Benchmarking of all TO-247 3- and 4-pin packages is possible
Room for future platform expansion through a modular approach


Infineon Technologies announced on the 28th that it is launching a modular evaluation board platform to make it easier to test drive options for 1200V CoolSiC MOSFETs available in TO247 3-pin and 4-pin packages.

The new evaluation board platform consists of interchangeable drive cards centered around the motherboard. Drive options include Miller clamp and bipolar power cards, with additional options scheduled for release soon.

The motherboard of the evaluation board platform is divided into two parts: a primary power side and a secondary power side. The primary side is connected to a 12V power supply and pulse width modulation (PWM). The secondary side has a shunt-connected half-bridge for the driver's secondary power, current measurement, and external inductance.

The driver's positive operating voltage can be adjusted between +7.5 and +20V, and the negative voltage can be regulated between -4.5V and +1V. The motherboard is designed to support a maximum voltage of 800V and a maximum pulse current of 130A. A heat sink can be used with a heat source to enable measurement at high temperatures of up to 175°C.

The card used as a reference design for the two drive options includes driver ICs from the EiceDRIVER family suitable for high-frequency switching of SiC power devices.

The first drive card includes the 1EDC Compact 1EDC20I12MH, which incorporates an active Miller clamp that is typically activated at less than 2V.

The second drive card includes the 1EDC Compact 1EDC60H12AH, which can configure a bipolar power supply with VCC2 at +15V and GND2 at negative. In addition to these two types of driver cards, the portfolio offers many options preferred by designers for driving SiC MOSFETs.

The three components of the modular evaluation platform—the motherboard, Miller clamp, and bipolar drive card—are currently available for order. An additional drive card for short-circuit detection is scheduled to be added to the portfolio in the summer of 2020, and a card for SMD package testing is set to be introduced in the second half of this year.