July 2, 2014, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company serving customers across a wide range of electronic applications, has launched the H Series, its latest 1200V Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) product. These new products feature second-generation Trench-Gate Field-Stop High-Speed (TGFS) technology. This will increase energy efficiency and enhance robustness in various applications, including solar inverters, welding machines, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and power factor correction (PFC) converters.

The new 1200V IGBT H series reduces power loss by up to 15% during turn-off and up to 30% during turn-on compared to the previous generation. By lowering Vce(sat) (on-state saturation voltage) to 2.1V at typical rated collector current and a temperature of 100°C, it enables more efficient operation by minimizing overall power loss even at switching frequencies of 20kHz or higher.

The new IGBT products exhibit excellent robustness, operating without latch-up even at up to four times the rated current, with a short-circuit time of at least 5 microseconds (µs) even under a junction temperature (Tj) of 150°C. The maximum operating junction temperature has been increased to 175°C, extending lifespan and simplifying system cooling. Additionally, a wide Safe Operation Area (SOA) has been secured to enhance stability in high-power applications.

This new product achieves a much more ideal waveform compared to competing products in the same class during switching, resulting in superior electromagnetic interference (EMI) characteristics. The positive temperature coefficient (PTC) of Vce(sat) enables a safer parallel configuration by selecting parameters that are close to each other between IGBTs.