Automotive

Nexperia broadens its range of discrete FET solutions at APEC 2024

Wed, Feb 28, 2024

Nexperia bringing its product innovations to APEC and has announced the release of several new MOSFETs to further broaden its range of discrete switching solutions for use in various applications across multiple end markets. This release includes 100 V application specific MOSFETs (ASFETs) for PoE, eFuse and relay replacement in 60% smaller DFN2020 packaging, and 40 V NextPowerS3 MOSFETs with improved electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance.

PoE switches typically have up to 48 ports, each requiring 2 MOSFETs for protection. With up to 96 MOSFETs on a single PCB, any reduction in device footprint is attractive. For this reason, Nexperia has released 100 V PoE ASFETs in 2 mm x 2 mm DFN2020 packaging which occupies 60% less space than previous versions in LFPAK33 packaging. A critical function of these devices is to protect PoE ports by limiting inrush currents while safely managing fault conditions. To manage this scenario, Nexperia has enhanced the safe operating area (SOA) of these devices by up to 3x with only a minimal increase in RDS(on). These ASFETs are also suitable for battery management, Wi-Fi hotspot, 5G picocell and CCTV applications and can serve as replacements for mechanical relays in smart thermostats, for example.

EMC-related issues caused by MOSFET switching usually only emerge late in the product development life cycle and resolving them can incur additional R&D costs and delay market release. Typical solutions include using significantly more expensive MOSFETs with lower RDS(on) (to slow down switching and absorb excessive voltage ringing) or to fit an external capacitive snubber circuit but this approach has the disadvantage of increasing component count. Nexperia has optimised its 40 V NextPowerS3 MOSFETs to offer similar EMC performance as that which can be achieved using an external snubber circuit, while also offering higher efficiency. These MOSFETs are suitable for use in switching converters and motor controllers across various applications and are available in LFPAK56 packaging.

To learn more about Nexperia’s PoE ASFETs visit: https://nexperia.com/asfets-for-poe
To learn more about Nexperia’s NextPowerS3 MOSFETs visit: https://nexperia.com/nextpowers3

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Infineon and VMAX intensify collaboration for energy-efficient and cost-effective fast charging of electric vehicles

Mon, Feb 05, 2024

VMAX, a leading Chinese manufacturer of power electronics and motor drives for new energy vehicles, has selected the new CoolSiC hybrid discrete with TRENCHSTOP 5 Fast-Switching IGBT and CoolSiC Schottky Diode from Infineon for its next generation 6.6 kW OBC/DCDC on-board chargers. Infineon’s components come in a D²PAK package and combine ultra-fast TRENCHSTOP 5 IGBTs with half-rated free-wheeling SiC Schottky barrier diodes to achieve a perfect cost-performance ratio for both hard and soft switching topologies.

“We are proud to choose Infineon’s CoolSiC Hybrid device in our next-generation OBC, achieving higher reliability, stability, improved performance, and power density. This deepens our already strong partnership with Infineon and drives technological application innovation through close collaboration, working together to promote the thriving development of new energy vehicles,” said Jinzhu Xu, PL Director& Chief Engineer, R&D Department at VMAX.

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with VMAX with our highly efficient hybrid products,” said Robert Hermann, Vice President for Automotive High Voltage Chips and Discrete’s at Infineon. “Together, we will continue to drive e-mobility advancements, providing efficient solutions that meet the requirements of the industry in terms of performance, quality and system cost.”

With its fast, hard switching TRENCHSTOP 5 650 V IGBT co-packed with zero reverse recovery CoolSiC Schottky diode, the hybrid discrete benefits from very low switching losses at switching speeds above 50 kHz. This makes the device an excellent option for high-power electric vehicle charging systems. In addition, the robust 5 th generation CoolSiC Schottky diode offers increased robustness against surge currents, maximising reliability. Furthermore, the diffusion soldering of the SiC diode has improved the thermal resistance (R th) to the package for small chip sizes, resulting in increased power switching capability. With these features, it enables optimum system reliability and longevity, meeting the stringent requirements of the automotive industry. To further maximise compatibility with existing designs, the product also features a pin-to-pin compatible design based on the widely used D²PAK package.

https://www.infineon.com

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Rohm announces industry’s first speech synthesis ICs dedicated for acoustic vehicle alerting systems in xEVs

Thu, Jan 18, 2024

The ROHM group company LAPIS Technology has developed the industry’s first speech synthesis ICs – the ML22120xx series (ML22120TB, ML22120GP) – designed for AVAS in xEVs (electric vehicles).

In order to achieve a carbon neutral (decarbonised) society, the number of hybrid and electric vehicles that silently operate on motor power continues to increase – prompting AVAS regulations to be enacted that require a warning sound to alert pedestrians of their approach. However, when generating a warning sound using an MCU, the pitch and volume must be smoothly controlled and characteristics adjusted to match the vehicle geometry. This increases MCU software development load requiring verification with other software processes inside the MCU. In response, LAPIS Technology released new products that contribute to reducing the burden of AVAS development by leveraging experience and technology with speech synthesis ICs. The aim: achieving a high-fidelity sound using a novel hardware-based configuration.

The ML22120TB and the ML22120GP integrate hardware functions that include a warning sound generator, fader, and equaliser. Unlike MCU-based designs, the hardware configuration eliminates the need for software validation – significantly reducing development time. At the same time, dedicated GUI software makes it easy to comply with regulations for volume and frequency characteristics required for AVAS.

The system of new ICs can be controlled by simple commands, allowing warning sound to be started in less than one-tenth the time of conventional MCU-generated systems. An included fault detection function detects both erroneous communication with the main controller and erroneous oscillation caused by external components – contributing to vehicle reliability.

An evaluation board along with a Sound Device Control Kit [SDCK3] that includes dedicated GUI software are available, enabling easy evaluation of everything from sound generation to correction and trial listening of alert sounds.

https://www.rohm.com/lapis-tech/product/speech/ml221

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Novosense announces quad-channel digital isolators for industrial and automotive applications

Thu, Jan 18, 2024

Novosense Microelectronics has expanded its family of digital isolators with quad-channel devices that provide the performance and protection demanded by the latest industrial and automotive applications. The new NSI824xWx high-reliability digital isolators provide compact and efficient protection and level shifting in applications ranging from solar inverters and energy storage to industrial automation and electric vehicles.

UL1577-qualified for safety, the ultra-wide body NSI824xWx industrial and automotive grade isolators combine robust EMC performance with high levels of protection against system-level electrostatic discharge (ESD), electrical fast transients (EFTs) and voltage surges. Each device offers an insulation voltage up to 8kVrms, chip-level ESD HBM protection to ±8kV and common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) up to 200kV/μs.

The isolators are available with options for four forward channels, three forward and one reverse channel or two forward and two reverse channels. Default output state on power loss can be set to low or high. Channel speeds up to 150Mbps are supported, while a wide input voltage range of 2.5V to 5.5V simplifies level shift operations by ensuring compatibility with a wide variety of digital interfaces. A low power consumption of 1.5mA per channel (at speeds of 1Mbps) helps designers to meet system efficiency targets.

As with all members of the range, the latest NSI824x devices employ an adapted capacitive isolator technology in which the digital signal undergoes modulation by an RF carrier generated on the transmitter side and is then demodulated on the receiver side. Subsequently, the signal is transmitted via a capacitive isolator and demodulated on the receiver side. Use of Novosense’s proprietary Adaptive OOK modulation technology is key to robust performance, which includes high noise resistance and low EMI.

The devices are supplied in an SOWW16 package, can support 15mm creepage distance and operate across a wide temperature range of -55℃ to 125℃, and are fully compliant with all relevant UL, CQC, CSA and VDE safety standards. In industrial automation systems, they can be used for industrial control, industrial motor drive applications, industrial transportation, instrumentation, industrial field instruments, isolated SPI, RS232, and RS485 applications, universal multi-channel isolators, and motor control. Automotive targets will include automobile sensors, electric drives and power supplies and battery management systems.
 https://www.novosns.com/en

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