Page 23 - PEN Ebook May 2021

Test & Measurements SEMICONDUCTORS

Figure 3 shows data from a five-hour segment of perature increases during charges causes lithia-
a long-term battery charge/discharge cycle test. tion, which leads to gassing. The internal pressures
Based on these short-term results, there are clear from the additional gasses in the battery can cause Next Generation High
interface pressure dynamics taking place while housing or separator failures, which can lead to
charging and discharging, including specific regions thermal runaway reactions.
on the battery that displayed excessive pressure Voltage Discrete Power
during the charging process. Pressure mapping technology becomes an impor-
tant method to help engineers identify areas of Products for Automotive
This technology has also been used to evaluate localized pressure at virtually any position of the

housing designs or identify vulnerable locations on prismatic battery cell, leading to better design deci- Applications
a battery in impact testing. sions and longer-lasting technology.

While trying to optimize the characteristics de- By Wibawa Chou, Head of Automotive High Power Application and Innovation
scribed in this article, designers should never Engineering, Infineon Technologies Corporation, El Segundo, CA, USA
compromise the safety of their products. The tem-
The proliferation of electrified vehicles has characteristics of SiC devices such as low con-

pushed the boundaries of power semiconductor duction and switching losses, zero recovery body
For More Information
performance to the next level. Silicon power de- diode and high operating junction temperature
vices have traditionally been used to control vari- make the technology very suitable for automo-
▶ Cannarella, J., Arnold, C., “Stress Evolution and Capacity Fade in Constrained ous power electronic systems in a car such as for tive applications where efficiency is key. Although
main inverter motors, pumps, HVAC compressors, the biggest efficiency improvement of SiC device
Lithium-ion Pouch Cells.” Journal of Power Sources. 245 (2014) 745-75.
braking and steering systems. Recent advance- is on the main inverter application where the
ment of compound semiconductor device such technology can immediately increase the battery
▶ Here is a video showing our battery application experiment depicted in Figure 3 as Silicon Carbide (SiC) has enabled increase range of the vehicle, other applications can also
efficiency of most systems in a vehicle. Certain benefit.

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