ECN IMPACT Award presented to high performance module

Bestowed by Electronic Component News (ECN), ECN IMPACT Awards honour excellence in engineering and groundbreaking innovation by recognising top products and services in 17 categories that span the design engineering landscape. Released to market in May of this year, Wolfspeed’s CAS325M12HM2 62mm module enables unprecedented efficiency and power density for high current power electronics, including: converters/inverters, motor drives, industrial electronics, and high performance electric vehicle systems. Configured in a half-bridge topology with seven 1.2kV 25mΩ C2M SiC MOSFETs and six 1.2kV 50A Z-Rec Schottky diodes per switch position, the module allows systems designers to realise lighter weight systems that are up to 67% smaller, achieving efficiencies of over 98%, and up to ten times higher power density compared to systems built with silicon-based technologies.

Compared to conventional silicon IGBT power modules, and even previous generations of SiC MOSFET modules, Wolfspeed’s CAS325M12HM2 module offers significantly higher power density for applications in which volume and weight are critical limitations. Its ability to operate at a higher switching frequency without any compromise in system efficiency enables a reduction in both the number and size of magnetic and passive components required for the balance of the system. Additionally, its superior thermal characteristics, combined with SiC-optimised packaging design and materials, allow the module to operate at 175°C, which is a key advantage for many industrial, aerospace, and automotive applications. Enabling faster switching speeds, higher frequency operation, and low losses, this module design is also the industry’s most optimised package, allowing end users to achieve the unique benefits of SiC technology, specifically a 66% reduction in module inductance: 5.5nH compared to competitive power products’ 15nH.

“Winning an ECN IMPACT Award for the year’s top product introduction in the passive components and discrete semiconductors category is a significant tribute to the ground-breaking innovation and engineering excellence that we strive for as a company," said John Palmour, Wolfspeed’s chief technology officer. "Our high-performance 62mm SiC half-bridge module, which was the first fully qualified commercial power product released by Wolfspeed’s Fayetteville operation, represents a new generation of all-SiC power modules that — by enabling unprecedented efficiency and power density for high current power electronics — will meaningfully contribute to the continued advancement of the power electronics industry.”

“ECN has a legacy heavily steeped in recognising the best products on the market for engineers and companies, and the tradition continues today in print and online,” said Janine Mooney, Editorial Director of Advantage Media’s Design Engineering Group and Editor in Chief of both ECN and Wireless Design and Development. “The 2016 ECN IMPACT Awards are the culmination of a Product Technology Awards history stretching back 60 years, and seek to honour ingenuity and creativity among companies large and small who are making a difference in the industry and in the lives of engineers.”