This makes them suitable for automotive applications such as on-board chargers (OBCs) and traction inverters in electric vehicles (EVs), as well as for DC-DC converters and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. These switches are housed in the increasingly popular surface-mount D2PAK-7 package, which is better suited for automated assembly operations than through-hole devices.
RDS(on) is a critical performance parameter for SiC MOSFETs, as it affects conduction losses. However, focusing solely on the nominal value overlooks the fact that it can increase by more than 100% as the device's operating temperature rises, resulting in a significant increase in conduction losses. Temperature stability is even more critical when using SMD package technologies compared to through-hole technology, as the devices are cooled through the printed circuit board. Nexperia identified this as a limiting factor in the performance of many currently available SiC devices and leveraged the features of its innovative process technology to ensure that its new SiC MOSFETs offer industry-leading thermal stability, with an RDS(on) nominal value that increases by only 38% over an operating temperature range of 25°C to 175°C. This feature allows customers to handle higher power output in their applications, thanks to Nexperia's higher nominal RDS(on) at 25°C compared to other providers, without sacrificing performance.
“This feature allows us to extract more power from selected Nexperia SiC MOSFET devices compared to similar RDS(on) devices from other vendors, providing customers with a clear cost advantage at the semiconductor level. Furthermore, less stringent cooling requirements, more compact passive components, and higher achievable efficiency give customers greater design freedom and a lower total cost of ownership. We are particularly excited about the availability of these products for the automotive market, where their performance and efficiency advantages can make a real difference in next-generation vehicle designs,” said Edoardo Merli, Senior Vice President and Group Head of Wide Bandgap, IGBT & Modules (WIM).
Nexperia plans to launch automotive-approved versions of its 17 mΩ and 80 mΩ RDS(on) SiC MOSFETs.
