Infineon expands IGBT7 family with 900-A power rating

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Expanding its TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 family for medium-power applications, Infineon Technologies AG has introduced the new IGBT7 chip in the standard industry package EconoDUAL 3 . The 1,200-V module provides a nominal current of 900 A, enabling a 30% higher inverter output current in the same frame size compared with the former technology.

Although improvements made to the module’s chip and housing target industrial drive applications, it can also be implemented in designs for commercial, construction, and agricultural vehicles (CAVs) , servo drives, and solar and UPS inverters, said Infineon.

Based on the new micro-pattern trench technology, the TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 chip performs with much lower static losses compared to the IGBT4. The on-state voltage is reduced by up to 30% in the same chip area, delivering significant loss reduction in the application, especially for industrial drives, which usually operate at moderate switching frequencies, said the company.

Infineon also improved the freewheeling diode (FWD), which is optimized for drive applications. The forward-voltage drop of the emitter-controlled seventh-generation diode (EC7) is now 100 mV lower than the forward-voltage drop of the EC4 diode, with reduced oscillation tendency during diode turn-off, said Infineon.

The higher power density of the EconoDUAL 3 helps to avoid paralleling of modules, which simplifies the inverter design and lowers cost, said Infineon. Another ease-of-use benefit is that the technology can be used in the same footprint, enabling the upgrade of existing inverter designs.

In addition, the EconoDUAL 3 module comes with an improved housing for handling higher currents and temperatures. It is available with pre-applied thermal interface material (TIM) for low thermal resistance and long lifetime. The power modules feature a maximum allowed overload junction temperature of 175°C.

The 900-A module is the first from Infineon’s new EconoDUAL 3 portfolio featuring TRENCHSTOP IGBT7. The lead type FF900R12ME7_B11  can be ordered now. The FF900R12ME7P_B11 with pre-applied TIM will be available by January 2020. Additional module types/current classes will follow in 2020. Priced at about $250 (quantities of 25), the modules are available on order from Infineon and its authorized distributors.