Hello everyone. My name is Kenley from Renesas Electronics. I am in charge of power devices and providing technical support to customers. Currently, we are introducing our power device products in this blog. In the previous blog, we introduced products and development information for automotive MOSFETs for motor drivers such as starter generators, idling stop systems and electric turbos. If you missed our previous blog, Large Current MOSFET Supporting the Evolution of 48V Mild Hybrid Systems - MOSFET for Automotive, check it out.
Now, I am going to introduce the product that I am in charge of, which is automotive IGBTs.
IGBTs are used in the inverter of the powertrain, which is the heart of xEV. If you missed our previous blog for xEV (Inverters), Customer Value of Automotive Business (Series 5): Renesas Total Solution for xEV Inverter (System), be sure to check it out too.
Renesas IGBTs are provided in the form of wafers or chips, so the products embedded in power modules are not usually noticeable. However, as the demand for xEVs has increased, our IGBTs’ adoption record has grown, and in fact, many xEVs equipped with Renesas IGBTs are running around the city.
Why are so many customers using our IGBTs?
Renesas automotive IGBT has 3 major features, and this time I would like to introduce them.
Feature 1: Wide Range of Voltage Class Lineups
The inverter voltage of a typical xEV is around 400, and the IGBTs withstand voltage used for xEV is 650V to 750V. Our competitors also have many lineups for that range. On the other hand, the inverter voltage requirement has been increasing in recent years, and there is a movement to operate at 800V in some high-end models.
By using high voltage, it has advantages such as reduction of charging time and reduction of weight by using thinner wire because current can be suppressed. Including other factors, the system voltage and the required IGBT withstand voltage will also vary, but high voltages such as 800V may be also be one of the trends in the future.
As the result of our quick grasp of such customer trends and developing products that meet customers’ needs, Renesas was able to rapidly develop and mass-produced 1200V products, which are required for 800V systems.
Automotive Devices - Target Area
Feature 2: Providing Solution By Value-Added Functions
In the inverter circuit, the IGBT converts DC to AC by on-off operation, but it may also require incorporating a temperature detection diode and a sub-IGBT capable of detecting current into the IGBT chip depending on customers. This allows you to check the temperature directly from the IGBT chip which is conventionally detected by the thermistor inside the power module. In addition, it is also possible to directly detect the overcurrent detected by the DESAT circuit with a sub-IGBT. This kind of function is possible in combination with Renesas gate driver IC and the conventional on-off single-function power modules can have the added value of being able to provide solutions for monitoring temperature and current. These functions are well received by customers, especially for automotive applications where safety and reliability are important.
Solution Proposal
Feature 3: Bare-Chip Product Customized Support
In order to assemble supplied wafers and chips from Renesas, customers have individual requests/designations such as metallization of the chip surface and delivery form depending on the mounting conditions. We respond to such individual requests to the extent possible in order to provide easy-to-use products to customers.
We will continue to release products that can be used optimally to meet the needs of our customers. Please look forward to Renesas automotive IGBTs!
In this introduction, the contents were the basic introduction, but each product has various features and usage know-how. If you are interested, please contact us.
We will continue to deliver our introductions for power device products, so please look forward to it!
In addition, we will continue to introduce automotive products, so please look forward to it!