Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced the launch of a new insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module in the "NX series," mainly for use in inverters for industrial machinery. The new model, the CM150TX-24S, incorporates the company’s newly developed technology, which it says achieves the world’s lowest switching power loss in IGBT modules as of June 16, 2009. Shipments begin on July 1, 2009.
The CM150TX-24S is a 6-in-1 IGBT module that operates at 150A and up to 1200 volts. Mitsubishi Electric will further enhance its lineup of IGBT modules using this cutting-edge technology, and develop products with various amperage ratings and element composition.
The new IGBT module has an IGBT chip with an improved cell structure in the CSTBT™, as well as reduced ON resistance that also maintains the operation range. The new product also contains a diode with a reduced saturation voltage. As a result, the NX series IGBT module reduces power loss in inverter operation by approximately 20% compared to the CM150DX-24A (1,200V/150A, 2-in-1), one of Mitsubishi Electric’s previous models. For example, in a 30kW inverter with an IGBT module that operates at 150A and up to 1200V, its power loss can be reduced from 200 to 160W.
The newly developed IGBT, a 6th generation IGBT, incorporates wafer detail processing technology with improvements to prevent short circuits, as well as technology that reduces saturation voltage and increases electric current. The fluency of electric current in IGBTs is decided by the number of transistor cells in each chip. Therefore, it becomes important to make the trench interval of IGBTs small and build in many transistor cells.
The 6th generation IGBT has a trench interval of 2.4-micrometer pitch, narrowed from the 4-micrometer pitch in previous models, which reduces ON resistance – a figure that indicates the amount of power loss – by approximately 20%. By narrowing the trench interval, however, there is a tradeoff that makes the safe operation range smaller in IGBTs. Mitsubishi Electric states that it has successfully addressed this issue in its 6th generation IGBT with wafer detail processing technology that optimizes the concentration profile.
