Advanced Isolation package for discrete IGBTs
Infineon Technologies AG has introduced the new package technology TRENCHSTOP Advanced Isolation. It is available for TRENCHSTOP and TRENCHSTOP Highspeed 3 IGBTs for best-in-class thermal performance and simpler manufacturing. The two versions are performance optimized to replace both fully insulated packages (FullPAKs) as well as standard and high performance isolation foils. The new package targets applications like power factor correction (PFC) for air conditioner, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and power converters for drives.
Conventional options for isolation, like FullPAKs or standard TO packages used with isolation material, are expensive and difficult to handle. Additionally, they are inadequate for the heat dissipation needs of the latest high power density IGBTs. TRENCHSTOP Advanced Isolation offers the same footprint as a standard TO-247, but with 100 percent isolation. However, there is no need for thermal isolation foils or thermal grease. Thanks to an effective and reliable thermal path from the IGBT die to the heatsink, the new package offers increased power density. It improves reliability, and reduces system and manufacturing costs.
By removing the need for isolation materials and thermal grease, designers can reduce assembly time by up to 35 percent. At the same time, they improve reliability by eliminating misaligned foils. The thermal resistance (R th) of the new package is 50 percent lower than with a TO-247 FullPak and 35 percent lower than a standard TO-247 with an isolation foil. These improvements translate into a better performance such as a 10°C lower operation temperature than a FullPak with similar IGBT. Using the Advanced Isolation package, system efficiency can be increased by 0.2 percentage points over standard TO-247 with isolation foil.
The package also has a low coupling capacitance of just 38 pF, which means better EMI performance and potentially smaller filters. The improved thermal characteristics can also contribute to better reliability because the IGBT will run at a lower temperature which reduces stress on the component. Furthermore, the heatsink size can be reduced to help save system costs, due to these lower temperatures. Also, due to lower cooling requirements, designers can alternatively choose to use the higher margin for increased power density.
