4 June 2020
A development partnership has been agreed for the silicon carbide (SiC) components of power semiconductor maker ROHM Semiconductor of Kyoto, Japan to be used by the powertrain business of Continental Vitesco Technologies of Regensburg, Germany (a supplier in the field of vehicle electrification) to further increase the efficiency of its power electronics for electric vehicles (EV). Due to their higher efficiency, SiC semiconductors make better use of the electric energy stored in a vehicle battery, so an EV has a longer range, or the battery cost can be reduced without impacting the range.
“Energy efficiency is of paramount importance in an electric vehicle. As the traction battery is the only source of energy in the vehicle, any losses caused by power conversion need to be minimized. We are therefore developing a SiC option within our modular power electronics system,” says Thomas Stierle, executive VP of Vitesco’s Electrification Technology business unit. “To get the maximum efficiency out of the power electronics and the e-motor we will use SiC power devices from our preferred partner,” he adds.
ROHM provides power solutions combined with gate driver ICs, notes Dr Kazuhide Ino, corporate officer, director of Power Device business unit at ROHM Co Ltd. “Together with Vitesco Technologies we want to further improve the energy efficiency of the electronic system in EVs to use the full potential of the SiC technology for a sustainable mobility.”
Vitesco is already developing and testing SiC technology in an 800V inverter concept to confirm the efficiency potential of the technology. The approach of this program is to look at the complete system of inverter and motor to identify the best combination of device technology and switching strategy. In this context, SiC semiconductors – e.g. SiC MOSFETs for 800V battery systems – offer more efficient switching in the inverter (higher frequency, steeper switching slopes) and cause fewer harmonic losses in the electric motor. Also, SiC technology is a key enabler for super-fast charging technology that uses 800V. In the course of the cooperation, ROHM and Vitesco will work on creating the optimum combination of ROHM’s SiC technology for high-volume manufacturing and best fit of inverter design for the highest efficiency.
“The SiC option is a very promising future part of our modular power electronics system comprising of software, power output stage, and switching strategy”, says Dr Gerd Rösel, head of innovation in Vitesco’s Electrification Technology business unit. “We will work with ROHM on an 800V SiC inverter solution as well as on a 400V SiC inverter solution.” Vitesco plans to begin production of the first SiC inverter in 2025, when the demand for SiC solutions is expected to rise significantly.
The preferred partnership will also be benefiting from short distances: Vitesco and ROHM both have sites in Nuremberg (ROHM Semiconductor Group’s SiCrystal GmbH), not far from Vitesco’s headquarters at Regensburg.
Rohm starts mass production of first trench-type SiC MOSFET
Source: http://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2020/jun/rohm-040620.shtml
