New Industry Products

1200V SiC MOSFETs with Ultra-Low On-Resistances at APEC 2018

March 06, 2018 by Paul Shepard

Littelfuse, Inc. and Monolith Semiconductor Inc. have added two 1200V silicon carbide (SiC) n-channel, enhancement-mode MOSFETs to their expanding first-generation portfolio of power semiconductor devices. These new SiC MOSFETs are the latest products of a strategic partnership that Littelfuse formed with Monolith in 2015 to develop power semiconductors for industrial and automotive markets.

The LSIC1MO120E0120 and LSIC1MO120E0160 SiC MOSFETs offer ultra-low on-resistance (RDS(on)) levels of just 120 milliohms and 160 milliohms respectively. The announcement was made in the Littelfuse booth at the Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC 2018).

These SiC MOSFETs are designed for use as power semiconductor switches in a wide range of various power conversion systems, outperforming their silicon MOSFET counterparts substantially in terms of blocking voltage, specific-on resistance, and junction capacitances.

They also offer a combination of high operating voltages and ultra-fast switching that traditional power transistor solutions such as silicon IGBTs with similar current ratings and packages can’t match.

Typical applications for these new SiC MOSFETs include:

  • Electric vehicles.
  • Industrial machinery.
  • Renewable energy (e.g., solar inverters).
  • Medical equipment.
  • Switch-mode power supplies.
  • Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs).
  • Motor drives.
  • High-voltage DC/DC converters.
  • Induction heating.

“These new SiC MOSFETs provide power converter designers with a state-of-the-art alternative to traditional silicon-based transistors,” said Michael Ketterer, product marketing manager for Power Semiconductors at Littelfuse. “Their inherent material characteristics and ultra-fast switching capabilities offer a variety of design optimization opportunities including increased power density, higher efficiency, and the potential for lower bill-of-material costs.”

The new 1200V SiC MOSFETs offer these key benefits:

  • A reduction in passive filter components at the system level supports increased power density, for a design that’s optimized for use in high-frequency, high-efficiency applications.
  • Extremely low gate charge and output capacitance combined with ultra-low on-resistance allows for minimal power dissipation, higher efficiency and a reduction in the size and sophistication of the cooling techniques required.

Availability

LSIC1MO120E0120 and LSIC1MO120E0160 SiC MOSFETs are available in TO-247-3L packages in tubes in quantities of 450. Sample requests may be placed through authorized Littelfuse distributors worldwide.