STMicroelectronics Reveals Climate-Saving Power Devices with High-Temperature Performance Edge
ST is among first to commercialize silicon-carbide power MOSFETs, and achieves
industry-leading 200°C rating for more efficient, simplified designs
Geneva, March 12, 2014 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor
leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has
revealed an advanced new product family enabling power supply designers to drive
up energy efficiency in applications such as solar inverters and electric
vehicles, enterprise computing, and industrial motor drives.
ST is among the first companies to produce this type of device, a high-voltage
silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFET, and has achieved the industry's highest
temperature rating of 200°C. SiC properties help save at least 50% of the energy
normally wasted passing through conventional silicon power transistors. The
devices can also be physically smaller for a high breakdown voltage. This
technology is seen as essential for continued improvement in system energy
efficiency, miniaturization, and cost.
In computer rooms and data centers, high energy costs are driving power and
efficiency to the top of many IT directors' concerns. Replacing ordinary silicon
switches with SiC devices, in bulk power supplies, helps increase Power Usage
Effectiveness (PUE); a standard metric for determining data-center energy
efficiency. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) claims that more
energy-efficient networking systems and devices can help save over $5 billion
and offset 38 million tons of CO(2) by 2015.
SiC MOSFETs are also used in solar inverters, as an alternative for conventional
high-voltage silicon IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) to convert the DC
output from the panel into high-voltage AC feeding into the mains supply with no
special drive circuitry required. In addition, by operating at higher
frequencies than IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs allow designers to miniaturize other
components in the power supply thereby reducing cost and size as well as
enhancing energy efficiency.
In electric vehicles, SiC is expected to help significantly increase the energy
efficiency and reduce the size of traction systems. The US DRIVE Electrical &
Electronics Technical Team, a partnership between industry and the US
government's Department of Energy, is calling for energy losses to be
approximately halved by 2020 while also reducing size by more than 20%. The
team's roadmap specifies wide bandgap semiconductors - in other words, SiC
technology - as a focus for R&D to increase power-converter efficiency and make
the device tolerate higher operating temperatures more safely. The increased
temperature capability of ST's SiC devices (200°C), compared to ordinary silicon
and competitors' SiC MOSFETs, will help simplify vehicle cooling system design.
ST's new 1200V SiC power MOSFET, the SCT30N120, is currently sampling and will
enter volume production by June 2014. It is available in ST's proprietary HiP247
package, which has an industry-standard outline and is optimized for high
thermal performance. The guide price is $35.00 in quantities of 1,000 units.
For more information visit www.st.com/sicmos
Major features of SCT30N120:
* On-state resistance (R(DS(ON))):
* 80milliohm typ. @ 25°C
* less than or equal to 100milliohm  typ over entire temperature range to
200°C
* Low turn-off energy and gate charge (ensures efficient, high-speed
switching)
* Leakage current lower than 10 uA typ (enhances system energy efficiency and
reliability, compared to other structures based on the same material)
* Very fast intrinsic and robust body diode (saves external freewheeling diode
for cost/size reduction)
* Simplified gate drive circuitry (reduces costs of network driving)
* 200°C max. operating temperature (reduces pc-board size, simplifies thermal
management)
About STMicroelectronics
ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the
spectrum of sense and power and automotive products and embedded processing
solutions. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from
healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office,
at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and
innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get
more from life, ST stands for life.augmented.
In 2013, the Company's net revenues were $8.08 billion. Further information on
ST can be found at www.st.com.
For Press Information Contact:
STMicroelectronics
Michael Markowitz
Director Technical Media Relations
+1 781 591 0354
michael.markowitz@st.com
1200V SiC MOSFET from STMicro:
http://hugin.info/152740/R/1768240/600953.pdf
1200V SiC MOSFET from STMicro_IMAGE:
http://hugin.info/152740/R/1768240/600955.JPG
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