Microchip provides silicon carbide MOSFET and digital gate drivers for Mersen’s SiC Power Stack reference design
The three-phase SiC Power Stack reference design provides system designers with a complete, compact, high-power silicon carbide solution without the need for individual device sourcing, testing and qualification. It includes Microchip’s silicon carbide power modules and digital gate drivers and Mersen’s bus bar, fuses, capacitors and thermal management in a single high-performance stack reference design. With Microchip’s 1200V MSCSM120AM042CD3AG silicon carbide MOSFET and AgileSwitch 2ASC-12A1HP digital gate driver, Microchip says the Power Stack reference design enables engineers to speed up high-voltage system development using kits predesigned for their applications and reduce time to market by up to six months.
“Microchip customers will benefit from our collaboration with Mersen to provide silicon carbide MOSFETs and digital gate driver solutions,” said Leon Gross, vice-president of Microchip’s discrete product business unit. “When power inverter designers can source a proven solution, they can avoid sourcing individual parts and reduce risk through reliability, and that helps avoid downtime. Designers now have an all-in-one evaluation system.”
The Power Stack reference design provides 16 kilowatts per litre (kW/l) of power density and up to 130 degrees C Tj, peak efficiency at 98 per cent, with up to 20 kilohertz (kHz) switching frequency. Engineers can select from 700V and 1200V options in currents up to 750A. Microchip also provides a choice in module construction including baseplate material, Direct Bonding Copper (DBC) ceramic material and die attach method.
“We worked closely with Microchip on the design and development of this silicon carbide Power Stack reference design given the availability of highly robust silicon carbide MOSFETs and compatible digital gate drivers from a single source,” said Philippe Roussel, PhD, vice-president, global strategic marketing executive expert at Mersen. “We can demonstrate our ability to optimise any inverter topologies from our customers, relying on our line of highly reliable bus bars, capacitors, fuses and cooling systems. The versatile Microchip silicon carbide line-up also gives us the capacity to extend these primary specifications to higher voltage, current and switching frequency to meet every customer’s operating point needs.”
