Renesas Unveils Cutting-Edge IGBT Technology for Electric Vehicle Inverters
Renesas has created new silicon insulated gate bipolar transistors (Si-IGBTs) designed for electric vehicle (EV) inverters. These transistors promise low power losses and come in a compact size.
The latest AE5-generation IGBTs are set to begin mass production in the first half of 2023, using Renesas’ 200 and 300mm wafer lines at their factory in Naka, Japan. By 2024, Renesas plans to increase production at a new 300mm wafer fab in Kofu, Japan, to keep up with the rising demand.
These new silicon-based IGBTs reduce power losses by ten percent compared to the older AE4 models, helping EV developers save battery power and extend driving range. They are also about ten percent smaller while remaining robust, offering the highest performance in the industry by balancing low power loss with durability.
The improved IGBTs enhance both safety and performance as modules. They reduce parameter variations among the IGBTs, ensuring stability even when operating in parallel. This gives engineers more flexibility to design smaller, high-performance inverters.
Katsuya Konishi, vice president of Renesas’ power system business division, stated that the demand for automotive power semiconductors is growing quickly as EVs become more popular. He emphasized that Renesas’ IGBTs offer reliable and robust power, building on their seven years of experience in manufacturing automotive-grade power products.
Renesas is launching four new IGBT products tailored for 400 to 800V inverters, featuring a 750V withstand voltage (220 and 300A) and 1200V withstand voltage (150 and 200A). These products deliver stable performance across a wide operating junction temperature range from -40 to +175˚C. They also feature a saturation voltage (Vce) of 1.3V to reduce power loss and boast a ten percent higher current density compared to older models.
The new design achieves stable parallel operation, reduces parameter variations to VGE (off) to ±0.5V, and maintains a reverse bias safe operating area (RBSOA) with a maximum Ic current pulse of 600A at +175˚C. It also boasts a short circuit withstand time of 4µs at 400V and features a 50% reduction in temperature dependence of gate resistance (Rg), which lowers switching losses and improves performance at both high and low temperatures.
The IGBTs are available as bare die (wafer), allowing for a reduction in inverter power losses and a potential six percent improvement in power efficiency, ultimately helping EVs drive further on fewer batteries.
In EVs, inverters control the motors that drive the vehicles by converting DC power into the AC power that EV motors need. Efficient switching devices like IGBTs are essential for reducing power consumption.
To support developers, Renesas provides the xEV working hardware reference design, combining an IGBT, microcontroller, power management IC, gate driver IC, and fast recovery diode. There’s also the xEV inverter kit, which is a hardware implementation of the reference design. Further support tools include a motor parameter calibration tool, the xEV inverter application model, and software for motor control.
Renesas plans to integrate the new IGBTs into these hardware and software development kits to enhance power efficiency and performance in a smaller footprint.
