Mitsubishi Electric has announced the coming release of six new power semiconductor modules for various EVs.

The J3-Series modules contain either a silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (SiC-MOSFET) or a silicon RC-IGBT. They feature compact designs and scalability for use in the inverters of EVs and PHEVs. All six J3-Series products will be available for sample shipments from March 25.  

The J3 transfer molded power module (J3-T-PM) can be soldered to a heat sink, reducing thermal resistance by about 30% and size by around 60% compared to a similar power module, the company said. Using multiple J3-T-PMs in parallel further reduces the inductance. The J3-HEXA-L reduces thermal resistance by about 20% and size by around 65%, while the J3-HEXA-S is about 60% smaller than a comparable module. 

The trench SiC-MOSFET combines low loss and high-speed drive, enabling smaller inverters with less power loss that can extend EV driving range and reduce electricity costs. The RC-IGBT uses a new structure that combines an IGBT and a freewheeling diode (FWD) on a single chip for smaller modules with improved heat dissipation, for smaller inverters.

“In addition to extending the cruising range of xEVs, compact, high-power, high-efficiency modules are needed to further downsize batteries and inverters. But due to the high safety standards set for xEVs, power semiconductors used in drive motors must be more reliable than those used in general industrial applications,” the company said.

Source: Mitsubishi Electric