Nexperia’s first SiC MOSFETs raise the bar for safe, robust and reliable power switching

Nexperia have announced its first silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs with the release of two 1200 V discrete devices in 3-pin TO-247 packaging with RDS(on) values of 40 mΩ and 80 mΩ. NSF040120L3A0 and NSF080120L3A0 are the first in a series of planned releases which will see Nexperia’s SiC MOSFET portfolio quickly expand to include devices with a variety of RDS(on) values in a choice of through-hole and surface mounted packages.

“With these inaugural products, Nexperia and Mitsubishi Electric wanted to bring true innovation to a market that has been crying out for more wide-bandgap device suppliers”, according to Katrin Feurle, Senior Director & Head of Product Group SiC at Nexperia. “Nexperia can now offer SiC MOSFET devices which offer best-in-class performance across several parameters, including high RDS(on) temperature stability, low body diode voltage drop, tight threshold voltage specification as well as a very well-balanced gate charge ratio making the device safe against parasitic turn on. This is the opening chapter in our commitment to producing the highest quality SiC MOSFETs in our partnership with Mitsubishi Electric. Together we will undoubtedly push the boundaries of SiC device performance over the coming years.”

“Together with Nexperia, we’re thrilled to introduce these new SiC MOSFETs as the first product of our partnership”, says Toru Iwagami, Senior General Manger, Power Device Works, Semiconductor & Device Group in Mitsubishi Electric. “Mitsubishi Electric has accumulated superior expertise of SiC power semiconductors, and our devices deliver a unique balance of characteristics.”

RDS(on) is a critical performance parameter for SiC MOSFETs as it impacts conduction power losses. Nexperia identified this as a limiting factor in the performance of many currently available SiC devices and used its innovative process technology to ensure its new SiC MOSFETs offer industry-leading temperature stability, with the nominal value of RDS(on) increasing by only 38% over an operating temperature range from 25°C to 175°C. Unlike other many currently available SiC devices in the market.

Nexperia’s SiC MOSFETs also exhibit the very low total gate charge (QG), which brings the advantage of lower gate drive losses. Furthermore, Nexperia balanced gate charge to have an exceptionally low ratio of QGD to QGS, a characteristic which increases device immunity against parasitic turn-on.

Together with the positive temperature coefficient of SiC MOSFETs, Nexperia’s SiC MOSFETs offers also ultra-low spread in device-to device threshold voltage, VGS(th), which allows very well-balanced current-carrying performance under static and dynamic conditions when devices are operated in parallel. Furthermore, low body diode forward voltage (VSD) is a parameter which increases device robustness and efficiency, while also relaxing the dead-time requirement for asynchronous rectification and free wheel operation.

Nexperia is also planning the future release of automotive grade MOSFETs. The NSF040120L3A0 and NSF080120L3A0 are available in production quantities now. Please contact Nexperia sales representatives for samples of the full SiC MOSFET offering.

To learn more about Nexperia’s MOSFETs, visit: https://www.nexperia.com/sic-mosfets

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ST collaborates with indie Semiconductor to enhance in-car wireless charging privacy and security

ST has introduced the STSAFE-V100-Qi secure element to strengthen privacy and security when charging car occupants’ portable devices. ST also revealed its collaboration with indie Semiconductor to integrate the new secure element in indie’s Qi wireless in-car charging reference design.

ST’s new IC enables in-car charging to meet the latest Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) specifications, which call for protection by a secure element. It is also certified to the highest level of security applicable for Qi chargers, common criteria (CC) EAL4+, ensuring heightened cybersecurity protection.

ST’s secure element families are proven to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of information and devices in security-conscious applications such as banking, ticketing, and identity protection, and in this Qi wireless-charging reference design, contribute to optimised charging and safety in an automotive application.

Customised for Qi charging at ST’s factory, the STSAFE-V100-Qi also supports secure boot, secure storage, and secure software update. This extra safeguarding strengthens protection against risks such as remote tampering, counterfeiting, and copying. Designed with secure software updates, the IC ensures a high level of security for the life of the vehicle.

“indie’s advanced Qi standards-based wireless charging silicon solutions enhance the overall in-cabin user experience, bringing convenient portable device charging to vehicles across all segment classes,” commented Fred Jarrar, Vice President and General Manager of indie Semiconductor’s Power and USB product lines. “ST’s secure element brings the highest level of cybersecurity protection to our reference design, enabling brand protection for our automotive customers and safety, security and reassurance for vehicle occupants.”

“By integrating our STSAFE-V100-Qi, the reference design meets the latest WPC specification and Common Criteria EAL4+ to assure protection of charging devices at up to 15W,” said Laurent Degauque, Marketing Director, Connected Security, STMicroelectronics. “As a result, indie’s customers benefit from a powerful combination of a high-quality charging system with the highest level of security.”

For more information, please go to https://www.st.com/en/secure-mcus/stsafe-v100-qi.html

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Infineon introduces the industry’s first USB 10 Gbps peripheral controller

The EZ-USB™ family of programmable USB peripheral controllers has continuously advanced features and performance, enabling developers to create USB devices that meet the highest performance requirements in AI, imaging, and emerging applications. Now, Infineon introduces the latest addition to the family: The EZ-USB FX10. The device offers fast connectivity with USB 10Gbps and LVDS interfaces, increasing the total bandwidth up to 3 times compared to its predecessor.

The EZ-USB FX10 is equipped with dual ARM® Cortex®-M4 and M0+ core CPUs, a 512 KB flash, a 128 KB SRAM, a 128 KB ROM, and seven serial communication blocks (SCBs). It also includes a cryptography accelerator and a high-bandwidth data subsystem. The high-bandwidth data subsystem enables direct memory access (DMA) data transfers between LVDS/LVCMOS and USB ports at speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Data transfer is supported by an additional 1 MB of SRAM for USB data buffering. The peripheral controller provides USB-C connector orientation detection and flip-mux functionality, eliminating the need for external logic. This comprehensive feature set makes the EZ-USB FX10 an ideal choice for developers looking for a powerful and adaptable USB controller.

The EZ-USB FX10 requires a smaller PCB footprint and thus helps to optimise the BOM. The 10 x 10 mm² BGA package makes it ideal for space-constrained applications. Additionally, it supports USB-C direct connection without a high-speed signal multiplexer, which simplifies the design process. The Quick Start Development Kit includes firmware and a configuration tool for easy integration. The EZ-USB FX10 DVK (development kit) also comes with a standard FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector for easy connection to field-programmable gate array (FPGA) boards and an all-in-one programming and debugging accessory board. The controller comes with a comprehensive set of application notes for hardware and software design, enabling developers to create high-performance devices for various applications.

The EZ-USB FX10 will be officially launched at the International Technical Exhibition on Image Technology and Equipment (ITE 2023) in Yokohama, Japan on 6 December.
Availability

The EZ-USB FX10 peripheral controller in a 10 x 10 mm² BGA package will be available in the fourth quarter of 2024. Engineering samples are available now.

http://www.infineon.com/ez-usb-fx10

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NXP introduces battery cell controller IC designed for lifetime performance and battery pack safety

NXP has introduced its next-generation battery cell controller IC, designed to optimise battery management systems (BMS) performance and safety. With down to 0.8 mV cell measurement accuracy and maximum cell balancing capability over a wide temperature range, NXP’s MC33774 18-channel analog front-end device comes with ASIL D support for use in safety-critical, high-voltage lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries to maximise the usable capacity.

Li-ion batteries are commonly used in EVs because of their high energy density by volume and weight, low self-discharge, low maintenance, and ability to sustain thousands of charge-discharge cycles. They account for approximately 30 to 40 percent of the total cost of the EV. A typical 800 V Li-ion battery system comprises around 200 individual cells connected in series. It is critical to accurately estimate the battery pack’s state-of-charge (SoC) at any given temperature and instant in the years-long life-cycle. NXP’s MC33774 is designed to deliver lifetime accurate cell measurement data in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +125°C, enabling very precise range predictions.

“The MC33774 has undergone a rigorous design and validation process to ensure its safety and reliability in automotive use,” said Robert Li, Vice President and General Manager, Product Line Driver and Energy Systems at NXP. “This includes system-level validation to test electromagnetic compatibility, electrostatic discharge, transient immunity, and communication reliability in demanding scenarios. The MC33774 is designed to reduce costs for OEM systems while maintaining its reliability, allowing for a safe launch of cars despite shorter development cycles in the EV industry.”

Based on NXP’s SmartMOS SOI (Silicon-on-Isolator) technology, the MC33774 Li-ion battery cell controller offers cell measurement accuracy down to ±0.8 mV, which helps to ensure lifetime performance with both nickel manganese cobalt (NCM) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell chemistries. The precision design and calibration technologies of the NXP MC33774 save customers end-of-line (EoL) calibration costs.

The NXP MC33774 18-channel Li-ion battery controller IC is part of the NXP High Voltage BMS chip-set solution, which includes future products like the MC33777, a battery junction box controller for pack level measurement, and the already released MC33665 battery management communication gateway. The comprehensive and robust BMS system solution offers first-time-right battery systems while working to avoid field incidental surprises. The complete design package, which includes production-grade software and functional safety libraries, helps to accelerate the development time of functional safety systems and saves system bill-of-material costs.

https://www.nxp.com

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