Infineon Technologies' new double-sided cooling (DSC) products are designed to provide increased electrical performance. In electrified cars, Infineon’s power modules of the HybridPACK family serve as the energy bridge between the battery system and the electric drive. They convert the battery’s direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) to drive the electric motor, and the AC generated during braking back to DC to charge the battery. The efficiency of this process (i.e., how much energy is lost along the way) directly impacts the range of an electric car, the necessary battery size, and thus the costs.

“With electro-mobility on the rise, the global demand for automotive power semiconductors will continue to increase rapidly,” said Peter Schiefer, President of the Automotive Division at Infineon. For example, according to research by Strategy Analytics, the drivetrain of a full hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle requires power semiconductors worth about 19 times as much as in a conventional car. “Based on our leading module and chip manufacturing capabilities on 300-millimeter wafers, we work closely with our customers to enable sufficient supply of power semiconductors for the upcoming electro-mobility growth.”

Infineon representatives say the HybridPACK family extends across the full power spectrum required by IGBT modules in hybrid and electric vehicles. Various product versions in six different packages enable scalability across voltage and power classes, from 200 A to 900 A and 400 V to 1200 V (nominal chip values).

Infineon Technologies’ HybridPACK double-sided cooling (DSC) power modules for hybrid and electric vehicles are 42 mm x 42.4 mm x 4.77 mm in size and target HEV applications such as main inverters and generators with a typical power range of 40 to 50 kW. To support higher power, they can be used in parallel configurations.

With 15 nH, the stray inductance is very low, while blocking voltage was increased to 700 V. Both factors support the development of inverter systems with reduced switching losses of about 25%. The integrated isolation allows the module to be directly attached to a cooler without external isolation. Each integrated IGBT chip is equipped with an on-chip current sensor for overcurrent protection. In addition, an on-chip temperature sensor provides derating and fast shut-off in case of over-temperature.

By combining double-sided chip cooling with electrical isolation of the heat sinks, the thermal resistance R _thJC of the HybridPACK DSC is reduced to 0.1 K/W. In comparison, the power module HybridPACK 1 has a thermal resistance of 0.12 K/W. The HybridPACK DSC module technology also improves the electrical performance. Stray inductance is one major parameter, defined by module size and the careful routing of the current path through the module. The HybridPACK DSC value of only 15 nH results in a reduction of switching losses by 25%.