The double carbon objective is to speed up progress in the field of electric cars. The development of semiconductor technology aids in the transition of gasoline vehicles to electric. The latest generation of semiconductor materials silicon carbide (SiC) can alter the future electric vehicle industry due to its distinct advantages.
SiC’s use in SiC for the inverter of drive is able to provide more power and have lower energy consumption, as well as a longer battery life, less losses and lighter and the advantages of SiC can be utilized more fully when it comes to the transition to 800 V, however it faces the challenges of cost as well as technology maturation, as well as other obstacles. ON Semiconductor provides leading smart power solutions and has a long tradition within this SiC field. It is among the few companies around the globe that offer complete SiC solutions, from the substrate to module. Its unique VE TracTM Direct SiC The VE-TracTM B2 SiC solution utilizes solid and reliable plansar SiC technology, paired with sintering technology as well as die-casting mold packaging to help designers overcome these issues and collaborate with other intelligent power semiconductors to help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the market and assist in the development of future transportation. Towards sustainable development.
The current trend in the development of main drive electric electric vehicle
Whatever the design for the electrical vehicle whether it’s fully powered by batteries as well as a plug-in series an hybrid parallel drivetrain the vehicle electrification is a complex process that involves several elements first, energy can be stored within the battery and after that, the direct current is transformed by the inverter into the AC output which is transformed into mechanical energy that is used by the motor to power the vehicle.
Thus, the effectiveness and efficiency of the primary drive inverter are the most important factor, and it directly affects the efficiency for the car as well as the driving range that is achievable for each charge cycle.
The driving force behind electric vehicles is to achieve more power, greater energy efficiency as well as higher bus voltage, less weight and smaller dimensions. Power means more continuous torque output, and improved acceleration performance. Energy efficiency that is higher can lead to longer battery lifespan and less losses. Batteries with 400V are currently the popular choice and are slated to reach 800V. A 800 V technology decreases time for charging and loss and weight, allowing longer battery life. The motor can be mounted situated on the rear or front axles, the lower size allows for more space for the trunk and passengers available. These developments have prompted the switch from IGBTs into SiC power units as the main drive for electric automobiles.
SiC is the future of main drive inverters
One of the most important properties of SiC is that its band gap is wider than that of Si, and its electron mobility is 3 times that of Si, resulting in lower losses. The breakdown voltage of SiC is 8 times that of Si, the high breakdown voltage and thinner drift layer are more suitable for high voltage architectures such as 800 V. The Mohs hardness of SiC is 9.5, which is only slightly softer than diamond, the hardest material, and 3.5 harder than Si. It is more suitable for sintering. After sintering, the reliability of the device is improved and the thermal conductivity is enhanced. The thermal conductivity of SiC is 4 times that of silicon, making it easier to dissipate heat, thereby reducing heat dissipation costs.
At the inverter level or at the vehicle level, SiC MOSFETs can achieve lower overall system-level cost, better performance and quality than IGBTs. The key design advantages of SiC MOSFETs over IGBTs in main drive inverter applications are:
SiC enables higher power density per unit area, especially at higher voltages (eg 1200 volt breakdown)
Lower conduction losses at low currents, resulting in higher energy efficiency at low loads
Unipolar behavior for higher temperature operation and lower switching losses
VE-TracTM SiC series: sintering process + die-casting mold SiC technology, specially designed for main drive inverter
The SiC products launched by ON Semiconductor for the specific package of the main drive inverter are: VE-TracTM Direct SiC (1.7 mΩ Rdson, 900 V 6-pack) power module, VE-TracTM Direct SiC (2.2 mΩ Rdson, 900 V 6-pack) ) Power Module, VE-TracTM B2 SiC (2.6 mΩ Rdson, 1200 V Half-Bridge) Power Module, provides the industry’s most IGBT or SiC compatible package pins, reducing structural design changes.
To improve power output, heat dissipation is critical. In order to achieve the best heat dissipation effect, ON Semiconductor VE-TracTM Direct SiC adopts the latest silver sintering process to directly sinter the SiC bare core on the DBC, and the DBC is soldered to the Pin Fin base plate. The direct cooling path between coolants helps to greatly reduce the thermal resistance of indirect cooling, thus ensuring greater power output, such as VE-TracTM Direct SiC thermal resistance of 1.7 mΩ Rdson reaches 0.10°C/W, which is higher than VE-TracTM Direct The thermal resistance of the IGBT is 20% lower.
Figure 2: VE-TracTM Direct SiC Key Features
Differentiated die-casting mold packaging technology, higher reliability than traditional gel modules, higher power density, lower stray inductance, better heat dissipation, easy to expand power, more cost advantages, due to SiC can withstand The working temperature is as high as 200°C, and the continuous working time reaches 175°C. Therefore, the SiC-containing plastic die-casting mold package further increases the working temperature than the die-casting mold IGBT module, making the output power higher.
ON Semiconductor simulated and compared VE-TracTM Direct IGBT and VE-TracTM Direct SiC under the same conditions. When they provide the same output power, the junction temperature of VE TracTM Direct SiC is 21% lower than that of VE TracTM Direct IGBT, so the loss is higher. low, so that the energy efficiency can be improved.
Figure 3: Simulation results: SiC losses are lower
The improvement in energy efficiency equates to longer cruising range or lower battery costs. For example, using the same 100 kWh battery, the cruising range with the SiC solution is 5% longer than with Si. If cost savings is the goal, the battery size can be reduced to provide the same range. For example, switching from the Si solution of the 140 kWh battery to the SiC solution of the 100 kWh battery reduces the battery cost by 5%, but the cruising range remains the same.
Under the same 450 V DC bus and 150 ℃ junction temperature (Tvj) conditions, the 820 A IGBT can provide 590 Arms of current, the output power of 213 kW, equivalent to 285 horsepower (HP). The 2.2 mOhm SiC can deliver 605 Arms of current and output 220 kW, which equates to 295 HP. The 1.7 mOhm SiC delivers 760 Arms of current and delivers 274 kW, which equates to 367 HP.
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