At the PCIM (Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion) Europe 2017 exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany (16-18 May), Littelfuse Inc, which provides circuit protection technologies (including fuses, semiconductors, polymers, ceramics, relays and sensors), has introduced its first GEN2 Series of 1200V silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes.
The SiC diodes are the first in a series of products based on the technology platform created through a partnership with SiC diode and MOSFET power device start-up Monolith Semiconductor Inc of Round Rock, TX, USA (in which it is the majority owner). Additional silicon carbide products based on the technology platform, including 1200V SiC MOSFETs, are scheduled for introduction in the near future.
GEN2 SiC Schottky diodes are available in ratings of 1200V at currents from 5A to 10A in either TO-220-2L or TO-252-2L packages. Compared with standard silicon bipolar power diodes, they allow circuit designers to dramatically reduce switching losses and enable substantial increases in the efficiency and robustness of power electronics systems. They can accommodate large surge currents without thermal runaway, and operate at higher junction temperatures than their silicon counterparts. They also offer what is reckoned to be best-in-class stored capacitive charge and forward voltage drop.
Typical applications for GEN2 Series SiC Schottky diodes include power factor correction (PFC), buck/boost stages in DC-DC converters, free-wheeling diodes in inverter stages (switch-mode power supplies, solar, UPS, industrial drives) and high-frequency output rectification — wherever improvements in efficiency, reliability and thermal management are desired. Designers and manufacturers of industrial power supplies, solar inverters, industrial drives, welding and plasma cutting equipment and hybrid electric vehicle (EV/HEV) charging stations will find them particularly useful.
“The merged p-n Schottky (MPS) device architecture of these new silicon carbide Schottky diodes offers circuit designers enhanced surge capability and extremely low leakage,” says Michael Ketterer, product marketing manager, Power Semiconductors at Littelfuse. “Compared to conventional silicon power diodes, these silicon carbide Schottky diodes boost converter efficiency and power density while helping to reduce system-level costs.”
GEN2 Series SiC Schottky diodes are said to offer the following benefits:
- Best-in-class capacitive stored charge and negligible reverse recovery, making them suitable for high-frequency power switching. They also ensure negligible switching losses and reduced stress on the opposing switch.
- Best-in-class forward voltage drop ensures low conduction losses.
- A maximum junction temperature of 175°C provides for a larger design margin and relaxed thermal management requirements.
GEN2 Series SiC Schottky diodes are available in either TO-220-2L (packed in tubes in quantities of 1000) or TO-252-2L (DPAK) packages (in tape-&-reel packaging in quantities of 2500). Sample requests may be placed through authorized Littelfuse distributors worldwide.
