Reducing '650V Over-Design'…400V SiC Targets Power Semiconductor Niche Market
Infineon's second-generation 400V and 440V class CoolSiC MOSFET reduces the 'over-design' that occurred when using existing 500-650V devices, enabling a light-fit design matched to actual required voltage. Optimization of cell pitch, channel, and drift region improved switching loss and conduction performance, with reduced on-resistance temperature dependency. Particularly in 3-level flying capacitor topology, efficiency improvement and inductor miniaturization effects are significant, with high efficiency demonstrated in PFC and buck converter testing. However, 3-level circuits require capacitor balancing and additional control and protection design, making the efficiency and power density advantages relative to overall cost the key to market expansion.

















