Advantages of Advanced Active Clamping
Power semiconductor manufacturers are offering IGBT modules with ever greater power densities. The limit is represented by the maximum power loss that can be dissipated; optimization criteria are the packaging technology as well as the conduction and switching losses of the semiconductor chips. The high current density of the modules together with high switching speeds place increased demands on the driving circuits, both in normal switching operation and under overload conditions. Advanced Active Clamping switching technology offers a solution showing how modern high-power IGBTs can be better utilized.
by Heinz Rüedi, Jan Thalheim and Olivier Garcia, CT-Concept Technologie AG, Switzerland
Parasitic inductances in IGBT modules and converter circuits cannot be completely eliminated for physical reasons, and their influence on the system behavior cannot be neglected. The commutation speed and thus the turn-off over-voltage at an IGBT can in principle be affected by the turn-off gate resistance Rg(off). This technique is used particularly at lower powers. However, Rg(off) must then be dimensioned for overload conditions such as turn-off of the double rated current, short circuit and a temporarily increased link circuit voltage....
Latest Generation IGBT Gate Drivers
For high-performance cost-effective solutions
With the uncompromising integration of IGBT drive and protection functions as well as DC/DC control and signal transition, a new generation of reliable and cost-effective IGBT driver solutions is born. The resulting smart IGBT gate driver construction helps to economize price-sensitive external components. The total system cost is thus significantly reduced. The IGBT gate driver cores 2SC0108T and 2SC0435T constitute a new standard in cost, functionality, reliability, and user-friendly design
By Michael Hornkamp, Sascha Pawel and Olivier Garcia
It is well known that the number of individual components interacting in a system is important for its overall reliability. Fewer components mean higher reliability in non-redundant systems, as long as component failure rates are comparable. This principle is successfully applied to the monolithic integration of electronic functions into ICs for almost all aspects of everyday life, science and industry. In power electronics, however, design cycles are considerably slower and designers are more cautious in adopting technical advances...
Intelligent Paralleling
A new approach to paralleling IGBT modules with individual drivers
A gate driver for PrimePACK IGBTs designed for high item numbers allows optimal driving of individual and parallel-connected modules. This makes it possible for the first time to construct converter series with both single modules and parallel-connected IGBTs practically with no additional development effort. Despite the typically smaller item numbers associated with increasing converter powers, users benefit from the performance, quality and reliability as well as the favourable manufacturing costs of this driver optimised for large series.
By Heinz Rüedi and Olivier Garcia
Infineon presents compact IGBT modules for industrial and traction applications with its PrimePACKTM series. These low-inductance half-bridge modules allow efficient high-power converters to be constructed more simply than with single IGBT modules. The half-bridge configuration and long, narrow design of the PrimePACK modules almost invites their simple parallel connection in order to achieve powers in the megawatt range...
Speed and Precision in Gate Drives
High-power gate driver controls MOSFET switches up to 500kHz
Modern power semiconductors allow switching schemes that would have been unthinkable even ten years ago. Conventional MOSFETs, COOLMOS devices and prospective compound semiconductor switches are constantly pushing the limits of power density and switching frequency. Only a dedicated gate driver allows the full potential of today’s most advanced power switches to be exploited.
By Sascha Pawel and Jan Thalheim
It is common wisdom that prediction is difficult, especially about the future. At the moment, however, it seems as if a multitude of long-cherished dreams are on the point of coming true for designers of power conversion systems. There is great public interest in renewable energy, the concepts of zero emission vehicles and hybrid cars are finally gaining momentum and a whole wave of small improvements to the ecologic footprint of our lifestyle constantly feeds people’s awareness of formerly elusive issues such as sustainability and efficiency...
Optimised Utilization of IGBTs by Plug-and-Play Drivers
The extremely compact and high-performance IGBTs of the PrimePACKTM series from Infineon Technologies AG enable scalable power converter system solutions optimised for various industrial drives, windmills, elevators, traction and auxiliary drives. SCALE-2 IGBT drivers make a perfect match for scaling power and controlled efficiency.
By Jan Thalheim, Olivier Garcia, Peter Wassmer, Sascha Pawel
Thanks to SCALE-2 technology, the new 2SP0320 family comprises complete and extremely compact 2-channel IGBT drivers equipped with DC/DC converters, short-circuit protection, advanced active clamping and supply-voltage monitoring. Users need only mount them onto the corresponding IGBT module. The system can then be put into immediate operation with no further development or matching effort...
Prime(PACK) Time for SCALE-2
New Plug & Play driver for PrimePACKTM modules plus a look into planar transformer gate drivers.
Two distinctively different gate driver solutions are presented that both have one mission: to make power designer’s life a little less complicated. Each driver relies on the highly integrated SCALE-2 chipset for fast and dependable signal transmission. The PrimePACKTM driver family offers easy to use control for today’s power electronics systems – whereas planar transformer technology might break new ground in the near future.
By Sascha Pawel, Jan Thalheim, Olivier Garcia and Michael Reckhard
Power system designers are more and more under pressure to deliver highly optimized solutions in short design cycles. This situation can be considerably eased by dedicated gate drivers which are already fully customized to the IGBT module in question. CONCEPT’s Plug & Play driver series is successfully serving this steadily growing demand since 1999.
Smart Power Chip Tuning
Next Generation of Highly-Integrated IGBT Gate Drivers
The SCALE-2 chipset helps designers to optimize switching performance, reliability and scalability as well as application flexibility and time-to-market. It is specifically optimized to fit various IGBTs and applications ranging from 150 A to 3600 A and 1200 V to 6500 V but is also preconfigured to allow application-specific customization.
By Jan Thalheim and Heinz Rüedi
With the SCALE-2 chipset, CONCEPT introduces its next-generation technology platform for scalable IGBT and power MOSFET gate drivers introducing major advances in dynamic performance, accuracy, functionality, flexibility and time-to-market. The design fully employs the methodology of the SCALE drivers that are used in large item numbers and have been tried and tested within a great diversity of applications. The chipset includes several variants of secondary-side Intelligent Gate Driver (IGD) ASICs and a primary-side dual channel Logic-to-Driver Interface (LDI) ASIC and was implemented in an extended-drain double-well dual gate oxide submicron CMOS foundry process. This combination of state-of-the-art analog capabilities with moderate digital feature size yields an optimum cost-performance ratio...
PrimePACK is a trademark of Infineon Technologies AG, Munich
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