IXYS Corp. announced that its wholly owned UK subsidiary, Westcode Semiconductors Ltd., has expanded its "Mega Watts" family of medium voltage thyristors, with the new 5.2kV device with RMS current rating of 1100A and is encapsulated in a 34mm (1.39") pole face hermetic pressure contact package. These devices are manufactured using what is described as advanced alloy-free processing techniques to give device characteristics suitable for medium voltage and high power applications, where high reliability is critical.
The new devices incorporate Westcode’s advanced processing technology of its medium voltage thyristor family, such as distributed gate architecture for improved turn-on characteristics and enhanced di/dt capability, improved dynamic characteristics with reduced "tq" and recovery time. These properties make these devices well suited for medium voltage applications, in particular, where series operation of the devices is required. Typical applications include dc drives, soft-starts, Utility applications such as HVDC, static VAR compensators, excitation and power transfer switches.
"In the high power semiconductor area, when our customers switch and control Mega-Watts of power, each percentage improvement in efficiency equates to 10KW of power saved. Thus we are continually looking at ways to address the very varied demands of our customers. In this case, the introduction of the new voltage class allows for better optimization of the number of devices required to operate in series, where 4.2 & 6.5kV products do not meet ideal unit voltage. Thyristors are the preferred devices when it comes to best performance over cost in these high power ranges. By optimizing the voltage and current rating of the device against system needs, reduced system losses are achieved and as a result operational costs are saved. maximizing overall system efficiency," explained Frank Wakeman, Marketing and Technical Support Manager at Westcode.
The devices are available in three voltage classes and two package options: K0566LC450, K0566LC480 & K0566LC520, which are rated at 4.5, 4.8 & 5.2kV, respectively, and housed in a 26mm (1") thick package, and K0566LG450, K0566LG480 & K0566LG520, which are rated at 4.5, 4.8 & 5.2kV, respectively, and housed in a 35mm (1.38") thick package.
