Renesas Introduces Three New Power MOSFETs for Servers & Notebook PCs
Renesas Electronics Corp. announced the availability of its new 12th-generation power MOSFETs, the RJK0210DPA, RJK0211DPA and RJK0212DPA, as power semiconductor devices for dc-dc converters used in applications such as general point-of-load, base stations, computer servers and notebook PCs.
The new products are used to control the voltage-conversion circuits of the CPU and the memory. For example, the new power MOSFETs can be used as a step-down circuit for converting the 12V voltage supplied by a battery to 1.05V for use by the CPU. Further refinements to the manufacturing process allow Renesas Electronics’ new MOSFETs to achieve approximately 40% lower FOM (figure of merit) compared to the company’s existing products, which contribute to reduction of the power loss during voltage conversion and thereby enable highly efficient dc-dc converter performance.
As the performance of applications such as servers, notebook PCs and graphics cards increases, their power consumption grows as well. At the same time, the trend toward lower operating voltages for components such as CPUs, graphics processing units (GPUs), memory devices and ASICs results in increased current flow. This creates a need for dc-dc converters capable of handling low voltages and large currents. In addition, there is strong demand for reduced power loss during voltage conversion and higher efficiency to help conserve energy and reduce environmental impact. Renesas Electronics is addressing these demands by expanding its lineup of low-FOM power MOSFET offerings with its new products that achieve the leading level of performance in the industry today.
With a voltage tolerance (VDSS) of 25V, the new products achieve maximum current (ID) of 40 amps (A) for the RJK0210DPA MOSFET, 30 A for the RJK0211DPA device, and 25 A for the RJK0212DPA device, and their FOM (typical values at VGS = 4.5V) are 6.84m-nC, 7.83 m-nC and 7.2 m-nC, respectively, which is an improvement of approximately 40% compared to previous-generation Renesas Electronics’ MOSFETs.
In addition, the new products’ gate-drain charge capacitance (Qgd), a key characteristic of control power MOSFETs, is 1.2 nC, 0.9 nC and 0.6 nC, respectively, which also is approximately 40% less than Renesas Electronics’ previous-generation power MOSFETs (when measured using the same on-resistance). Lower figures indicate less switching loss, contributing significantly to more efficient dc-dc converter performance and improved energy efficiency.
A dc-dc converter operates by having two power MOSFETs, one for control and the other for synchronous rectification, switching on and off alternately to convert the voltage. When the new RJK0210DPA MOSFET is used for control and the Renesas Electronics 11th-generation RJK0208DPA device for synchronous rectification, the maximum power conversion efficiency is 90.6% at an output current level of 18A and 86.6% at an output current level of 40A, when converting from 12 to 1.05V. (Both figures are based on a switching frequency of 300kHz and a two-phase configuration).
These new MOSFETs use the Renesas Electronics WPAK package, which measures 5.1 x 6.1mm and 0.8mm (maximum) thickness. The underside of the device has a die pad that allows heat to pass to the printed wiring board while the power MOSFET is operating and enables the power MOSFET to handle large currents.
Samples of Renesas Electronics’ new RJK0210DPA, RJK0211DPA and RJK0212DPA power MOSFETs are currently available and are priced at US$0.55, US$0.46 and US$0.38 per unit, respectively. Mass production is scheduled to begin in December 2010 and is expected to reach approximately 2,000,000 units per month in July 2011.
