Designed for use in mild HEV vehicles, the Infineon HybridPACK1 power module contains all power semiconductors for the inverter and an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) resistor for temperature measurement thus resulting in 30% less semiconductor area.

The module is based on the combination of Infineon’s Trench FieldStop IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) and Emcon diode technology. For mild hybrid inverter applications, the flat copper base-plate combined with high-performance ceramic substrate and Infineon’s enhanced wire-bonding process improves lifespan related to thermal cycling by a factor of 3 and lifespan related to power cycling reliability by a factor of 2. The base-plate measures only 7 cm x 13.5 cm.

For applications in full hybrids, HybridPACK2 offers the industry’s smallest footprint of only 9.2 cm x 20.2 cm for a 800A/600V six-pack module. This is approximately a quarter smaller than today’s current solutions. The pin-finned Aluminum Silicon Carbide (AlSiC) base plate in HybridPACK2 not only enhances thermal performance, but also increases reliability for automotive under-hood applications. The full hybrid engine provides energy for mid-distance driving, for example for city traffic.

Unlike many power electronic applications, the design of HEV modules requires tight coupling of subsystems in order to achieve optimal system performance for a given cost. While the overall power system architecture and the type of hybrid system design (micro, mild or full hybrid) determine the overall fuel savings compared to an equivalent conventional power train, the power electronics play a significant role in ensuring efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Infineon claims that its IGBT technology provides several advantages for applications in HEV power systems. The Trench Fieldstop process yields lower conduction losses and reduced switching losses, with the combined effect of achieving smaller size for equivalent output performance compared to alternatives. Infineon IGBTs can operate at temperatures of up to 175°C, making cooling easier.

To provide its customers with a full solution during development and best possible time-to-market, Infineon has engineered demonstration gate driver boards for integration with the HybridPACK for HEV inverter systems. The demo board contains driver stages, fault detection and protection circuitry.