving. Both hybrid and electricvehicles are especially suited forinner-city driving.

The essential element of Bosch’sportfolio is the power electronics -with an integrated DC/DC converter -that controls energy flow in hybridand electric drive systems. For

recovering the energy expendedduring braking, Bosch is developing anew electronic stability system thatelectronically coordinates the brakingpower of electric motor and frictionbrakes. In addition, alternative drivetechnologies call for electric andhighly efficient auxiliary systems, suchas the electric support of powersteering. The first series-producedvehicles with Bosch hybridtechnology, the Porsche Cayenneand the VW Touareg, are set to rolloff the line in 2010. Bosch has alsosigned an agreement with PSAPeugeot Citroën to create a strategicpartnership for diesel hybrid vehicles.Apart from drive electronics, Boschwill also develop and deliver theelectric motors for the electric finaldrive at the rear axle of these four-wheel drive vehicles. A specialbusiness unit has been set up toadvance electric drive technology,where some 500 engineers will beworking by the end of 2009.

Energy store of the futureAs the energy store, the lithium-ion

battery will play a decisive role in theadvent of the electric drive. In theirSB LiMotive joint venture, Bosch andSamsung SDI have pooled theirknow-how to further develop thistechnology for automotiveapplications. “The main aim of thisjoint venture is to improve the energydensity of this battery three-fold, andto cut costs by two-thirds. The batterymust have high cycle durability and along service life. Our investmentbudget for this project shows howserious we are about it: namely,some 500 million dollars by 2013. Inthe meantime, we have gained ourfirst customer for this venture withBMW’s Megacity Vehicle project, andin September, we broke ground for anew plant in Korea which will makelithium-ion battery cells for cars. Thefirst phase of construction is due tobe completed by the end of 2012.Then, we shall be in a position tomanufacture battery cells for aminimum of 125,000 hybrid andelectric vehicles per year. So even ifthe electric car will take some time incoming, we have reached initialmilestones along this road. This, then,is our contribution to achieving theambitious goals of electromobility”,Bosch’s Fehrenbach stated.

The electrification of thepowertrain in the car won’t cometomorrow, and it won’t come all atonce. “The reason is that, even years

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from today, a lithium-ion batterywhich enables a car to travel aminimum distance of 200km willstill cost between 8 and 12thousand Euros, or as much as asmall car. So both on the technicaland the economic fronts, we haveour work cut out for us. But over thelongterm, the electric drive is a must,since we have no choice but tomitigate climate change and to findan alternative to oil, the supplies ofwhich are ever scarcer. By 2020, weexpect to see three million electriccars and plug-in hybrids on theworld’s roads. This development willalso give rise to new businessmodels in the area of mobility,above all for the financing, provision,and charging of the battery. We seesuch models as part and parcel of anew technology, and as things whichare therefore very much part of ourfuture agenda”, Fehrenbach said. Of100 million newly manufacturedcars in the year 2020, 6 million willby then be hybrid vehicles and 3million plug-in hybrids and electriccars.Lithium-ion (and similar lithium

polymer) batteries dominate in thedevelopment of elctrical storage for(H)EVs. The Lithium-ion chemistryinvolves a lithium cobalt oxidecathode and a graphite anode. Thisyields cells with a 200+Wh/kgenergy density and 80 to 90%charge/discharge efficiency. Thedownsides of traditional lithium-ionbatteries include short cycle lives(hundreds to a few thousand chargecycles) and significant degradationwith age. The cathode is alsosomewhat toxic. Also, traditionallithium-ion batteries can pose a firesafety risk if punctured or chargedimproperly. The maturity of thistechnology is moderate. The TeslaRoadster uses ‘blades’ of traditionallithium-ion cells that can be replacedindividually as needed. New variants(phosphates, titanates, spinels) havebeen shown to have a much longerlifetime, with A123 expecting theirlithium iron phosphate batteries tolast for at least 10+ years and7000+ charge cycles, and LG Chemexpecting their lithium-manganesespinel batteries to last up to 40years. “In my opinion, a real revolution

is needed for the development ofthe next generation. We need newstorage materials for Lithium-ionbatteries”, explains batteryresearcher Stefan Koller, who is

involved in the ‘NanoPoliBat’ EUproject at Graz University ofTechnology (Austria) and VartaMicrobattery (Germany). In a newlydeveloped process, Koller utilise asilicon-containing gel and apply it tothe graphite substrate material. “Inthis way the graphite works as abuffer, cushioning the big changesin volume of the silicon during theuptake and transfer of lithium ions”,he explains. Silicon has a lithium-ionstorage capacity some ten timeshigher than the up-to-nowcommercially used graphite. Thenew material can thus store morethan double the quantity of lithiumions without changes to the batterylifetime. This method is far cheaperthan the previous ones in whichsilicon is separated in the gasphase. “The challenge lies in thepoor storage density of materials inthe counter electrode in the wholebattery, something which we havebeen doing intensive research on”,Koller comments.

European E3Car research project“Besides semiconductor devices

for hybrids, we also concentrate ourefforts on electric vehicles. In themedium-term, this will be a nichemarket, but has a great perspective inthe long-term”, said Infineon’s CEOPeter Bauer at ECarTec. Thus,Europe’s largest research project toadvance the development of electricvehicles has been launched underthe leadership of InfineonTechnologies. The E3Car (Energy Efficient

Electrical Car) project bringstogether 33 automotive companies,key suppliers, and research facilitiesfrom a total of 11 countries tocollaborate on boosting theefficiency of electrically-drivenvehicles by more than one-third.The goal of the project is to extendthe travel range of electric vehiclesby up to 35%, with a battery unit ofthe same size as a current baseline.Alternatively, this means batteryunits up to 35% lighter and morecompact, while providing the sametravel range as a current baseline,will be possible. As part of the E3Car project and

by the end of 2011, Europe istargeting research on innovativeelectronic components that play akey role in electric vehicle powerconsumption. Research will focusprimarily on semiconductorcomponents and power modules

that control the supply anddistribution of power in electricvehicles. These are used in thepowertrain, which consumes mostof the car’s energy, as well as inpower converters and Lithium-ionbatteries. Project efforts areconcentrated on extending the travelrange per battery charge, onintegrating components to make thebattery, charge unit and powerdistribution network lighter andmore compact, and on increasingthe efficiency of the power converterso that as much battery charge aspossible is used to drive the vehicleand is not lost through heatdissipation. Infineon’s contribution isthe further development of powersemiconductors and modules.The E3Car project objective is the

development of nanoelectronicstechnologies, devices, circuitsarchitectures and modules forelectrical and hybrid vehicles anddemonstration of these modules infinal systems with a focus oncomponent design, circuitarchitecture concepts andsemiconductor technologydevelopments. The project aims atcreating a breakthrough in thedevelopment of nanoelectronicstechnologies, devices, miniaturisedsub-systems for the next generationelectric vehicles and acceleration ofcommercialisation of the electricvehicles segment. The total budget for the three year

E3Car project is around Euro 44million, half of which is funded by the33 industry and research partners.The other half is provided by theENIAC (European Nanoelectronics

Initiative Advisory Council)organisation and 11 fundingorganisations in Austria, Belgium, theCzech Republic, Germany, Finland,France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,Norway and Spain. One of the largestsponsors is the German FederalMinistry of Education and Research(BMBF).The German Federal Government

is pursuing a holistic strategy. The‘National Development Plan onElectric-Drive Vehicles’, approved bythe German Federal Cabinet onAugust 19, 2009, harmonises andcoordinates for the first time allrelevant measures – from educationand competence building atuniversities and colleges, throughbattery development, networkintegration and power management,to market preparation. The plan isdesigned to ensure that the wholeconcept of electric mobility –ranging from basic research to newbusiness models – is adopted inGermany, so that value added isgenerated in Germany and newfuture-proof jobs are created. Thegoal is to have one million electricvehicles on German roads by 2020.In total, the Federal Government isfunding electric mobility to the tuneof Euro 700 million, Euro 500million of which come from thegovernment’s second economicstimulus package.

AS

www.ecartec.euwww.bosch.comwww.rwe-mobility.comwww.infineon.comwww.E3Car.eu

“In the medium-term electric vehicles willbe a niche market, but this has a greatperspective in the long-term”, saidInfineon’s CEO Peter Bauer


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Recently, the largest Europeanenergy supply companies andvehicle manufacturers agreed on thebasic parameters for the chargingconnection for electric cars. The basisfor this agreement is a standard draftdeveloped by German plug specialistMennekes (800 employees, 100million Euros annual turnover).

The tasks of the charging plugs aremuch more complex in this contextthan one would think at first glance,as they have to cover a large varietyof functions. The Mennekesconnector is no larger than acommon 16A plug and suited forboth single-phase 230V connectionas well as three-phase 400Vconnection up to a charging currentof 63A.

It also features the requiredcommunication interfaces betweenthe charging station and the vehicle.A ‘plug present’ contact for exampleensures the activation of theimmobiliser and a ‘control pilot’contact enables communication,

meaning data exchange.In addition, the company is

working on system solutions forcharging stations in the commercialand the public sector. Demand-conform charging capacities withdifferent charging currents areoffered depending on theapplication field. Time-savingcharging stations with chargingcurrents of up to 63A will beavailable for the commercial andpublic sector, e.g. on parking placesand in parking garages, whichreduce the charging times to lessthan 10% compared to charging athome. For the domestic sector,solutions will be developed thatallow the recharging of electric carsvia common 230V householdoutlets with earthing contact.

High demands “We have been cooperating

intensely with the research anddevelopment departments of thelarge vehicle manufacturers and

energy suppliers”, comments VolkerLazzaro, Managing Director ofTechnology and Project Manager e-mobility at Mennekes.

High demands are made on thecharging connector, becausecharging an electric car is supposedto become easier and morecomfortable than today. Here iswhere the company profits from itsalmost 75 years of experience in thefield of industrial plug-typeconnectors. The safety of thecharging technology takes top priorityhere. For example, the plugs have tobe latched during charging, so thatthey cannot be pulled out arbitrarilyor unintentionally during the chargingprocess. In addition, the vehicle andthe charging station must be able tocommunicate with each other via thecharging technology to exchangedata. For this purpose, the chargingcable for the connection betweenthe vehicle socket and the chargingstation has identical plugs at eachend with protection againstaccidental contact, so that the userdoes not have to wonder which endto plug in where. In addition,Mennekes will also offer thecorresponding charging cable forelectric cars at home on a normal230V household outlet with earthingcontact.

Mennekes is a partner of thevehicle manufacturer and utilitycompanies such as RWE for thepractical field tests of mobilityconcepts with electric drive. Thedevelopment of products andsystems for vehicle charging hasreached an advanced status andconcrete shapes on this base. Thisalso shows the current pilot projectsin model regions in Germany (Berlinor Aachen).

The agreement of the leadingEuropean vehicle manufacturers andenergy supply companies on oneuniform standard for the chargingplug system is an essential steptowards enabling mobility withelectric drives throughout Europe.The basis for this agreement is thestandard draft for the charging plugs.“Even if the integration into bindingnorms will still take some time, weare already in a close dialogue withthe vehicle manufacturers andenergy supply companies concerningthe practice-conform advanceddevelopment of the componentsand system solutions. Our aim is tomake the start into an electro mobilefuture as easy as possible for theconsumers”, commented AndreasSprecker, managing director atMennekes.www.MENNECKES.de

Charging Systems for ElectricVehicles

The charge plugby Mennekes is nolarger than acommon 16A plug,and is suited forcharging currentsof up to 63A

Charging station and cable plugged onto a Smart EVSource: Mennekes

Decisive for the mass acceptance of electric cars is the development of a corresponding charginginfrastructure to be able to recharge the electric cars. The most important prerequisite for this is, above all, auniform charge socket and the corresponding plug.

p18 ECar Mennekes.QXD_New Market News Template 25/11/2009 10:56

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19_PEE_0809_19_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 10:58 Page 1

20 AUTOMOTIVE POWER www.infineon.com/hybrid www.infineon.com/automotivepower


Power Semiconductor Solutionsfor Micro-Hybrid SystemsCurrent CO2 discussion and the need for the higher efficiency lead to the highly growing market share ofthe hybrid automotive systems. One of the significant agenda points is so-called micro-hybrid cars. In thosecars, the alternator is used also as a starter and the braking energy, or at least some part of it, is recuperatedby the battery. The belt-driven micro-hybrid systems operating on a 14V board net are easy to integrate intothe existing cars, both mechanically and electrically. The most important task in the alternator mode ofoperation is to maximise the efficiency of the electrical energy generation. Modern generators have typicalefficiency of around 70%. Diodes in the classical rectifier bridge cause 38% of generator losses. Dr. Ing.Dušan Graovac (Senior Staff Engineer, Automotive), Benno Köppl (Principal Engineer,Powertrain Systems), Frank Auer (Director, Powertrain Systems), and Michael Scheffer (SystemExpert Powertrain Systems), Infineon Technologies, Neubiberg, Germany

A simplified block diagram of a beltdriven starter-alternator electronic controlunit (ECU) and the appropriate systemdemonstrator are shown in Figure 1. Itconsists of the Lundell alternator, three- orsix-phase inverter with power MOSFETs anda bridge driver, micro-controller for motorcontrol during both starting and generationmode, H-Bridge for excitation control anddifferent sensors. Compared to a classical alternator with

diode rectification, the efficiency of thecomplete system, including generator, isimproved for at least 6%. With alternatormodifications efficiency improvements ofmore than 10% are realistic. Anothersignificant advantage is the increase of theavailable generator current at low speed ofaround 40%.Figure 2 illustrates a load dump

behaviour of the proposed alternatorcontrol in a so-called ‘loss of battery’situation. It can be seen that when

dumping the 100A load, the over-voltagepeak remains below 25V and has a veryshort duration of below 5ms. Comparedwith classical load dump condition, whichvary between 32 and 45V for 400ms, this

concept brings significant advantages.

Application requirements on powersemiconductors The hardest requirements in a micro-

Figure 1: Infineon’s solution for a micro-hybrid ECU

Figure 2: Load dump minimisation

p20-21 Feature Infineon.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:00

www.infineon.com/hybrid www.infineon.com/automotivepower AUTOMOTIVE POWER 21


hybrid system are set for power MOSFETsand modules. Very high currents (600A)and the need for low voltage drop and highefficiency require very low Rdson value andalso low values of both the gate-charge(important for the bridge driver currentcapability) and gate-to-drain charge(important for the minimisation of theswitching losses). Modern low voltageMOSFETs are based on trench cells. TheInfineon trench concept, compared to theclassical trench, enables further reduction inRdson, gate-to-drain charges, gate resistanceand is more robust against the parasiticturn-on which could be triggered with highdu/dt transients. New 40V generationintroduces first sub milli-ohm MOSFET(Rdson_max<1mΩ). In order to achieve highcurrents using standard 7pin D²PAK, aPowerBond bonding technology is used.This approach enabled achieving of a true180A DC current capability of a D²PAK with the package resistance reduced to0.3mΩ only.

Semiconductor devices in the micro-hybrid application are placed in the enginecompartment with an additional goal ofintegrating both the power electronics part,as well as the control circuitry into thealternator. Thus, they have to deal withboth severe temperature cycles and highjunction temperatures. An ECU has towithstand 600,000 internal combustionengine (ICE) starts over 17 years withoutfailure, together with additional thousandsof operating hours in generator mode.

Although it is possible to design an ECUbased on discrete MOSFETs mounted oninsulated metal substrate (IMS), as donepreviously with the system demonstrator,very high current and power densities,integration in the generator housing andreliability/lifetime requirements can beachieved only by using the power modulewith a ceramic substrate (DCB – direct

copper bonding). Compared to IMS, DCBoffers lower thermal resistance (Rth) by thefactor of 2 to 4.

The classical build-up of a power modulewith a copper baseplate, from automotivepoint of view, is bulky and expensive formicro hybrid vehicles. For that reason,power modules without a baseplate areoften used in automotive applications. Onemodule of this type is shown in Figure 3.To withstand high electrical and thermo-mechanical stress, interconnections insidethe power module have to be as strong aspossible. The failure mechanisms forstandard modules due to thermal loadchanges are bond wire lift-off, delaminationof the upper side copper layer, and soldercracks.

The main cause of these failures isdifferent heating of the individualareas/layers and the different thermalexpansion coefficients of the materials usedin the inside the power module. This alsoshows the importance of the propermaterial choice for the module lifetime.

The driver IC is the interface betweenthe microcontroller and the MOSFETs. Asthe microcontroller delivers the controlsignals, the driver IC level-shifts, amplifies,and buffers the control signals to providethe necessary gate charge for the powerstage. In addition, the driver IC incorporatesprotection functions and functions toreduce the external part count and cost. It

also allows operation at very low batteryvoltages during ICE starting. In addition tothat it should be noted that over-current,shoot-through, under-voltage and over-voltage protections are necessary.

Future outlookIn the power MOSFET technology,

further minimisation of both Rdson and gatecharges is expected, together with theincrease in temperature capability.Changing the maximum allowablejunction temperature of the powersemiconductor will directly change thethermal stress on the interconnection ofthe chip surface. A typical wear-out effectat the chip surface is the wire bond liftoff. To test this interconnection, powercycling tests are performed. The numberof cycles that a device survives is relatedto the temperature swing, the maximumtemperature and the slopes. The wirebonding process for power modules hasalready been improved from standardwire bonding to the Infineon newgeneration wire bonding (Figure 4). Forfuture designs results of the lowtemperature joining process (LTJT) arevery promising. Further innovation comesfrom the field of drivers, microcontrollersand sensors. In the development, there isa rotor position sensor based on iGMR(integrated giant magneto resistance)technology.

Figure 3: Cost savings through modules withouta baseplate

Figure 4:Improvement ofpower cyclingcapability as a resultof newinterconnectiontechnologies (LTJT)

p20-21 Feature Infineon.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:00

22 AUTOMOTIVE POWER www.toshiba-components.com


Driving Improvements in MotorControl DesignElectrically actuated automotive systems offer greater convenience for users, as well as enabling car makersto reduce the size, weight and cost of the equipment fitted to modern vehicles. Cars today use numerouselectric motors in areas such as HVAC, seat and mirror adjusters, headlamp positioning mechanisms,various washer pumps, and larger systems such as electric power steering. New driver and power stagetechnologies for automotive BLDC motors can enhance performance, shorten time to market, and reducecosts for vehicle comfort and convenience features. Dr Georges Tchouangue and Wolf Jetschin, PowerSemiconductors Division, Toshiba Electronics Europe

Electrically actuated automotivesystems offer greater convenience forusers, as well as enabling car makers toreduce the size, weight and cost of theequipment fitted to modern vehicles. Carstoday use numerous electric motors inareas such as HVAC (heating, ventilationand air conditioning), seat and mirroradjusters, headlamp positioningmechanisms, various washer pumps, andlarger systems such as electric powersteering.

In most instances, a brushless DC(BLDC) motor is preferred for its highreliability, low friction, small size andrelatively low cost. However, drives andcontrols for BLDCs are more complex thanfor conventional brushed motors. As aresult, they have always challengedsystem designers to achieve attributessuch as accurate speed or positioncontrol, high efficiency with low heatgeneration, and low audible noise.Moreover, in many cases such challengesmust be delivered within a shortdevelopment timeframe and at a highlycompetitive price.

Motor control challengesKey challenges when building BLDC

applications lie in designing the controlelectronics, as well as minimising losses inthe power bridge delivering current to themotor windings.

Designing and programming asensorless BLDC controller requiresspecialist expertise and can be time-consuming and expensive in terms ofboth circuit implementation andsoftware development. Because of this,using an application-optimised controllerIC that integrates much of the keyfunctionality in hardware is oftenpreferable, and is a solution that isincreasingly employed in many industrial

and home appliance applications.However, devices that deliver therequisite functionality in the automotivearena and that are also qualified to therequired automotive standards have,conventionally, been much more difficultto identify.

It is for this reason that Toshiba isinvesting in the development ofcontroller/pre-driver ICs and powerMOSFETs (Figure 1) that are optimisedto driving the power stage of anautomotive motor application, while alsomeeting the stringent requirements ofthe AEC-Q100 and TS16949 standards.Such devices will make theimplementation of BLDC motors muchmore commercially viable in the cost-sensitive automotive arena.

Automotive qualified driver ICsA family of these dedicated automotive

ICs is due to be launched in the secondquarter of 2010. Among the devicesplanned, the TB9061FNG will be suitable forapplications such as driving fans and pumps,where fast load regulation or minutelycontrolled rotor angles are not required.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of theplanned device, which will be supplied in a24pin SSOP package and capable ofoperating with temperatures from -40 to125ºC.

Billed as a three-phase sensorless/brushless motor pre-driver, this IC willaccept both PWM and DC control inputsand will incorporate six pre-driver (P channel/N Channel MOS) outputs forthree-phase motor control.

Figure 1: Driver IC and Power MOSFET solution for automotive applications

p22-26 Feature Toshiba.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:06

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23_PEE_0809_23_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 11:10 Page 1

The design significantly reduces theneed for additional softwareprogramming by implementingsensorless core logic for motor control inhardware alongside control logic thatincludes a PWM counter, an 8bit ADCand a PWM generator. Input PWMfrequencies ranging from 10Hz to 1kHzcan be accommodated with valid dutycycles from approximately 5% to 95%.The input PWM signal is measured andcalculated in the on-board logic circuit.The IC then generates a corresponding20kHz PWM three-phase signal at theoutputs. Motor direction can be controlled

clockwise and anti-clockwise using asingle external pin, while built-in three-

channel comparators minimise the needfor additional components for thedetection of the motor’s inducedvoltage. Furthermore, built-in stall modedetection and automatic recoverycontrol ensure robust and reliableoperation, as do other safetymechanisms including over-currentdetection and over-voltage detection.The over-current detector can betriggered by two different currentconditions (limited and over-current).

Power semiconductorsOf course, the driver is only one part of

the total motor drive solution. It is alsoimportant to implement an optimisedpower stage, and it is here that the latest

advances in power MOSFET technologycan make things easier for the automotivedesigner.MOSFETs used in automotive motor

control designs are typically required to besmall in size yet capable of handling highcurrents and many thousands of powercycles. At the same time, they must exhibithigh reliability in the often harshautomotive environment and meet theAECQ101 and TS16949 standardsrequirements. The key to developing MOSFETs that

are small, reliable and able to handle highcurrents and many thousands of powercycles lies in low loss device design atboth the silicon and the packaging level.Indeed, low-loss device design is



Figure 2: BLDC Driver TB9061FNG block diagram


imperative to maximising reliability byminimising the heating effects ofcontinuous and pulse currents to whichthe device may be exposed. Because ofthis, reducing on resistance (RDS(ON)) andother factors influencing the creation ofI²R losses is clearly important. However, atthe same time, switching performancedemands consideration of factors such asgate charge (Qg) and input capacitance(Ciss).

As far as package design is concerned,optimising the characteristics of the deviceleads and internal ohmic connections canhelp to minimise I²R heating by reducingelectrical resistance. Low thermalresistance throughout the leads,connections and overmold is alsonecessary, to help the device dissipateinternally generated heat as efficiently aspossible.

At the silicon level, reducing the typicalon-resistance also helps to minimise I²Rheating within the die. A low Ciss is highlydesirable for automotive MOSFETs as thisreduces turn-on energy and allows fastresponse to control signals. For use in anH-bridge, MOSFET turn-off behaviour isnot an issue. For three-phase BLDC, thedead time has to be controlled, whichmeans the turn-off time has to be fastenough to prevent short-circuitconditions damaging high- and low-sideMOSFETs.

Toshiba’s own solution to thesechallenges has been to develop a family ofMOSFETs that combine package advanceswith advanced U-MOS IV trenchtechnology. The trench architecture delivers

www.toshiba-components.com AUTOMOTIVE POWER 25


Figure 3: MOSFET temperature comparisons

Opportunities in AutomotiveMarket for Electric MotorsThe automobile market has crashed, and whilst this has affected componentsuppliers, there still remain areas where the electrical motor market isgrowing, according to a new report from IMS Research.

With light vehicle sales having experienced the largest drop in livingmemory in most western economies, one would expect a reduction in thenumber of electrical motors used in automotive applications. However, ‘TheWorld Market for Electrical Motors in Automotive Applications’ report showsthat the continued growth in vehicle sales in regions such as China andSouth America, the continued penetration of actuated systems into a greaternumber of vehicles and the innovation of new technologies requiringmotors, has helped soften the drop in demand to some degree.

Demand for some types of electrical motors is holding up better than forothers. The brushless DC motor market, for example, is performing relativelywell. To quantify this, worldwide sales of motors used in automotiveapplications are estimated to have dropped by almost 20%, from 2.3 billionunits, over the period 2007 to 2009. In contrast, sales of brushless DCmotors are estimated to decrease by only 6% over the same period.Nevertheless, the market for brushless DC motors in automotive is stillsmall, accounting for only around 5% of motors used in automotiveapplications. Also, many high volume applications, such as seat adjustmentor window actuation, only require intermittent operation. So while brushlessDC motors may be used in some top-end vehicles, primarily to benefit fromthe reduced noise levels of the motor, this is not true for the ‘mass market’.

“In spite of the higher cost of these products, the greater reliability andenergy efficiency as well as longer lifetimes of brushless DC motors, makethem popular in applications with high duty cycles. Already, many of the fuelpump applications have switched from brushed to brushless. Thisreplacement trend is expected to continue in water pump applications, suchas in cooling systems”, comments IMS analyst Alex West. “Otherapplications also using this technology include dual clutch and automatedmanual transmission, as well as HVAC and power steering systems. Also, asthe market for electric and hybrid vehicles increases, this is expected to spurdemand for the more efficient brushless DC motors“.www.imsresearch.com


the low RDS(ON), low input capacitance, lowgate charge and high current-handlingcapability.So far, automotive MOSFETs have used

conventional package architectures andmaterials. This has effectively restrictedperformance, but Toshiba WARP packagesnow introduce a number of innovationsaimed at simultaneously reducing internalheat generation, increasing heatdissipation, and improving overalldurability.Conventional aluminium bondwires are

replaced with a copper clamp, forexample, and the clamping mechanism isoptimised to maintain a reliablemechanical bond, so as to withstandrepeated power cycling as well asexposure to shock and vibration. Theclamp has a larger cross-sectional areathan a multi-bondwire interconnect, andthis combines with the higher electricalconductivity of the copper material for adrastic reduction of I²R heating due topackage losses. Furthermore, because thecopper clamp lowers package inductance,not only is heat generation furtherreduced but improved noise performanceand faster switching times are possible.Finally, an enlarged source terminalcreates a low-resistance pathway for

current entering the device. Combiningthe direct copper clamping structure andwide source lead has been shown toimprove package thermal resistance byaround 20%.These package technology advances and

the U-MOS IV channel architecture havecome together in the Toshiba WARP-FETautomotive MOSFET family offering current-handling capability up to 150A andmaximum voltage of 75VDSS. The trenchtechnology contributes to typical RDS(ON) aslow as 1.7m and typical Ciss down to4500pF.The improvements in performance

throughout the package and the die haveenabled a valuable reduction in electricallosses combined with improved heatdissipation. As a result, the averageMOSFET operating temperature isappreciably lower than for a comparabledevice using conventional packaging andtrench architecture. Figure 3 confirms thisby comparing the temperature at thedrain, package surface and source lead ofautomotive trench MOSFETs in thestandard TO-220SM package (alsoknown as D²PAK) and the TO-220SM(W)WARP package. The combined effects of the

enhancements to silicon performance and

low-loss packaging allow these MOSFETs toachieve many thousands of power cycles.This will serve to boost reliability inautomotive BLDC motor-controlapplications.

System solutionFigure 3 shows the planned driver IC

and the latest automotive MOSFETtechnology. Because the TB9061FNG IC isoptimised for use with these powerdevices they can, together, simplify andspeed the implementation of a fullautomotive motor drive system. Toaccelerate development, further anevaluation board will soon be launchedthat combines a TB9061FNG driver ICwith six WARP-FETs and a sampleautomotive pump. The pump motor canbe controlled using a pulse generatorconnected to the board’s PWM input, orby applying a DC control signal.By enabling a true system solution for

automotive brushless motor control, thisdriver IC/automotive MOSFETcombination will significantly reduce thetime engineers need to spend identifyingand selecting components and designingcircuitry, at the same time as providing anassurance of quality and reliability in theend product.



PartNumber

VcesIc100tc=25 C

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IXGA30N60C3C1 600V 30A 3.0V 47ns 0.33mJ 0.56 C/W TO-263

IXGP30N60C3C1 600V 30A 3.0V 47ns 0.33mJ 0.56 C/W TO-220

IXGH30N60C3C1 600V 30A 3.0V 47ns 0.33mJ 0.56 C/W TO-247

IXGH30N60B3C1 600V 36A 1.8V 100ns 1.50mJ 0.5 C/W TO-247

IXGH48N60B3C1 600V 48A 1.8V 116ns 1.30mJ 0.42 C/W TO-247

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Advantages of Advanced ActiveClampingPower semiconductor manufacturers are offering IGBT modules with ever greater power densities. The limit is represented by the maximum power loss that can be dissipated; optimisation criteria are thepackaging technology as well as the conduction and switching losses of the semiconductor chips. The highcurrent density of the modules together with high switching speeds place increased demands on the driving circuits, both in normal switching operation and under overload conditions. Advanced ActiveClamping switching technology offers a solution showing how modern high-power IGBTs can be betterutilised. Heinz Rüedi, Jan Thalheim and Olivier Garcia, CT-Concept Technologie AG, Switzerland

Parasitic inductances in IGBT modulesand converter circuits cannot becompletely eliminated for physical reasons,and their influence on the systembehaviour cannot be neglected. Figure 1(upper part) shows the parasiticinductances contained in a commutationcircuit. The current change caused byturning off the IGBT produces voltagetransients at its collector, as shown in thelower part of Figure 1.The commutation speed and thus, the

turn-off over-voltage at an IGBT can, inprinciple, be affected by the turn-off gateresistance Rg(off). This technique is usedparticularly at lower powers. However, Rg(off)

must then be dimensioned for overloadconditions such as turn-off of the doublerated current, short circuit and a temporarilyincreased link circuit voltage. In normaloperation, this results in increasedswitching losses and turn-off delays, whichreduces the usability of the modules. Sothis simple method is unsuitable formodern high-power modules.

Soft Turn-OffThe problems described above have led

to the development of two-stage turn-off,soft-switch-off, and slow turn-off drivercircuits operating with a reversible gateresistance. In normal operation, a low-ohmic gate resistor is used to turn the IGBToff in order to minimise the switchinglosses, and a high-ohmic one is used whena short circuit or surge current is detected(see Figure 2).However, the problem lies in the reliable

detection of these conditions: desaturationmonitoring always involves a delay knownas the response time, usually of 4-10μs,until a fault is detected. When the IGBTsare driven with a pulse that is shorter thanthe response time in the event of a shortcircuit, the fault is not detected and the

driver turns off too quickly. The IGBT is thendestroyed by the resulting over-voltage. Moreover, coverage of limit cases

(between over-current/non-over-current)presents a problem; for instance a higherover-voltage may well occur when thedouble rated current is turned off than at ashort-circuit turn-off.These kinds of driver circuits must be

regarded as dangerous and users must beadvised against their use in equipment of

higher power and in systems from whichhigh reliability is expected.Apart from that, a soft turn-off circuit

designed for only two operating conditions isclearly unable to ensure optimal driving at alltimes under changing operating conditions.Consequently, this principle is, at best, acompromise, also with respect to efficiency.

Active ClampingSimple Active Clamping has already

Figure 1:Commutation circuitwith parasiticinductances (above)and typicalcharacteristic at IGBTturn-off (below)

www.IGBT-Driver.com IGBT DRIVERS 27


p27-29 Feature Concept.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:14

been used for some time to protect powerMOSFETs. Active clamping means the directfeedback of the collector potential to thegate via an element with an avalanchecharacteristic. Figure 3 (upper part) showsthe principle on the basis of an IGBTswitch.

The feedback branch consists of aclamping element, as a rule comprising aseries of transient voltage suppressors(TVS). If the collector-emitter voltageexceeds the approximate breakdownvoltage of the clamping element, a currentflows via the feedback to the gate of theIGBT and raises its potential, so that therate of change of the collector current isreduced and a stable condition results. Thevoltage across the IGBT is then determined

by the design of the clamping element. TheIGBT operates in the active range of itsoutput characteristic and converts theenergy stored in the stray inductance intoheat. The clamping process continues untilthe stray inductances have beendemagnetised. The fundamentalrelationships involved here on the basis oftypical curves are illustrated in the lowerpart of Figure 3.

Benefits of Active Clamping: l Self-adapting system, comes into

action only when really neededl Lower switching lossesl Simple circuit configurationl The IGBT to be protected is itself a

major part of the protective circuit

l No additional power components (snubbers) required

l Relatively exact voltage limitation independent of the operating point of the converter

l Conventional drivers can be usedActive Clamping offers more reliable

protection of the IGBTs than a soft turn-off circuit, does not require the detectionof a fault case, and offers higherefficiency.

Advanced Active ClampingSimple Active Clamping is traditionally

used only to protect the semiconductor inthe event of overload. Consequently, theclamping elements are never subjected torecurrent pulse operation.

The problem of repetitive operationtakes the following form: modern high-power IGBTs are optimally driven with gateresistors in the range from 0.1 to severalohms. For turn-off, the driver supplies anoutput voltage of –10V. However, theActive Clamping Circuit must raise the gatevoltage temporarily to about +15V, in orderto reduce the rate of current change. Thisproduces a voltage drop of 25V across thegate resistor. A high current is absorbed bythe driver, which flows through the ActiveClamping circuit, where it produces highlosses and additional voltage drops. Thesimple Active Clamping circuit isconsequently unsuitable for repetitiveoperation.

An improved Active Clamping circuit hasbeen presented with a plug-and-play driverfor IHM modules [1]. The circuit principle isshown in Figure 4. Here, the base of thechain of clamping diodes is, as usual,connected to the gate of the IGBT, butadditionally to the input of a booster stage.The driver voltage is consequently raised assoon as a current flows through theclamping element. The driver stage now nolonger draws any current from the clampingelement, and the current flowing throughthe latter is then available exclusively forcharging the gate. The voltage drop andpower loss in the clamping diodes can thusbe dramatically reduced. This circuit hasproved its worth in the first generation ofSCALE plug-and-play drivers used in a largenumber of industrial and tractionapplications.

SCALE-2 Integrated Advanced ActiveClamping

The SCALE-2 generation [2] offersAdvanced Active Clamping functionalitynot only in plug-and-play drivers but alsoin driver cores. Figure 5 illustrates thiswith the circuit of the SCALE-2 2SC0435Tlow-cost driver core with the use of theAdvanced Active Clamping function.

The base of the clamping elements is

28 IGBT DRIVERS www.IGBT-Driver.com


Figure 3: Principle ofan IGBT driver withActive Clamping(above) and typicalcharacteristic at turn-off with ActiveClamping (below)

Figure 2: Principle ofan IGBT driver withsoft turn-off


connected not only to the gate of the IGBT,but also to the ACL input of the SCALE-2driver ASIC. The gate driver ASICsimplemented in sophisticated fast analogCMOS technology continuously raise theoutput resistance of the turn-off driverstage as the current to the ACL inputincreases. When the current reachesseveral 100mA, the output stage has highimpedance, so that the driver no longerabsorbs any current from the clampingelement. This circuit operates moreefficiently than the discretely implementedsolution shown in Figure 4, usessignificantly fewer components and is verysimple and safe for the user.Figure 6 shows the turn-off behaviour

of the 2SP0320T plug-and-play driverwith an IGBT module FF450R12IE4 usingthe same SCALE-2 circuit technology withAdvanced Active Clamping.The Advanced Active Clamping

integrated in the SCALE-2 chipset has – inaddition to all the advantages of the simpleActive Clamping solutions – the followingbenefits:

l Simple scalability in the voltage classl Low thermal load of the clamping

elementsl Very low-ohmic gate resistors possiblel Steep limiting characteristicl Suitable for all modern high-power

IGBT modulesl Periodic operation possiblel Minimum switching lossesl Improved system performancel Self-adapting system, acts only when

really neededl Can be configured simply and safely l Very competitive system costs

ConclusionAdvanced Active Clamping is one of the

most important features of a modern driverfor high-power IGBTs. The circuit not onlyprotects the IGBT in the event of a fault, itis also the precondition for allowing theoptimal utilisation of IGBT modules with

high power densities. Integration bysophisticated analog or mixed-signal ASICtechnologies allows the simple and cost-effective implementation of AdvancedActive Clamping with very few components.Drivers with Advanced Active Clamping

are offered as ready adapted plug-and-playdrivers and in the form of driver cores. Thelatter allow the user to adapt the circuitry tohis requirements.

OutlookThe benefits of Advanced Active

Clamping for direct parallel connection ofIGBT modules, as well as in multileveltopologies, will be presented in the January2010 issue of PEE. The integration of dv/dtfeedback will also be covered.

Literature[1] Heinz Rüedi, Peter Köhli: ‘SCALE’

Driver for High Voltage IGBTs, PCIMEurope Conference ProceedingsNuremberg, 1999

[2] Jan Thalheim, Heinz Rüedi:Universal Chipset for IGBT and Power-MOSFET Gate Drivers, PCIM EuropeConference Proceedings Nuremberg,2007

www.IGBT-Driver.com IGBT DRIVERS 29


Figure 4: Principle of an IGBT driver with Advanced Active Clamping

Figure 6: Switching behaviour of a FF450R12IE4 IGBT with the 2SP0320T (with Advanced ActiveClamping) at Vdc = 800V and Ic = 900A, Lstray = 68nH, Temp = +25°C

Figure 5: SCALE-2 Integration of Advanced Active Clamping illustrated by the 2SC0435T driver core


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New 1200V SPT+ IGBT andDiode for High TemperatureApplicationsThe application spectrum for the 1200V voltage class chips and modules is increasing worldwide due to theconstant increase of power electronic systems present in various fields like automotive, industrial,regenerative power sources etc. Higher demands for improved electrical performance and reliability due tothe increased levels of power and switching speeds in modern applications have resulted in developmentefforts for more optimised devices capable of withstanding such conditions. Moreover, a common trend ofoperating the devices under junction temperatures up to 175°C is present. Bulent Aydin and MartaCammarata, ABB Switzerland Ltd, Semiconductors, Lenzburg, Switzerland

The SPT+ Enhanced-Planar technologywas introduced in 2005 and covers voltageclasses ranging from 1.2 to 6.5kV. Duringthe current development of an improvedSPT+ 1200V chipset, the IGBT was furtheroptimised for higher reliability at highertemperatures, while keeping the electricalperformance. Furthermore, a newlydeveloped diode is designed for highreliability, soft recovery and low forwardvoltage drop.

1200V SPT+ IGBT and diodeThe SPT+ IGBT design is shown in

Figure 1. Its development target was toreduce the on-state losses by introducingan N-enhancement layer surrounding thechannel P-well. This improves the plasmaconcentration at the emitter side andtherefore lowers the on-state losses. Onthe other hand, the newly developeddiode is based on a pin-diode designutilising a combined local and uniformlifetime control. A schematic cross-section is also shown in Figure 1. Theoptimised shape of the stored electron-hole plasma ensures a low forwardvoltage drop and soft reverse recoveryperformance.Additionally, a state-of-the-art passivation

design was developed for the new chipsetincluding Silicon-Nitride and Polyimidelayers ensuring high mechanical andenvironmental robustness and reliability,especially important when operating athigher temperatures. The static and dynamic performances

were extensively measured and evaluatedto ensure matching the outstanding turn-offruggedness even at high temperatures.Also the high levels of IGBT short-circuit

capability are proven, despite the low on-state and switching losses.

Static and dynamic performanceThe measurements presented here are

performed on IGBT and diode chips ratedfor 100A nominal current, with an activearea of 104mm² for the IGBT and 50mm²for the diode.The IGBT electrical characteristics

include low on-state losses with a strongpositive temperature coefficient, as shownin Figure 2. This is a very important featurefor ensuring safe paralleling when chips aremounted in high current modules. At

125°C the IGBT shows a VCE sat value of 2Vat 100A. The diode low forward losses witha positive temperature coefficient are alsoshown in Figure 2. At 125°C the diode VFshows a value of 1.8V at 100A.Figure 3 shows the turn-off and turn-on

switching characteristics under nominalconditions at 125°C for the 100A IGBTchip. In both cases, the current transientsduring switching are very smooth and softwith short-current tails resulting in lowlosses, low overshoot voltages and low EMIlevels.Under nominal conditions of IC = 100A,

VDC = 600V and with a stray inductance

Figure 1: Schematic cross-section of the SPT+IGBT (top) and diode (bottom)

www.abb.com/semiconductors POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 31


p31-34 Feature ABB.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:19

LS = 60nH, the fully integrated switchinglosses at 125°C are: IGBT turn-off energyEOFF = 11.9mJ and IGBT turn-on energy EON= 14.7mJ. The diode reverse recoverycurrent behaviour is mirrored in the IGBTturn-on waveform. Also, for the diode thecurrent transients during switching are verysmooth and soft. Under nominal conditionsof IF = 100A, VDC = 600V and with a strayinductance LS = 60nH, the fully integratedreverse recovery energy is EREC = 12.6mJ.

SOA performanceThe excellent safe operating Area (SOA)

ruggedness of the SPT+ technology isconfirmed for the IGBT turn-off in Figure 4.A successful turn-off of 800A i.e. eighttimes the nominal current with a DC-linkvoltage of 1000V at 175°C, and a higherthan standard stray inductance of 200nH isshown. The peak-power reached in this testwas 800kW, while clearly surviving dynamicavalanche conditions and also successfullywithstanding Switching Self Clamping Mode(SSCM) of operation. The measurementwas done using a gate-emitter voltage of20V. In the subsequent test-step of 850A,the IGBT went into current saturation andturned off in a short-circuit type mode. Thisshows that the IGBT has an excellentrobustness being able to turn off allcurrents up to saturation at VGE = 20V. This test confirms the suitability of the

IGBT for operating at higher temperaturessince the SOA represents a main limitationtowards operating silicon devices undersuch conditions. The short-circuit capability of the new

1200V SPT+ chip is shown in Figure 5. Thewaveform shows how a 16µs short-circuitpulse was withstood at 175°C and with aDC voltage of 900V. The correspondingshort circuit current is 400A and the totalenergy dissipated is 5.9J. The devices werealso verified at a wide range oftemperatures showing rugged performanceunder all short-circuit test conditions.In Figure 6, the SOA ruggedness of the

diode is demonstrated. The reverserecovery at 200A i.e. double the nominalcurrent, with a DC-link voltage of 1000V at175°C and with a switching speed ofdIF/dt=4900A/µs, i.e. twice the nominalswitching speed, is shown. The resultingtotal peak power is 400kW, with the devicewithstanding clear dynamic avalancheconditions. The softness reverse recovery test

performed at 1/10th of the nominal ratedcurrent and at a higher-than-standard strayinductance of LS = 200nH is shown inFigure 7. It confirms the diode very softrecovery behaviour with small oscillations ata peak overshoot voltage of 1050V.The rugged design and improved

passivation have enabled the new chipset

32 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.abb.com/semiconductors


Figure 2: On-statecharacteristics of the100A IGBT (top) anddiode (bottom)

Figure 3: 100A IGBTturn-off (top)and turn-on (bottom)characteristic


to be seriously considered for the futureapplications targeting 175°C as a maximumoperation junction temperature.

High reliability performanceThe reliability of the new chip-set was

qualified using a combination of standard

tests including HTRB (High TemperatureReverse Bias), HTGB (High TemperatureGate Bias), THB (Temperature HumidityBias), Cosmic Ray test and a newlydeveloped test which combines hightemperature, high humidity and highvoltage.

More precisely, in this new test the IGBTsare switched with a frequency of 1kHz atan ambient temperature T = 85°C withrelative humidity RH = 85%. The switchedvoltage is VDC = 750V with an overshoot atthe turn-off transient that reaches a peakvalue of 900V. The test is carried out at a

www.abb.com/semiconductors POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 33


Figure 4: IGBT turn-off under extremeconditions demonstrating the high ruggedness ofthe newly developed chip

Figure 5: Short circuit SOA waveform of the1200V SPT+ IGBT

Figure 6: Diode reverse recovery under SOAconditions


relatively low current level. We called thetest THB-VDCsw (Temperature-Humidity-Bias,performed at the DC-link voltage andswitched). The test circuit is shown inFigure 8. It is evident how the switching at the

nominal DC-link voltage imitates biasingconditions very close to those the deviceexperiences in real field applications, whilethe acceleration property of the test isgiven from the high temperature and highhumidity values.Outstanding performance of the new

chip-set was proven by testing over 1000hrwithout any failure. By comparing themeasurements performed after test withthe measurements done before test, thechips show very stable electricalcharacteristics and values. Furtherinvestigations are planned to obtain thechips’ lifetime limits under nominalconditions, and also to provide a furtheracceleration factor by increasing the DC-linkvoltage levels.

Future developmentsCurrent development efforts are

targeting design parameters of the N-enhancement layer to exploit itsdevelopment potentials. This

investigation focuses on the presence ofthe N-enhancement layer which bringsforth a reduction in the avalanche

blocking capability of the device. Hence,the shape of the enhancement layerdoping profile can be optimised, in orderto maximise the enhancement featureand minimise the loss of blockingperformance. As shown in Figure 9, this is possible if

the layer is narrow but with a higherconcentration (red profile in the figure). Anarrow N-layer has the advantage ofgenerating a small modification of theelectric field shape, and therefore lessblocking capability reduction. The higher doping concentration of the N-enhancement layer has the advantageof increasing the enhancement effect andtherefore lowering the on-state losses.Experimental results from fineoptimisation of the enhancement layerhave resulted in an increasedenhancement effect and between 5 to10% lower on-state losses for the sameblocking capability.

34 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.abb.com/semiconductors


Figure 7: Softness reverse recovery for a 100Arated diode

Figure 8: Circuitscheme used for theTHB-VDCsw test

Figure 9: IGBT cellemitter dopingprofile and relatedelectric field andplasma concentrationfor the enhancementlayer


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35_PEE_0809_35_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 11:23 Page 1

36 POWER MODULE TEST www.power-semiconductor-tester.com


Comprehensive Testing withCombination TestersIncreasing quality demands require comprehensive, 100% testing of semiconductors. Static tests are nolonger enough. Only supplemental dynamic testing procedures, such as switching unclamped inductiveload and a double impulse test can meet the requirements. Inspection of thermal impedance is veryimportant in the process. The simplest approach uses a test system that can perform all these tests.Günther Dörgeloh, General Manager MRS Electronic, Rottweil, Germany

Since the IGBT die cannot be testedthoroughly before assembly, allparameters have to be tested after themodule was assembled. A complete testconsists not only of parameter testing,but also the thermal connection of thechip to the heatsink and the dynamicswitching behaviour. Thus, a testsequence consists of a pretest measuringthe cold parameters, then the stress testdynamic and thermal impedance (Zth)and retest to make sure the part is stillfunctional. To conduct all these test inone station, combination testers areavailable.

Parameter testingThe static parameters of power

semiconductors are the mostimportant parameters that mustundergo testing after production. TheIDSS (drain off-state current) and IGSSf/r(forward and reverse off-state currentof the gate) leakage currents, inparticular, provide information on anypossible mechanical damage to thechips. Gate threshold voltage and

breakdown voltage are importantindicators of doping. But is that stillenough today?Static tests are often inadequate to

meet the high demands for quality in themanufacture of special-purposemachinery and in the automobileindustry. Future requirements in theautomotive industry are clearly moving inthe direction of robust design andvalidation. But a robust design ofcomponents that are released accordingto the most modern methods does nothelp if process problems occur inproduction and nullify such efforts. Tokeep the required failure rate <10 ppm,advanced tests must guarantee thequality of production.

Dynamic testDynamic tests examine the switching

behaviour of the component under load.The component will ultimately be usedas an electronic switch in converters andsimilar units. For IGBTs, at highenvironmental temperatures RBSOA(reverse bias save operation) is

especially critical. Components withavalanche characteristics must pass the switching unclamped inductive loadtest. This test destroys weakcomponents.

Thermal impedance testThe production of heat in any

noteworthy quantity is a very undesirable,yet unavoidable, property of every pieceof power electronics. In this context, it isvery important that the semiconductorshave the ability to dissipate as much ofthe heat as possible from the place oforigin (depletion layer) to theenvironment (heatsink) via the enclosure(see Figure 1). The bubbles and voids that appear

during soldering of a chip impede therequired heat dissipation. The component will work for a limited timebut, sooner or later, a thermal failure will occur. Measuring the thermalimpedance (Zth) provides information onthe thermal connection of the chip. It isunnecessary to examine all of thecharacteristics; measurements at one or

Figure 1: Structure of an N-channel IGBT cell

p36-38 Feature MRS.qxd_Layout 1 25/11/2009 11:26

www.power-semiconductor-tester.com POWER MODULE TEST 37


two informative measurement points aresufficient.

Only one contactThe required quality demands that

these tests (switching unclampedinductive load test, RBSAO and Zth) beperformed as a 100% test of thecomponents. The simplest solution wouldbe to use specialised testers withindependent contacts, possibly even foradditional hot and cold tests. It is readilyapparent that this approach does notmake economic sense, but it isnonetheless possible to combine thetests mentioned above in one tester,despite the different ancillary conditionsof each test. This approach saves theeffort of multiple contacts and handlingtime.And the following is also possible. First,

the static parameters can be determinedto deduce the processes for chipmanufacture and assembly. Second,stress tests can be performed with anincreasing load. The static parameterswould then be measured again to ensurethat the stress tests did not do anydamage. And all that can be done withjust one contact.MRS’ modular testers enables tailoring of

the vertices (maximum test voltage,maximum current, and the requiredmultiplex productions) to the requirements.The tests run in real time on a high-performance digital signal processor (DSP).A commercial PC is used to control thetester.

Measuring the static parametersFor the static parameters, a source

instrument adjusts the test voltage or thetest current and measures the variables.The measurement module workscontinuously. Except for theindispensable anti-alias filter, thehardware does not contain any additionalfilters. The DSP performs eachprocessing of a signal. From a largeassortment, the optimal FIR filter can be

selected for each test. Short filter timesare used for time-critical measurements.Sensitive measurements, such as leakagecurrents in the lower nA range, requirelonger filters. Digital signal processingenables very exact, reproduciblemeasurements of leakage current, evenin extremely electromagnetic industrialenvironments.

Measuring dynamic behaviourThe two dynamic tests used most widely

are the switching unclamped inductive loadtest and the double impulse test. Bothinvolved stress tests that destroyproblematic components.The switching unclamped inductive

load test links the test to an inductiveload without an override (unclamped).The transistor is switched off once thespecified cut-off current is reached.Because there is no override path, thecurrent continues to flow through theunit being tested and drives it into theavalanche breakthrough or into linearmode if an active clamp is required overthe gate. Within a very short time, a veryhigh rating in the chip is converted intoheat. In cases of inhomogeneous, defective

doping or defective source or emittergate metallisation, hot spots on thesilicon develop that can lead to fusion ofthe crystal (see Figure 2). IGBTs, inparticular have an unavoidable parasiticthyristor structure that ignites when thefailures noted above occur, and that canlead to a latch-up with the resultingdestruction of the component. Thesekinds of components may not leaveproduction in any circumstances. FETshave only a part of these parasiticstructures, so that there is no danger of alatch-up. Nevertheless, these structuresare enough to cause comparable failures(a controlled increase of the parasiticbipolar transistor).The set-up for the double impulse test

is comparable to the set-up for theunclamped inductive load test, although

an override path exists in this case. Ifcomplete converter modules or phaselegs are being tested, the existing diodeconveniently located on the oppositeside of the transistor can be used as anoverride diode. This approachcorresponds to later usage. A completeswitching cycle is now run: commutationof the current into the override diodeand reserve recovery of the overridediode when switching back on. A testtester monitors the ancillary conditions ofthe test. A rapid digital storageoscilloscope can also be used to performadditional detailed analysis of currentand voltage curves online. The dynamic tests of IGBTs are

especially interesting at highenvironmental temperatures. The currentgain of both parasitic transistorsincreases as the temperature rises, asdoes the extrinsic base resistance. Bothincrease the danger of a latch-up. Anappropriate choice of test parametersenables testing compliance with the safeoperating area of each component. Thetransformed heat is mostly limited to thechips.

Measuring the thermal impedanceMeasuring the thermal impedance can

determine the amount of created heat thecomponent can dissipate in long-termoperation. Measuring the thermal impedance

occurs in three phases: • Measurement of a temperature-dependent parameter (diode flow voltage,saturation voltage, and so on),• application of well-defined (electric)energy, • second measurement of the temperature-dependent parameter directly (in as short a time as possible) after the powerimpulse. Application of well-defined energy

means that constant power must beadjusted over a specific time. The time isdetermined from the thermal timeconstant of the structure to be tested,usually between 10 and 500ms. Thepower is selected to enable goodmeasurement of the temperaturedifference without exceeding themaximum barrier layer temperature. The amount of warming that hasoccurred can be calculated from thechange of the temperature-dependentparameter.This measurement of Zth corresponds

exactly to reality and is clearly superior toother approaches. Figure 3 illustrates a detailed analysis

of a module that was rejected by thetester during the product part approvalprocess (PAPP) phase. Curves ZTH_1 to

Figure 2: Failure of a transistor in a switchingunclamped inductive load test


38 POWER MODULE TEST www.power-semiconductor-tester.com


ZTH_4 were determined during theevaluation phase to specify the thermalbehaviour of good parts. The routine test uses a power impulse that lasts500ms. It is briefly interrupted after50ms for an intermediate measurementof the temperature-dependentparameter. No abnormalities are seenafter 50ms, but extreme abnormalitiesare seen after 500ms. The reason for the

difference is that the chip is very wellsoldered with direct copper bond (DCB)and can dissipate the heat very well tothe DCB.

The bubble is located between the DCBand the copper baseplate. That is why thebubble cannot be seen by an X-ray. Thesolid copper baseplate absorbs so much ofthe X-rays that the bubble disappears in thenoise. Only an expensive ultrasound

examination would confirm the results ofthe tester. Only an analysis of both Zth

results that are determined in a sort ofinspection impulse contains valuableinformation for the process engineers.

This component was perfect in terms ofthe static parameters and passed bothdynamic tests without any problems. In thefield, however, it failed in a short timebecause of overheating.

Figure 3: Rejection of a chip with poor thermalfastening

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PRODUCT UPDATE 39


Power-One has introduced theHBA48T12280, a 350W DC/DCconverter for use in cellular infrastructureapplications and more specifically to RFamplifier applications. TheHBA48T12280 has a smooth efficiencycurve that equals or exceeds 90% forloading conditions ranging from 40 to100%. Its ultra-wide trim range allows itto be configured to operate within a 21to 33V DC output. Additional featuresinclude: 36 to 75V DC input range, -40to 100°C operating temperature range,capability to withstand a 100V inputtransient for 100ms, ability to start-upinto pre-biased loads, and an on-boardinput differential LC-filter.

The HBA48T12280 has an industry-standard half-brick footprint (61mm x57.9mm), a low profile (12.7mm) height,and is RoHS compliant for all sixsubstances.

The open-frame converter module isconstructed with a dual-board approachusing discrete magnetics. www.power-one.com

In addition to the existingSEMIKRON modules with IGBTchips from Infineon, SEMITRANSmodules are now also availablewith V-IGBTs from Fuji with a1200V blocking voltage. The newV-IGBT comes in three differentmodule sizes, a total of eightdifferent power classes, andthree switching topologies. Themodules are available with arated current of 150 to 600A.SEMITRANS 3 and 4 modules arevery low-inductance moduleswith a module inductance of just15nH. The typical IGBT switchingspeed of 5000A/µs results in amodule overvoltage of just 75V. The modules come in single-switch, half-bridge or chopper topology specifically for inverters in

industrial drives or any other given area of application. Standard SEMITRANS modules boast highinsulation strength of 4000V/min, which is 60% higher than the global insulation strength norm of2500V/min. In addition to the 1200V modules featuring IGBT2, IGBT2 fast, IGBT3 or IGBT4 technology, the

modules are also available with a blocking voltage of 600 and 1700V. Three standard SEMITRANScase sizes, 34 mm wide SEMITRANS 2 and 62mm wide SEMITRANS 3 and 4 modules are available.Additional sizes for non-standard customer applications are also offered, for example SEMITRANS 6with six-pulse inverter bridge circuits, SEMITRANS 5 with circuits for three-level inverters as well asfor current monitoring, which is achieved by integrating shunts. SEMITRANS 9 was developed toprovide a particularly high insulation strength of 9kV for railway applications. All SEMITRANSmodules feature a copper baseplate.www.semikron.com

SynQor has launched several new entries in its SQ60 series of isolated semi-regulated DC/DC converters for intermediate bus architecture applications.The SQ60 series accepts the full Telco input range of 36 to 75V and providesa semi-regulated 12V for point-of-load converters. These convertersincorporate board-mountable, fixed switching frequency technology, anduse synchronous rectification to achieve full load power conversionefficiencies approaching 96%. The SQ60120ETA17 provides 204W in anopen-frame, eighth brick package with power dissipation so low that it doesnot require a heatsink. The 12V quarter-brick offerings include the 25A/300W SQ60120QEx25 bus

converter, available in an open-frame or baseplated package, theSQ60120QPA28 a 28A/336W open-frame bus converter, and the 33A/396WSQ60120QPB33 baseplated converter. The SQ60060QPA55 is a 6V busconverter in an open-frame configuration providing 55A/330W for lower busvoltage requirements. The SQ60120HZA50 is a 12V half-brick bus converterthat can provide up to 50A/600W in a baseplated configuration. The quarter-brick and half-brick converters all feature tightly matched

output droop share characteristics. This provides for direct paralleling of

350W Half-BrickDC/DCConverter

Semi-Regulated BusConverters

IGBT Modules with Fuji V-IGBTChips

devices without any additional external circuitry. Each of the droop share converters are calibrated at the

factory to ensure the output voltage is well matched. Inaddition to current sharing, a droop characteristicimproves load transient response as well as point-of-loadconverter stability.www.synqor.com/busqor

p39-40 Products/Correction.qxd_Products - 1 page 25/11/2009 11:30

40 PRODUCT UPDATE


LDOs with 8µAQuiescent CurrentTexas Instruments has launched a family(TPS727xx) of 200mA, low dropoutregulators (LDOs), which offer an auto low-power mode that combines ultra-lowquiescent current of less than 8µA with fasttransient response while maintaining lownoise and a high power supply rejection ratio(PSRR) of 70dB at 1kHz. With 70% lowerquiescent current than existing devices, thenew LDOs help increase battery runtimewithout sacrificing performance in noise-sensitive applications, such as smart phones,MP3 players, RF modules, remote controls,ZigBee network systems and handheldconsumer devices. Typical high-performanceLDOs require the load quiescent current tobe 25µA or less. Auto low-power modeallows the TPS727xx to achieve less than 8µAwithout an additional mode pin andautomatically switches to and from lowpower depending on load current. In addition,the use of auto low-power mode eliminatesthe need to modify software drivers to controlthe mode pin, which speeds and simplifiesthe design process. It also reduces cost byeliminating the need for a general purposeinput/output (GPIO) pin and overheadfirmware. It also provides low dropout of130mV, plus stable and accurate outputvoltage range of 0.9 to 5V, which increasessystem reliability.www.ti.com/tps727-preu

60W DC/DC SwitchingRegulatorsPowersolve’s PSR30and PSR60 seriesare DC/DCswitchingregulators designedfor battery ordistributed powerapplications. Available from

stock, there areeight models in theseries featuringnon-isolatedoutputs up to 60W.With efficiencies ashigh as 96%, a250kHz switchingfrequency and awide DC inputrange, the newregulators provideoutputs of 5, 12, 15 or 24V. Supplied in a compact open PCB single-in-line (SIL) package, the devicesaccept inputs from 20 to 53V DC. Operating ambient temperature range is –25 to +65ºC and shortcircuit and overload protection is standard. Newbury-based Powersolve Electronics Ltd was established in 1987 as both a distributor of power

products for many of the industry’s leading power supply companies and as a manufacturer in itsown right of standard and custom power solutions.www.powersolve.co.uk

In 2005, Siemens Drive Technologies introduced the first largeinverter using shunts for phase current measuring and brought itinto series production. It wasn’t until recently that the power outputwas extended to 132kW with the new inverter SINAMICS G120series. Back then, the joint development between Siemens, Semikronand Isabellenhütte laid the foundations for being able to measurecurrents of up to 800A today.The shunt modules developed by Semikron (module housing)

and Isabellenhütte (shunts) for high currents are optimised interms of TCE (thermal coefficient of expansion), offset, long-termstability and capacity and therefore meet the above mentionedrequirements almost perfectly. They contain a parallel circuit of upto four precision SMD resistors (see Figure 5) for each phase,which are mounted onto a DCB substrate for better heatdissipation. By using optimum resistors and modified geometry forthe DCB layout, a TK of 30ppm/K will be maintained for allmodules. This figure shows part of a power module not from

Semikron. For this reason, here is the correct photograph ofSemikron’s power module with four BVR current sense resistorsfrom Isabellenhütte.

Correction (PEE 7-2009, pages 20 - 23)

Shunt Current Measuring up to 800A inthe Inverter

p39-40 Products/Correction.qxd_Products - 1 page 25/11/2009 11:30

WEBSITE LOCATOR 41


AC/DC Connverters

www.irf.comInternational Rectifier Co. (GB) LtdTel: +44 (0)1737 227200

Diodes

Discrete Semiconductors

Drivers ICS

www.microsemi.comMicrosemiTel: 001 541 382 8028

Fuses

GTO/Triacs

Hall Current Sensors

IGBTs

DC/DC Connverters

DC/DC Connverters


www.power.ti.comTexas InstrumentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.neutronltd.co.ukNeutron LtdTel: +44 (0)1460 242200

Harmonic Filters

www.murata-europe.comMurata Electronics (UK) LtdTel: +44 (0)1252 811666

Direct Bonded Copper (DPC Substrates)

www.curamik.co.ukcuramik electronics GmbHTel: +49 9645 9222 0


www.mark5.comMark 5 LtdTel: +44 (0)2392 618616


www.dgseals.comdgseals.comTel: 972 931 8463



www.digikey.com/europeDigi-KeyTel: +31 (0)53 484 9584




www.protocol-power.comProtocol Power ProductsTel: +44 (0)1582 477737

Busbars

www.auxel.comAuxel FTGTel: +44 (0)7714 699967

Capacitors

Certification

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

Connectors & Terminal Blocks


www.productapprovals.co.ukProduct Approvals LtdTel: +44 (0)1588 620192

p41-42 Website Locator.qxd_p41-42 Website Locator 25/11/2009 11:39

Power Modules

Power Protection Products

Power Substrates

Resistors & Potentiometers

Simulation Software

Thyristors

Smartpower Devices

Voltage References

Power ICs

Switches & Relays

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Thermal Management &Heatsinks











www.mark5.comMark 5 LtdTel: +44 (0)2392 618616 www.mark5.com

Mark 5 LtdTel: +44 (0)2392 618616




www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.dau-at.comDau GmbH & Co KGTel: +43 3143 23510

www.denka.co.jpDenka Chemicals GmbHTel: +49 (0)211 13099 50

www.lairdtech.comLaird Technologies LtdTel: 00 44 1342 315044

www.universal-science.comUniversal Science LtdTel: +44 (0)1908 222211



www.isabellenhuette.deIsabellenhütte Heusler GmbH KGTel: +49/(27 71) 9 34 2 82

42 WEBSITE LOCATOR


ADVERTISERS INDEX

ADVERTISER PAGE

ABB 11

APEC 35

Coilcraft 17

CT Concepts 4

CT Concepts IBC

Danfoss 14

DFA Media Ltd 38

Fuji 23

ADVERTISER PAGE

Infineon IFC

International Rectifier OBC

Isabellenhutte 7

Ixys 26

LEM 15

National Semiconductor 9

PCIM 2010 30

Semikron 19

Linear Converters

Mosfets

Optoelectronic Devices



Packaging & Packaging Materials






www.biaspower.comBias Power, LLCTel: 001 847 215 2427






p41-42 Website Locator.qxd_p41-42 Website Locator 25/11/2009 11:39

Natural match!

Features+15V/-10V gate voltage3W output power20A gate current80ns delay timeDirect and half-bridge modeParallel operationIntegrated DC/DC converterElectrical isolation for 1700V IGBTsPower supply monitoringShort-circuit protectionFast failure feedbackSuperior EMC

2SP0320 is the ultimate driver platform for PrimePACKTM IGBT modules. As a member of the CONCEPT Plug-and-play driver family, it satisfies the requirements for optimized electrical performance and noise immunity. Shortest design cycles are achieved without compromising overall system efficiency in any way. Specifically adapted drivers are available for all module types. A direct paralleling option allows integrated inverter design covering all power ratings. Finally, the highly integrated SCALE-2 chipset reduces the component count by 80% compared to conventional solutions, thus signifi-cantly increasing reliability and reducing cost. The drivers are available with electrical and fiberoptic interfaces.

PrimePACKTM is a trademark of Infineon Technologies AG, Munich

2SP0320

SAMPLES AVAILABLE!

CT-Concept Technologie AG, Renferstrasse 15, CH-2504 Biel, Switzerland, Phone +41-32-344 47 47 www.IGBT-Driver.com

43_PEE_0809_43_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 09:15 Page 1

Part NumberBVDSS

(V)RDS(on)

(mΩ)ID@ 25˚C

(A)Qg typ

(nC)Package

IRFS3004-7PPBF 40 1.25 240* 160 D2PAK-7

IRFP4004PBF 40 1.7 195* 220 TO-247AC

IRFB3004PBF 40 1.75 195* 160 TO-220

IRFS3004PBF 40 1.75 195* 160 D2PAK

IRFS3006-7PPBF 60 2.1 240* 200 D2PAK-7

IRFB3006PBF 60 2.5 195* 200 TO-220

IRFS3006PBF 60 2.5 195* 200 D2PAK

IRFS3107-7PPBF 75 1.85 195* 380 TO-247AC

IRFS3107PBF 75 2.6 240* 160 D2PAK-7

IRFP4368PBF 75 3.0 195* 160 D2PAK

IRFB4115PBF 100 2.6 195* 360 TO-247AC

IRFS4010-7PPBF 100 4.0 190 150 D2PAK-7

IRFS4010PBF 100 4.7 180 143 D2PAK

IRFS4127PBF 150 5.9 171 151 TO-247AC

IRFS4115-7PPBF 150 11 104 77 TO-220

IRFB4127PBF 150 11.8 105 73 D2PAK-7

IRFS4115PBF 150 12.1 99 77 D2PAK

IRFP4668PBF 200 9.7 130 161 TO-247AC

IRFP4568PBF 200 20 76 100 TO-220

IRFP4468PBF 200 22 72 100 D2PAK

IRFP4768PBF 250 17 93 180 TO-247AC

* Package limited

International Rectifi er has expanded its portfolio of high performance MOSFETs with a new series of HEXFET Trench MOSFETs ranging from 40V to 250V. The new devices feature a package current rating of up to 195A, delivering a 60 percent improvement over typical package current ratings. The new MOSFETs also provide improved on-state resistance (RDS(on)) compared to previous offerings and are available in the popular TO-220, D2PAK, 7 pin D2PAK, TO-247 and TO-262 packages.

Applications

• Industrial battery

• Power supply

• High power DC motors

• DC to AC inverters

• Power tools

• Synchronous rectifi cation

• Active ORing

Features

• Industrial grade

• Moisture sensitivity level 1

• Lead-free

• RoHS compliant

Your FIRST CHOICE

for Performance

Same Package, 60% More Current

THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER

For more information call +33 (0) 1 64 86 49 53 or +49 (0) 6102 884 311or visit us at www.irf.com

44_PEE_0809_44_PEE_0809 25/11/2009 09:16 Page 1

active clamping

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