Five “Must-Have Ingredients” For Power Management In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Focus:

The high-voltage and high-power requirements of electric and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are driving the introduction of new automotive electrical systems. These systems require special electronic devices, semiconductor solutions and advanced packaging options that are different from those used in 12-V electrical systems in combustion-engine cars. In this product technology feature, the author discusses the challenges faced by semiconductor suppliers in addressing the needs of these new high-power electrical systems, which leads to his discussion of the semiconductor and packaging technologies his company has developed to address these challenges. The five "must haves" referred to in the title concern the power semiconductors used to build high-power inverters and dc-dc converters for electric and hybrid electric vehicles. According to the author, these must haves are 1) efficient high-voltage IGBTs, 2) advanced semiconductor packaging, 3) fast switching IGBTs and FETs, 4) analog and mixed-signal control ICs, and 5) rugged MOSFETs.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the power converter requirements that shape development of power MOSFETs, IGBTs, and control ICs for use in electric and hybrid electric vehicles

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Author & Publication:

Henning Hauenstein, International Rectifier, El Segundo, Calif., How2Power Today, Nov 23 2010

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