Page 26 - PCIM and APEC 2021 - Technical Coverage, eBook

PCIM - Design PCIM - SEMICONDUCTORS

can damage your system,” said Rommerswinkel. “There is something you need to consider if you
use silicon carbide: reliability and data such as the behavior of the subthreshold, the avalanche
capability, or the body diode stability are only some parameters to consider.”

Jan Huijink, technical marketing manager at WeEn Semiconductors, pointed out the main parts of
an industrial or server power supply. “The main components are the PFC and the LLC full-bridge;
the benefit of using SiC components is that faster switching speeds can be achieved,” he said.
“Therefore, passive components can be smaller, making the whole application smaller, lighter, and
lower-cost. In an uninterruptible power supply, the SiC components that we can find are diodes
and MOSFETs. They mostly find their way in the input circuitry like rectification and PFC and in the
inverter. Our newest SiC technology is called merged PN Schottky and has the great advantage of
increased surge-current–handling capability.”

SiC devices have benchmark switching performance of much higher frequency and virtually no
reverse-recovery. Furthermore, this superior and stable switching performance is independent of
temperature. Its ability to withstand higher operating voltage, current, and switching frequency,
together with high-efficiency and excellent thermal management, makes this semiconductor the
ideal replacement for silicon in several power applications, including automotive. Used in EV traction
ST unveils integrated
inverters, SiC is confirmed to support longer range and more efficient drive-cycle performance.

automotive GaN power

devices at PCIM Europe

By Gina Roos, writer specializing in the electronics supply & design chain, and
all things IoT

STMicroelectronics gave the industry its first look into the company’s integrated STi GaN family of
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GaN power devices for automotive applications at the PCIM Europe virtual conference. Leveraging
TSMC’s GaN technology with its own unique design and package expertise, the new GaN devices,
including 100-V and 650-V monolithic chips and 100-V ASSPs, claim reduced parasitic inductances,
excellent thermal dissipation capability, fast switching, and high-frequency operation in a compact
package for space and cost savings.
For More Information

"The STi GaN solutions build a multi-fold offering from a monolithic power stage with a driver all
2
the way up to control logic integration, and use innovative bond-wire-free packages to provide high
▶ Live Coverage of PCIM 2021 robustness and reliability" said Rodrigo Marquina, ST’s senior technical marketing engineer during
the PCIM presentation, "A New Wave of Smart Power Electronics."

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