Infineon Launches new High-Power, Light-Triggered Thyristor with Industry’s First Integrated Protection Features

Munich, Germany – May 19, 2015 – Infineon Technologies Bipolar GmbH & Co. KG has further extended its family of bipolar semiconductors with an optically triggered thyristor that can improve the reliability, lower the system cost and simplify the design of ultra-high-power applications. Infineon’s new 6-inch thyristor incorporates reliable optical triggering, eliminating the requirement for an external electrical trigger circuit. In addition, on-board safety features such as overvoltage protection, dv/dt protection and protection against forward voltage transients during recovery time further reduce component count and design complexity.

Thyristors are the technology of choice for controlling ultra-high currents and voltages because they deliver better performance than IGBT-based voltage source converters (VSCs) in terms of on-state losses and symmetric blocking capability. The introduction of a highly integrated light-triggered thyristor that, for the first time, integrates FRP (forward recovery protection) is in line with the Infineon strategy to deliver system solutions that minimize design overheads, improve reliability and drive down bill of material (BoM) costs.

Ideal for HVDC transmission implementations, the light-triggered thyristor (LTT) will also suit designs requiring interconnection of large electrical grid systems with differing frequencies. The 6-inch LTT has a reverse blocking voltage capability of 9.5 kV and is designed for steady state DC currents of up to 6.250 A. Maximum surge current that can be handled by the device is higher than 140 kA. These high voltage, current and surge ratings allow designers to address a variety of different applications using a single device. Infineon also plans to further improve choice and design flexibility by introducing 4- and 5-inch LTT thyristors with 9.5 kV blocking voltages instead of 8.5 kV.

Availability

Volume production of the 6-inch thyristor is scheduled for early 2016. Further information is available at: www.infineon.com/thyristors.

Infineon at PCIM 2015

Infineon will be presenting the 6-inch thyristor, as well as other innovative system oriented solutions, at booth 412 in hall 9 at the PCIM trade show in Nuremberg from May 19 to 21, 2015. Further information on trade show highlights is available at: www.infineon.com/PCIM.

Infineon Technologies AG is a world leader in semiconductors. Infineon offers products and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2014 fiscal year (ending September 30), the company reported sales of Euro 4.3 billion with about 29,800 employees worldwide. In January 2015, Infineon acquired US-based International Rectifier Corporation, a leading provider of power management technology, with revenues of USD 1.1 billion (fiscal year 2014 ending June 29) and approximately 4,200 employees.

Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).