New Industry Products

IXYS Integrates Thyristor and IGBT to offer “Ideal Phase Leg” for Energy-Efficient Applications

February 26, 2013 by Jeff Shepard

IXYS Corporation announced the latest addition to the ISOPLUSâ„¢ Surface Mount Power Device (SMPD) range which successfully reduces the amount of discrete devices for designers that need to apply Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT), thyristor and fast diode technologies in one circuit. The patented SMPD Module platform has successfully improved reliability and reduced board size by offering surface mount solutions for systems up to 15kW. Using IXYS' proprietary DCB isolated substrates the SMPD Module flexibility provides a platform for mixed technology and multiple die content, e.g., thyristor, IGBT, MOSFET and diode in boost, buck, parallel, half bridge, full and three phase bridges or two switches side by side topologies.

"Incorporating our thyristors with our IGBT's has been a natural extension of our depth in power semiconductor technologies. The thyristors have been the highest power density switches for the industry and are relatively easy to drive as high side switches in bridge configuration. They conduct higher currents with higher efficiencies than FETs and IGBTs, thus a combination with FETs or IGBTs creates almost an ideal switch, where the high-side-high currents, are conducted by the thyristors, and high speed switching is done with the low side IGBTs in this product," commented Dr. Nathan Zommer, CEO of IXYS Corporation. "More combinations of these technologies are possible, and will be introduced to our customers' needs as applications power devices (ASPD)."

Integration of the thyristor into a half bridge with an IGBT provides a one-stop solution for power designers needing to operate a low frequency bridge (thyristor) with higher frequency modulation (IGBT). The example of the IXA20PT1200LB is a 20A, 1200V SMPD surface mountable module which contains a thyristor at the high side and IGBT technology on the low side of a half bridge circuit allowing an energy efficient solution for applications such as current source micro-inverter, UPSs, power supplies, motor drives and medical applications.

"This latest release illustrates the true attraction of the SMPD Module platform to our customers," commented Bradley Green, President of European Sales and Business Development. "Combining any number of our rugged, power efficient die technologies into innovative topologies and packing them in our surface mount, pick-and-place ready module platform for energy sensitive applications is a true differentiator."

"The SMPD Module is a platform that provides 'solution-scale' resolution to power problems by reducing board real estate requirement and component count and weight and power loss due to parasitic inductance. We will continue to develop products which resonate with customers' demand for ‘more power / less package’ and IXYS fully intends to retain the leading edge in providing innovation in this field," Mr. Green continued.