IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2016 - 43

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VCEsat 125° in V

years (Figure 14). In addition, the paper showed that IGBT
advances such as the reverse-conducting IGBT with diode
Projected Road Map
- Ten Years
control (RCDC IGBT), when combined with advanced low* SiC Schottky Rectifiers 600-5,000 V, 300 A
inductance packages, will further significantly cut switching
* SiC Junction Rectifiers
5,000-25,000 V, 300 A
and conduction losses at high voltages and power to meet the
* SiC MOSFET
600-10,000 V, 300 A
new power density, efficiency, and reliability goals of the fu* SiC IGBT
5,000-25,000 V, 300 A
ture at low system costs. The paper demonstrated a working
* SiC GTO
5,000-25,000 V, 300 A
6.5-kV RCDC IGBT fabricated by Infineon.
* GaN HEMT/MOSFET
30-6,500 V, 300 A
In another paper from Infineon Technologies, "Basic Po* GaN Power IC
tentials in Power Electronics," Reinhold Bayerer, Infineon fel* GaN Optoelectronic LEIC
low of physics of power modules, demonstrated how lower* Diamond MOSFET?
* AIN Diode?
ing parasitic inductance can further cut losses and improve
the turn-on characteristic of an IGBT. He also highlighted the
FIG 13 The ten-year road map for SiC and GaN power transishigh-temperature benefits of copper bonding and diffusion astors. (Figure courtesy of Prof. Paul Chow.)
sembly of dies, resulting in operation as high as 200 °C. This,
in turn, simplifies cooling and saves materials, noted Bayerer.
Balda also pointed to future research and development
In a joint paper with Prof. C. Ó'Mathúna of Tyndall Nationdirections for such devices. It includes the development of
al Institute, Prof. W.G. Hurley of the Power Electronics Rehigh-voltage bidirectional SiC IGBTs and GaN MOSFETs,
search Center, National University of Ireland, reminded the
and up to 25-kV SiC power devices. Likewise, efforts are
attendees that "Without Better Passives We Are Nowhere." In
needed to push silicon devices for 200 °C operation and
this paper, the authors highlighted the important role of magthree-dimensional (3-D) printing to cut manufacturing
netics as switching frequencies and power densities, along
costs. New materials are also needed for magnetics and
with efficiencies, go higher. To realize true power supply on
capacitors for integration and high-temperature operation.
chip (PwrSoC), an integrated magnetics process, in which
New conductor materials are needed to replace maturing
discrete magnetic devices are processed together with other
copper. Also required are smart power modules with builtcomponents in an ultralow profile, must be compatible with
in gate drivers for WBG devices. Furthermore, added Balda,
IC process technology, says Prof. Hurley. To achieve future
better software tools are needed for designing advanced ingoals in efficiency and power density, the paper suggested
tegrated packages and exploiting nanotechnology to enable
new materials like nanocrystalline for magnetics and grahigher current densities or reduced conduction losses.
phene, nanotubes, and ceramics for capacitors.
Fraunhofer Institute's Eckart Hoene predicted issues
for heterogeneous integration of power systems in a packPower Electronics Integration
age (PSiP). These include thermal performance with a
It is well understood that integration will play a crucial role
higher number of substrate interconnections, soldering
in further pushing the performance envelop of power elec(electrical and mechanical component assembly), flexibiltronics circuits and systems. However, to simultaneously
ity/package standardization, and the availability of copper
combine performance metrics such as power density, effimetalized chips.
ciency, weight, and failure rate with relative costs, power
According to session note taker Juan
Carlos Balda, the session identified sev1,200-V IFX IGBT: VCEsat and Switching Losses at 125°C, Inom, 2/3 Vnom
eral challenges facing high-temperature
100
5
power devices in the next ten-plus years.
90
4.5
These include high-quality WBG material
80
4
to make cost effective devices, high-voltage
3.5
70
packaging (>10 kV) to allow hot swaps of
3
60
grid-connected power electronic systems,
2.5
50
meeting basic insulation level requirements,
2
40
improving silicon IGBT performance by
working on plasma profiles, and advancing
1.5
30
protection and gate control of silicon RCDC
VCEsat
125°
at
jnom
(After
Shrink)
1
20
VCEsat 125° at const.j (Before Shrink)
IGBTs. Also on the radar was building het0.5
10
Eon + Eoff 125° in %
erogeneous processes that can handle ma0
0
terials with different coefficients of thermal
expansion (CTEs), processing and reliability
Year
specs, and tackling thermal stresses due to
CTE mismatch and developing controller FIG 14 The improvement in silicon IGBT performance will continue for the next fiveICs for switching at 10 MHz.
plus years. (Photo courtesy of Infineon Technologies AG.)
March 2016

z IEEE PowEr ElEctronIcs MagazInE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2016