PCIM 2017: ROHM Unveils Its 3rd Generation of IGBT

At PCIM, the leading trade fair for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion and Energy Management in Nuremberg ROHM Semiconductor has announced the technology of the 3^rd Generation 650V IGBT family (Hall 9, Booth 316). With their most advanced structure and beneficial characteristics they provide an ideal solution for soft and highly efficient switching in industrial applications and home appliances.

Power semiconductors including IGBT technologies are getting increasingly popular by being deployed in many kinds of high voltage applications. Yet, these components are expected to achieve high efficiency and reliability while maintaining low loss levels. Expanding its existing line-up of high current capability IGBTs and IGBTs featuring lower saturation voltage and faster switching, ROHM now introduces its 3^rd generation of IGBTs for high-efficiency. The new devices make use of a thinner wafer structure as well as field stop and proprietary Trench Gate technologies for state-of-the-art performance, to meet the growing need for high frequency switching.

Based on an advanced field stop structure, ROHM’s new 3^rd Generation 650V IGBTs offers a smaller carrier concentration gradient in the drift region leading to a better carrier distribution. Due to this fact, lower saturation voltage and faster switching becomes possible, overcoming the trade-off between saturation voltage and turn-off loss characteristics of conventional solutions.

Also, ROHM applied a sophisticated trench gate structure reducing gate charge and capacitance. An optimized doping and cell structure, combined with a 15% thinner wafer compared to the 2^nd generation, significantly decreases the total loss of the device. During conductive phase, there is less carrier concentration resulting in lower switching losses during turn-off. Moreover, the new devices keep a soft switching behaviour even at a low external gate resistance. Measurement results show low noise performance even when keeping higher switching speed. Miniaturisation and superior characteristics result in a reduction of the saturation voltage by 6% and of the turn-off switching loss by 20% compared with the 2^nd generation, overall allowing for enhanced system performance.

The 3^rd Gen 650V IGBT line-up consists of 30/50/80A types in RGTV Series and 30/40/50A in RGW series, comes in two different packages – TO-247N and TO-3PFM – and two optimized series: The RGTV series is designed for applications demanding advanced short circuit safety, the RGW series is specially adapted for converters, offering low gate charge, capacitance and extremely low switching loss. Both are integrated with a very fast and soft recovery FRD for optimum efficiency.

Availability

Samples are available, OEM quantities will be starting from Summer 2017. (Please note that it differs depending on each product.)