Impact of IGBTs in Our Daily Life

 IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) are widely used nowadays in transportation, renewable power generation, consumer, aircraft, medical, industrial, and financial sectors all over the world. As a result, billions of people from around the globe are enjoying enhanced comfort, convenience, and quality of life. IGBTs are known for their fantastic efficiency and speedy switching characteristics. These qualities make IGBTs very suitable for applications where saving energy and protecting the environment are very important. What would happen if all the IGBT were removed from the applications that they serve today?” The answer is quite revealing: Our new solar and wind-based renewable energy sources would not be able to deliver power to the grid because the inverters would stop functioning. Our gasoline power cars would stop running because the electronic ignition systems would no longer function. Our hybrid electric and electric cars would stop running because the inverters used to deliver power from the batteries to the motors would no longer function.

 

Our electric mass-transit systems would come to a standstill because the inverters used to deliver power from the power grid to the motors would no longer function. Our air-conditioning systems in homes and offices would stop working because the inverters used to deliver power from the utility company to the heat-pumps and compressors would no longer function. Our refrigerators and vending machines would no longer function making the delivery and storage of perishable products impossible. Our factories would come to a grinding halt because the numerical controls use to run the robots would cease to function. Our new low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs would stop functioning limiting our activities to the daytime. Our portable defibrillators recently deployed in emergency vehicles, on-board airplanes, and in-office buildings would no longer be operationally putting over 100,000 people at the risk of death from cardiac failure. In one statement, the quality of life in our society would be greatly deteriorated if the IGBT is no longer available. It is a blessing of modern science.

Fuji IGBT in CNC Machines

Numerical control (NC) is the mechanization of machine tools that are functioned by accurately programmed commands encoded on storage mean, as against to run manually via hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone. Most NCs today is computer numerical control (CNC), in which computers play an integral part of the control. Fuji Electric delivers high-performance power semiconductors for energy, automotive, information technology, and industrial applications. IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) made my Fuji is used widely in CNC plasma cutters and welding machines. Plasma cutting involves cutting a material using a plasma torch. It is commonly used to cut steel and other metals but can be used on a variety of materials. In this process, gas (such as compressed air) is blown at high speed out of a nozzle; at the same time, an electrical arc is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma.

 The plasma is enough heated to melt the material being cut and moves pretty fast to blow molten metal away from the cut. Arc and tube welding machines are mostly used in industrial settings for building and repair of the infrastructure. Welding power supplies are required to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. The arc can be created by either DC or AC current with consumable or non-consumable electrodes. The welding region is sometimes protected by some type of inert or semi-inert gas. Arc welding is popular due to low capital and running costs. For arc welding, the voltage is directly related to the length of the arc, and the current is related to the amount of heat input with typical currents of 50 to 500 amps depending on the size of the weld. For arc welding with low voltages and large currents, a soft-switching PWM DC-DC power converter with Fuji IGBT switches on the primary side of a high-frequency transformer is considered to be the most suitable topology for the welding power supply 110, 111.

 Power losses in the Fuji IGBTs are reduced by using soft switching resulting in a volume reduction of 59% and weight reduction of 47% compared with the hard-switching approach. Dynamic welding performance is improved due to operation at 40-kHz when compared with 13-kHz with hard-switching. We have been selling IGBT power transistor modules since 2001. Thyssen Krupp, OTIS, IXYS, SONY DADC, General Motors, Hongkong Electric Holdings Limited, Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Trains LTD, Verkehrsbetriebe Zurich, Czech Airlines, Molex, Cisco, Omron, Goodyear Tires, Thai AirAsia, Boeing, Xilinx, LEAR SIEGLER, and General Electric. We have a Quality Control Team like no other. This means that we know how to work hard in order to ensure to make sure that the quality of all of the parts we’re selling is high. Because we only sell new and original electronic parts, we provide our customers with a 30-day warranty. And because we have connections with IGBT power transistor modules manufacturers, OEMs and distributors, we’re able to pass any savings on to our customers, giving them a lower price while still providing them with the quality products they deserve. Our inventory is carefully managed and held to the highest standards, and stored in a controlled environment warehousing facility.

ON CORPORATION Y DANFOSS CONSOLIDAN ACUERDO

ON Semiconductor Corporation ON anunció recientemente que Danfoss ha seleccionado los transistores bipolares de puerta aislada (IGBT) de alta potencia de la compañía para alimentar sus módulos de tracción del inversor para el mercado de vehículos eléctricos favoreciendo asi a Danfoss, que es una empresa de tecnología electronica, con sede en Dinamarca, fabrica módulos de potencia personalizados para aplicaciones automotrices, industriales y renovables. Los chips IGBT de ON Semiconductor ayudarán a Danfoss a satisfacer la creciente demanda de módulos de potencia de alto rendimiento que necesitan los vehículos eléctricos.ON Semiconductor fabricará los componentes de alta potencia en Nueva York, East Fishkill y Bucheon, mientras que los módulos de potencia se desarrollarán Danfoss en Flensburg y Utica. 

El acuerdo de Danfoss es una gran victoria para ellos, ya que es probable que ayude a la compañía a consolidarse en el mercado de electrificaciones de vehículos que es altamente lucrativo. Esto, a su vez, impulsará el crecimiento de primera línea de los productos en los próximos días.

IGBT in Electric Car

 Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is a relatively new device that is noted for its high efficiency and fast switching, making it ideal for applications where saving energy and protecting the environment are important factors. Consequently, IGBTs are found in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, in wind turbines and solar installations, as well as in smart grids and modern household appliances, such as refrigerators and air-conditioning systems. Although the automotive market is relatively small, the number of electronic components in automobiles is steadily rising. Hybrid and electric vehicles have the highest share of electronic devices. They need IGBTs for power control.

 

The power control unit (PCU) in these cars regulates the transfer of energy between the battery and electric motor. Such PCUs can contain up to 20 IGBTs. IGBT usage in the car industry is expected to grow around 70 percent in 2015. When a hybrid-electric car is operated on highways, it operates with power delivered from both the gasoline-powered Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and the battery-powered electric motor. In this case, IGBTs are needed to operate the ignition system of the ICE and to drive the motor. The battery in the hybrid-electric car must be recharged to renew the stored energy. This is also performed using IGBT-based circuitry in the power electronics module. In conclusion, the availability of IGBTs has been crucial to the success of the hybrid electric car and to the deployment of the charging infrastructure for the plug-in electric vehicles. The IGBT will continue to play an important role in the availability of cost-effective technology for the entire electric vehicle industry.

Use of IGBTs in Tesla Roadster

Tesla Roadster is the first high-performance electric car in the world. It is very speedy, unprecedented; handles like a dream, and goes like a bullet. But it doesn’t consume a single drop of gasoline and practically noiseless. Traditional gasoline-powered cars contain hundreds of moving parts. But the Roadster is powered by just four main systems. These are The Energy Storage System (ESS), The Power Electronics Module (PEM), an electric motor, and a sequential manual transmission. We will talk about the power electronics module below. The Roadster battery, as with all batteries, stores electricity at a DC voltage. The motor uses energy in the form of an AC voltage. 

The Power Electronics Module functions as a bridge for energy between the charge port, battery, and motor. Every electron ever used in a Roadster, from the motor drive to the dome light, flows through the Power Electronics Module. It is a power inverter and charging system that converts AC voltage from the grid at between 90V and 265V, into DC voltages between 250V and 425V using 72 insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). This lead to a significant increase in power output likened to first-generation electric cars. Under peak acceleration, the batteries can provide 200 kW of energy -- sufficient to power 2,000 incandescent light bulbs. Along with controlling charge and discharge rates, the Power Electronics Module controls voltage levels, the motor RPM (revolutions per minute), torque, and the regenerative braking system.

Infineon ECONODUAL IGBT Modules -Spanish

 Munich, Alemania - 18 de diciembre de 2019 - Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) presentó en marzo el nuevo chip IGBT7 para su conocida plataforma  Easy. Ahora está implementando el TRENCHSTOP ™ IGBT7 de última generación en la clasificación de la potencia media: en el paquete estándar de la industria EconoDUAL ™ 3. En esta tecnología de chip, el módulo de 1200 V proporciona una corriente nominal líder de 900 A que permite un 30 por ciento más de corriente de salida del inversor para el mismo tamaño  en comparación con la tecnología anterior. Si bien las mejoras específicas del chip y la carcasa del módulo apuntan directamente a aplicaciones de accionamiento industrial, también se puede utilizar muy bien en diseños para vehículos comerciales, de construcción y agrícolas (CAV), servoaccionamientos, así como inversores solares y UPS.

Basado en la nueva tecnología de zanjas de micro-patrones, el chip TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 funciona con pérdidas estáticas mucho más bajas en comparación con el IGBT4. Su voltaje de estado activado se reduce hasta en un 30 por ciento para la misma área de chip. Esto trae una reducción significativa de pérdidas en la aplicación, especialmente para los accionamientos industriales, que generalmente operan a frecuencias de conmutación moderadas. Además, se ha mejorado el comportamiento de oscilación y la capacidad de control del IGBT. Los módulos de potencia cuentan con una temperatura de unión de sobrecarga máxima permitida de 175 ° C.

Otra mejora se refiere al diodo de rueda libre (FWD) que también se ha optimizado para aplicaciones de accionamiento. La caída de voltaje directo del diodo de séptima generación controlado por emisor (EC7) ahora es 100 mV menor que la caída de voltaje directo del diodo EC4, con una tendencia a la oscilación reducida durante la desconexión del diodo, Sin duda alguna estamos ante una mejora considerable que será favorable en todos los ámbitos actuales.

Use of IGBTs in Automated External Defibrillators

One of the every four deaths in the advanced world takes place because of cardiac arrest. Eighty-five percent of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest occur due to ventricular fibrillation. Without synchronization of heart muscles, blood flow through the body is interrupted leading to starving oxygen from organs. The victim will almost certainly die within 10 minutes unless aid is provided. A defibrillator applies a dose of electrical energy to the heart muscles which depolarizes a critical mass of the heart muscle, terminates the arrhythmia, and allows normal heart rhythm to be re-established. It is essential that the defibrillator be located close to the victim and be easily operated to provide the life-saving response within 10 minutes. 

Automated external defibrillators (AED) are now widely deployed in places such as corporate and government offices, shopping centers, airplanes, airports, restaurants, hotels, sports stadiums, schools and universities with a high density of aging populations. The automated external defibrillator is designed to provide simple voice commands to prompt the administration of the live-saving electrical jolt to the victim. According to USA Today, about 450,000 people die each year in the U.S. from sudden cardiac arrest. Among these victims, the American Medical Association (AMA) estimates that more than 100,000 lives can be saved by the availability of modern AEDs enabled by IGBTs. Many companies have made IGBT particularly customized for the implantable defibrillator market.