Reduced Losses and High Power Cycling Capability at +150 °C Optimize Infineon’s New IHM/IHV B Power Modules for Traction Drives

May 30, 2006 | Market News

Munich and Nuremberg – May 30, 2006 – At the PCIM exhibition and congress in Nuremberg, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today introduced the first IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) modules of its IHM/IHV B series. The new modules enable highly efficient power inverter designs for use in harsh environments with high load and temperature cycling requirements, such as in traction drives for locomotives, trains and tramways. The new modules extend the features and specifications of the previous Infineon IHM-A generation with improved thermal behavior, an expanded operating temperature of up to +150°C and a high load cycling capability.
 
Power inverter designs based on the new high-power modules provide up to 50 percent more power with the same inverter size. In addition, the thermal performance of the IHM/IHV B modules enables inverter designs to feature up to 50 percent higher output current under typical operating conditions. For example, the nominal current of the 3,300 V modules was increased by 25 percent from 1,200 A to 1,500 A. The maximum operating temperature of the new modules is +150°C, up from +125°C for previous modules. Infineon was also able to lower the minimum storage temperature from -40°C to -55°C.
 
With more than one million IHM-A modules shipped, Infineon’s market share amounts to about 30 percent. The IHM/IHV B modules are mechanically compatible with the proven IHM-A series, for which they can be substituted without structural changes.
 
“With the IHM-A module design, we have established another standard for high-power modules,” said Martin Hierholzer, Head of Industrial Power at Infineon Technologies. “The power modules of the IHM/IHV B series again set the benchmark related to high current, power cycling capability and reliability. Furthermore, our customers will benefit from the mechanical compatibility with the previous IHM-A family.”
Besides the optimized thermal performance, the new modules provide a high ruggedness and reliability in demanding applications, such as in traction drives for trains or tramways, which have high temperature variations during starting and stopping phases. To meet the high performance needs of traction applications, Infineon equipped the IHM/IHV B modules with Aluminium Silicon Carbide (ALSiC) base plates. In combination with related isolation ceramics, the use of the AlSiC base plates improved the thermal cycling capability by a factor of 10. For other applications with reduced thermal variation requirements, such as industrial drives, wind energy and elevators, Infineon will offer variants of the IHM/IHV B modules using copper base plates.
 
The IHM/IHV B modules cover the voltage ranges of 1,200 V, 1,700 V and 3,300 V, and manage currents above 3,600 A. The transistors used in the 1,200 V modules are based on a new Infineon IGBT4 technology. The transistors in the 1,700 V and 3,300 V modules use an IGBT3 technology that is based on the Infineon TrenchStop ®/field stop technology, which provides significantly reduced forward voltages compared to the previous generation; for example, the 3,300 V FZ1500R33HL3 module has a forward voltage of 2.5 V, which is up to 40 percent less than the 4.3 V of the related KF2C module.
 
The new modules are RoHS-compliant and meet the fire protection requirements in accordance with NFF16-101 and 16-102.The modules are produced in Warstein, Germany, and the IGBT and diode chips are manufactured in Villach, Austria.
 
Availability
 
Samples of two 3,300 V IHM/IHV B modules with a nominal current of 1,500 A are available now: the FZ1500R33HL3 (with Soft-IGBTs of the IGBT3 family) and the FZ1500R33HE3 (using Fast-IGBT3 chips). Volume production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2006.
 
Further information on the IHM/IHV-B modules at www.infineon.com/power

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for automotive, industrial and multimarket sectors, for applications in communication, as well as memory products through its subsidiary Qimonda. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In fiscal year 2005 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.76 billion with about 36,400 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com. Further information on Qimonda is available at www.qimonda.com .

Information Number

INFAIM200605.064

Press Photos

  • Infineon's IHM/IHV B series of IGBT modules for use in traction drives extend the features and specifications of the previous IHM-A generation with improved thermal behavior, an expanded operating temperature of up to +150°C and a high load cycling capability.<br><br>Geringere Verluste und hohe Zyklenfestigkeit auch bei 150 °C: Infineons IHM/IHV-B Leistungsmodule sind für Hochspannungs-Traktionsantriebe optimiert.
    Infineon's IHM/IHV B series of IGBT modules for use in traction drives extend the features and specifications of the previous IHM-A generation with improved thermal behavior, an expanded operating temperature of up to +150°C and a high load cycling capability.

    Geringere Verluste und hohe Zyklenfestigkeit auch bei 150 °C: Infineons IHM/IHV-B Leistungsmodule sind für Hochspannungs-Traktionsantriebe optimiert.
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