© Mesago | Uwe Mühlhäußer
© Mesago | Uwe Mühlhäußer
© Mesago | Uwe Mühlhäußer
© Mesago | Uwe Mühlhäußer
© Mesago | Uwe Mühlhäußer
PCIM Europe
https://pcim.mesago.com/events/de.html
Booth/Hall: t.b.a.
PCIM Europe, the leading trade fair and conference for power electronics, will be held in Nuremberg from 6 - 8 May 2025.
Fraunhofer IZM will be presenting its entire range of services from in the realm of power electronics at PCIM – covering everything from system design and packaging technologies for power electronics up to reliability aspects and cooling concepts.
Project
The energy transition is one of the greatest challenges of our time. A key factor for its success is the efficient use of electrical energy, whether in household appliances, industrial plants or electric vehicles. A promising approach to increasing efficiency lies in the further development of power semiconductors, particularly through the use of low-inductance power modules with silicon carbide (SiC) technology.
At the “Dauerpower” project, an innovative inverter for electric vehicles was developed, enhancing efficiency and performance through improved cooling management and the use of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. The goal was to boost drive system performance, extend component lifespan, and reduce production costs. The entire system, including both hardware and software, was developed from the ground up.
The vehicle's own charger, the On-Board charger (OBC), is the key to universal charging - and therefore a key component for the future of e-mobility. Fraunhofer IZM has now succeeded in combining some of the latest achievements in the field of power electronics for the next generation of on-board chargers. The result: twice the charging power with half the volume, plus bidirectional and machine-manufactured. A cost-effective solution and a signpost for the shortcut to the future.
Fraunhofer IZM introduces a package alternative to commercially available PCB-based Power CSPs: a mold-embedded power die, addressing power electronics packages requirements as good thermal conduction to bottom and also to top; high thermal mass on top for Wide Band Gap short circuit capability and low production cost. Major difference to PCB-based single chip packages is the use of an isotropic isolating material. Furthermore, the top-side interconnects were realized by bulk material instead of common filled Cu vias, enabling the thermal path on top side and also avoiding risky laser drilling process for interconnection between top die pads and top package pads. Prototypes were developed with 1.2 kV Si MOSFETs; layout adaptions to alternative die types is possible.
As part of the European project "HiEFFICIENT," the use of novel and high-performance semiconductors, known as wide-bandgap semiconductors, is being investigated for the next generation of electric vehicles. The project aims to develop an efficient integrated charging unit for electric vehicles with a power of 22 kW.
For on-board chargers in electric vehicles, galvanic isolation between the power supply network and the vehicle battery is required. By using gallium nitride semiconductors (GaN), switching frequencies in the megahertz range can be achieved, allowing for a reduction in volume through smaller magnetic components. For galvanic isolation and voltage transfer, a Sine-Amplitude-Converter (SAC) is used, which has an LLC topology in terms of circuitry.
The conversion of automobiles from conventional combustion engines to electric drives represents an enormous challenge for the automotive industry. In addition to high efficiency and low weight, costs are of particular importance in high unit volumes.
In an on-board charger for electromobility, besides a DC-DC converter that provides galvanic isolation from the HV vehicle grid, there is a so-called power factor correction converter (PFC) used as the interface to the public supply grid. It ensures purely sinusoidal fundamental currents (50/60Hz) on the input side.
A particularly bulky and cost-intensive component here is the PFC inductor, which has to absorb the voltage difference between the voltage in the supply network (230V/50Hz) and the DC voltage in the DC link (800VDC) and at the same time carry the full load current (32A for 3-phase 22kW units).
A new type of inductor for this purpose is being developed as part of the European "HiEFFICIENT" project. Due to the special design with four magnetically coupled windings each on a separate winding leg and the high switching frequency of 140kHz, the windings can be manufactured in a standard PCB process. A low-cost ferrite core with very low core losses can be used as the magnetic core, which can also be produced by machine in large quantities.
Advantages / characteristics
General issues
Inverter issues
Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM