Power Electronics / Power Management


New power semiconductor technology to lower costs and reduce energy consumption

5 November 2003 Power Electronics / Power Management

Infineon Technologies has introduced a cost-optimised alternative to MOSFETs (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) typically used in electronic lamp ballasts (ELB) for fluorescent tubes, claimed to allow a 1-to-1 replacement at approximately a 15% lower price with same functionality. Compared to conventional magnetic lamp ballasts, use of the ELBs can reduce the power consumption of lighting systems by up to 25% annually, says Infineon. The new member of its IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) product family, the new LightMOS IGBT, is intended for use in ballast inverters as a 600 V blocking power switch and is optimised for switching frequencies between 40 and 60 kHz.

The LightMOS IGBTs, which are the first in the industry to have powerful monolithically integrated reverse diodes, exhibit the low power losses of a MOSFET and the low temperature dependency of an IGBT. This makes lamp ballast design easier, faster and more cost-effective. Improved reliability is achieved due to the characteristic IGBT temperature behaviour, which has less risk of the thermal runaway that is a critical consideration with MOSFETs. In addition, the LightMOS IGBTs combine Infineon's FieldStop technology with a Trench cell (TrenchStop technology) for low conduction and switching losses, and can be applied much closer to its specification limits.

Infineon says that the advantages of TrenchStop technology include an exceptional ruggedness and short-circuit withstanding capability, increased reliability, and low EMI. The FieldStop structure within the power devices ensures a significant reduction in the tail current that occurs during turn-off switching, and the Trench cell limits conduction losses to a minimum due to extremely low saturation voltage. As a result, considerably less heat is generated.

The LightMOS IGBTs are available in DPak and D2Pack packages.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

High-precision current transducer
Power Electronics / Power Management
Danisense announces its new high-precision DP12IP current transducer designed for isolated DC and AC current measurement in demanding PCB-mounted power electronics applications.

Read more...
Secure holder for protected 18650 batteries
Power Electronics / Power Management
Designed for protected 18650 batteries up to 70 mm long, the holder offers secure retention for portable, industrial, and embedded applications.

Read more...
More room to scale
Altron Arrow Power Electronics / Power Management
With the latest STM32H5 lines from STMicroelectronics, you can now scale within the same platform, from a compact 1 Mbyte device to higher-memory MCUs for graphics-rich and feature-heavy designs.

Read more...
Space saving SMD common-mode chokes
Electrocomp Passive Components
TDK Corporation presents the EP21 series of flat-wire double chokes designed for common-mode EMI filtering and available in an SMD format with dimensions of only 23,8 x 17,7 mm and heights ranging from 21,6 to 22,3 mm

Read more...
Surface mount power amplifier for high-power applications
RF Design Power Electronics / Power Management
The GNA-63-5W+, from Mini-Circuits, is a GaN MMIC Power Amplifier (PA) designed for demanding RF applications requiring high efficiency, excellent linearity, and a compact footprint.

Read more...
1200 V QSiC modules
Power Electronics / Power Management
SemiQ Inc has launched the QSiC Dual3, a family of 1200 V half-bridge MOSFET modules for motor drives in data centre cooling systems, grid converters in energy storage systems, and industrial drivers.

Read more...
MCOTS transient filter for military applications
RFiber Solutions Power Electronics / Power Management
SynQor has announced the new MCOTS-F-28-T-HE transient half-brick filter, the latest addition to its MCOTS product family.

Read more...
Expanded range of high-thermal-performance QSiC modules
Power Electronics / Power Management
SemiQ’s half-bridge series for data centre power converters and industrial motor drives features low RDSON SiC MOSFETs and parallel SBD diodes for best-in-class power density and conversion efficiency.

Read more...
Transporting lithium batteries and IoT devices
Power Electronics / Power Management
With billions of rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium cells and batteries powering most of the world’s consumer and industrial electronic devices, shipping them to customers through vast global logistics chains is often an overlooked topic.

Read more...
Setting a new benchmark for high-power DC load testing
Conical Technologies Test & Measurement Power Electronics / Power Management
The new ITECH IT8900G/L high-speed, high-power DC electronic load offers a powerful combination of speed, scalability, precision and high-power density.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved