Infineon unveils new SiC and GaN power ICs

Infineon Technologies AG is exhibiting its semiconductor, software and tooling solutions, meeting green and digital transformation challenges, at PCIM Europe 2024. The company will demonstrate its full line of power technologies in silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN).

Infineon unveiled several new products ahead of the show, including its 400-V CoolSiC MOSFETs, CoolGaN bidirectional switch (BDS), CoolGaN Smart Sense and 600-V CoolMOS 8 superjunction (SJ) MOSFET family.

CoolSiC MOSFETs

With the launch of its 400-V CoolSiC MOSFETs, Infineon extends the portfolio to voltages below 650 V. The new CoolSiC MOSFET 400-V family, based on the  second generation (G2) CoolSiC technology introduced earlier this year , targets the AC/DC stage of AI servers. They also are suited for solar and energy storage systems (ESS), inverter motor control, industrial and auxiliary power supplies (SMPS) as well as solid-state circuit breakers for residential buildings.

(Source: Infineon Technologies AG)

The new family offers ultra-low conduction and switching losses when compared to existing 650-V SiC and Si MOSFETs, Infineon said.

Implemented in a multi-level PFC, the AC/DC stage of the AI server power supply unit (PSU) can achieve a power density of more than 100 W/in³ and 99.5% efficiency, which is an improvement of 0.3 percentage points over solutions using 650-V SiC MOSFETs. It also leverages the company’s CoolGaN transistors in the DC/DC stage. The combination of high-performance MOSFETs and transistors enables the power supply to deliver more than 8 kW, increasing power density by a factor of more than three compared to current solutions, Infineon said.

The new MOSFET portfolio is comprised of 10 products: five R_DS(on) classes from 11 to 45 mΩ in Kelvin-source TOLL and D²PAK-7 packages with .XT package interconnect technology. The drain-source breakdown voltage of 400 V at T_vj = 25°C makes them suited for use in two- and three-level converters and for synchronous rectification. The components can withstand harsh switching conditions and are 100 percent avalanche tested.

The CoolSiC technology in combination with the .XT interconnect technology enables the devices to handle power peaks and transients caused by sudden changes in the power requirements of the AI processor. They also deliver high performance under higher junction temperatures.

Engineering samples of the CoolSiC MOSFET 400-V portfolio are now available. Production will start in October 2024.

CoolGaN BDS and Smart Sense

Infineon also unveiled two new CoolGaN product technologies: the CoolGaN BDS and CoolGaN Smart Sense. The CoolGaN BDS family offers bidirectional switches available at 40 V, 650 V and 850 V. Applications include mobile device USB ports, battery management systems, inverters and rectifiers. Targeting consumer USB-C charger and adapter applications, the CoolGaN Smart Sense products offer lossless current sensing, simplifying design and further reducing power losses. They also integrate transistor switch functions in one package.

(Source: Infineon Technologies AG)

The CoolGaN BDS high voltage will be available at 650 V and 850 V and feature a true normally-off monolithic bi-directional switch with four modes of operation, Infineon said.

Based on the gate injection transistor (GIT) technology, the high-voltage devices have two separate gates with substrate terminal and independent isolated control and offer high performance under repetitive short-circuit conditions. One BDS can replace four conventional transistors, delivering higher efficiency, density and reliability as well as cost savings. They can optimize performance by replacing back-to-back switches in single-phase H4 PFC and HERIC inverters and three-phase Vienna rectifiers and can be implemented in single-stage AC power conversion in AC/DC or DC/AC topologies.

Optimized to replace back-to-back MOSFETs used as disconnect switches in battery-powered consumer products, the CoolGaN BDS 40 V is a normally-off, monolithic bidirectional switch based on the company’s in-house Schottky Gate GaN technology. In this application, the new device offers a 50-75 percent PCB savings and more than 50 percent reduction in power losses.

The first 40-V CoolGaN BDS product has a 6 mΩ R_DS(on). More products will follow.

The CoolGaN Smart Sense products offer 2-kV electrostatic discharge withstand and can connect to controller current sense for peak current control and overcurrent protection. The current sense response time is ~200 ns, which is equal or less than common controller blanking time, Infineon said.

Infineon also reported the CoolGaN Smart Sense products, at a higher R _DSs(on), for example at 350 mΩ, offer similar efficiency and thermal performance at a lower cost compared to traditional 150-mΩ GaN transistors. They are footprint compatible to Infineon’s transistor-only CoolGaN package.

Engineering samples of the CoolGaN BDS 40 V are available now for 6 mΩ, followed by 4 mΩ and 9 mΩ samples in the third quarter of 2024. Samples of the CoolGaN BDS 650 V will be available in the fourth quarter of 2024, and 850 V will follow in early 2025. CoolGaN Smart Sense samples will be available in August 2024.

CoolMOS 8 SJ MOSFETs

Complementing its wide-bandgap semiconductor families, Infineon introduced the 600-V CoolMOS 8 high-voltage SJ MOSFET product family, aimed at advanced power supply applications. Enabling cost-effective Si-based solutions, these devices feature an integrated fast body diode, making them suitable for a range of applications such as server and industrial SMPS, electric vehicle chargers and micro-solar.

(Source: Infineon Technologies AG)

The new family delivers several improvements over the CoolMOS CFD7 and CoolMOS P7 series. At 10 V, the 600-V CoolMOS 8 SJ MOSFET family offers an 18 percent lower gate charge (Q _g) than the CFD7 and 33 percent lower than the P7. At 400 V, the product family offers a 50 percent lower output capacitance C _OSS than the CFD7 and the P7. The turn-off losses (E_oss) also have been reduced by 12 percent compared to the CFD7 and the P7 and the reverse recovery charge (Q_rr) is three percent lower compared to the CFD7. In addition, the family offers a 14 to 42 percent improvement in thermal performance, compared to the previous generation.

Infineon claims the new devices offer the lowest reverse recovery time (t_rr) on the market, and together, these features deliver high efficiency and reliability in soft-switching topologies such as the LLC and ZVS phase-shift full-bridge as well as high performance in PFC, TTF and other hard-switching topologies.

“Due to their optimized R_DS(on), the devices offer higher power density, allowing products in a Si-based SJ technology to be reduced to a single-digit value of 7 mΩ,” Infineon said.

The 600-V CoolMOS 8 SJ MOSFETs come in SMD QDPAK, TOLL and ThinTOLL 8 × 8 packages. Samples are now available.

Infineon is exhibiting its Si and SiC-based solutions in hall 7, booth #740 and GaN products in the adjacent booth #169.