New Industry Products

ST Unveils New IGBT PowerMESH Technology

January 27, 1999 by Jeff Shepard

STMicroelectronics Inc. (Lexington, MA) announced it has developed a new range of IGBTs using its PowerMESH technology claimed to offer improved performance compared to conventional IGBT technology. ST has developed families of IGBTs optimized for low-voltage drop, high-switching speed and automotive-ignition applications, respectively.According to ST, the patented PowerMESH technology replaces the traditional cell geometry by a strip layout for the transistors on the chip. This is claimed to allow the IGBTs to be made with a very low ON-stated voltage drop, through a reduction of the ON-resistance by more than 20 percent. The low-voltage drop devices are manufactured without the use of heavy metal doping or electron irradiation to reduce minority carrier lifetimes. The STGD7NB60S is a 600V/7A n-channel IGBT housed in a surface-mounting DPAK package. The device is optimized for low speed motor control, static relay and light dimmer applications with switching frequencies below 1kHz. The device's Vce(sat) is claimed to be the industry's lowest in this package, with just 0.95V dropped (3A, 25 degrees C).The STGB10NB37LZ a fully clamped ignition driver, featuring logic level gate drive, intended for automotive ignition applications. The high-speed IGBT family uses ST's proprietary platinum ion implantation process, which is claimed to provide the optimum trade-off between on-state and switching losses at 60-80kHz, with a maximum switching frequency of 120kHz. The devices are available rated at 600V and from 3 to 30A collector current, with typical Vce(sat) of 2.3V and 70ns fall time. The STGP7NB60H, for example, is a 7A device housed in a TO-220 package and is also available (STGP7NB60HD) with a built-in free-wheeling diode. The new devices are priced from $0.60 to $2.25 in quantities of 25,000.