Compared to previous IGBT generations, these devices are said to provide faster switching performance while also reducing conduction loss by lowering the saturation voltage. Additionally, the devices’ performance index is claimed to have been improved by up to 30% compared to the previous 7th-generation IGBTs.
In solar power generation systems, there is inevitably some amount of power loss when the DC converts to AC by passing through an inverter circuit. Since the majority of this power loss occurs within the power devices used, reducing IGBT power loss has a direct positive effect on the power generation performance of user systems. Similarly, for UPS systems in server rooms and data centres, power constantly passes through a power converter circuit to monitor if the power supply has been interrupted, meaning that a steady power loss arises whenever the system is operating. IGBT performance is key to reducing this power loss.
In IGBTs, there has been a tradeoff between noise characteristics and switching speed. Renesas’ 8th-generation IGBTs are claimed to generate less gate noise during switching, enabling system manufacturers to eliminate the gate resistors previously needed to reduce noise. This contributes to a reduced component count and a more compact design.
Renesas also claims to have achieved the industry’s first TO-247 plus package for a 1250V IGBT with built-in diode, which offers system manufacturers greater circuit configuration flexibility. These discrete packages also add to the flexibility of circuit configurations for system manufacturers while giving high levels of heat dissipation up to 175°C.
The fast switching performance of the G8H Series IGBTs can be used in applications other than inverter circuits, for example, providing excellent performance for step-up circuits in converters.
