APEC: Spotlight on Automotive
High on the list of new products and presentations this APEC 2022 is automotive power electronics. The list of innovations and new products released at the show is long, including improved vehicle range, safety, lifetime, and sustainability for electric vehicles. Automotive electrical and electronic systems also saw advancement, including high voltage systems, automotive power generation, switched-mode power supply (SMPS), DC to DC converters, electric drives, traction inverters or DC to AC converters, power electronic components, high-temperature requirements, and applications of SMPS in power train systems.
Examples from a handful of companies include:
Texas Instruments demonstrated system-level solutions to increase power density; reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), noise, and quiescent current (IQ); and ensuring reliability.
TI is increasing power density through an 800-V, 11-kW three-level, three-phase, gallium nitride (GaN)-based active neutral-point clamped (ANPC) inverter power stage: This demo is based on a 6.6-kW ANPC inverter reference design and showcases the 600-V LMG3422R030 GaN field-effect transistor (FET), which enables a high switching frequency to reduce magnetics size, increase power density, and achieve a 98.5% peak efficiency in EV-charging and solar-power applications. It also lowers EMI in automotive and industrial applications while improving filter size. The LMQ66430-Q1low-EMI buck converter reduces EMI in real-time by leveraging a proprietary dual random spread-spectrum technique demonstrating how integrated capacitors greatly simplify designs. TI’s UCC5870-Q1 isolated gate driver and UCC14240-Q1 isolated DC/DC bias supply module enable high system efficiency with 30 A of peak current while maintaining system reliability through advanced high-voltage isolation and protection and diagnostics. Access the company’s APEC efforts here: TI.com/APEC.
Nexperia released electro-thermal models for automotive MOSFETs. Nexperia’s new models capture the thermal interdependency of the complete set of device parameters across -55 to 175°C.” The models are in PET (precision electro-thermal) LTspice format and include reverse diode recovery time and device EMC performance. The MOSFETs are 40V n-channel parts in packages including SOT1023 (power SO8), SOT1210, SOT1235, SOT1205, and SOT669.
Offerings at APEC from KYOCERA included: KYOCERA AVX’s new SCP Series PrizmaCapTM Supercapacitors, engineered to provide peak performance in an array of SWaP-optimized, battery-powered products; SCP Series PrizmaCap supercapacitors have the widest operating temperature range of any available supercapacitor technology (-55°C to +90°C), the highest capacitance (3.5–15F) and energy density (1.14–2.43Wh/kg) of any small-form-factor, prismatic, electric double-layer capacitor rated for less than 1F, and an extremely lightweight (<2g) and ultralow-profile package (0.8–2mm).
Its new TCO Series High-Temperature, Automotive-Grade Polymer Chip Capacitors are rated for operating temperatures up to 150°C at category voltage. TCO Series capacitors meet AEC-Q200 requirements, exhibit low DCL and a benign failure mode, and are ideal for low- and medium-power automotive applications. KYOCERA AVX’s new TCQ Series Automotive Conductive Polymer Chip Capacitors are available in five miniature, low-profile case sizes with capacitance and voltage ratings spanning 10–470μF and 2.5–50V. The TCQ Series capacitors deliver 2,000 hours of high-reliability performance at 125°C — double the operational life required by the AEC-Q200 specification.
Halo Microelectronics demonstrated its end-to-end battery fast charging solutions, including audio data switch and protection, VBUS protection, boost converter, and system I/O power supply. The company offers highly integrated 10V and 20V devices with efficiencies of 98.3% and a highly efficient 3A switching charger with USB power, signal line OVP, and audio/data switch devices.
Vishay displayed a range of power management solutions, including power IC, passive component, diode, and MOSFET technologies. MOSFET solutions for automotive applications and the latest power conversion topologies, introducing Gen IV Automotive Grade TrenchFET devices in gullwing leaded packages and the first Automotive Grade E Series MOSFET.
For power density and efficiency in automotive applications, Vishay’s new diodes included AEC-Q101 qualified TMBS® rectifiers in the eSMP® package series, 600 V FRED Pt® Gen 5 Ultrafast and Hyperfast rectifiers for charging applications, and 650 V silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes featuring a merged PIN Schottky (MPS) design. Passive components included resistors: Power Metal Strip®, thick film power, precision thin film, IGBR wire bondable back contact die, MELF devices, and a ThermaWick™ thermal jumper surface-mount chip.
Wirewound resistors included fusible safety, direct water-cooled, and hybrid devices for precharge and discharge applications. Non-linear resistors will include NTC thermistors with ring tongues and insulated leads, wire bondable NTC die, inrush current limiting PTCs, and nickel thin film thermistors. Inductors comprised automotive grade and commercial low profile, high current inductors in a range of case sizes; high-temperature devices; and commercial vertical-mount inductors. Highlighted custom magnetics will include low profile and high current edge-wound, through-hole inductors with low DCR; common mode chokes; and an AEC-Q200 qualified haptic actuator.
The show’s over in Houston, but it’s already time to plan for next year—the destination is Orlando, March 19-23, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center—See: https://www.apec-conf.org
