News: Microelectronics
7 May 2025
Nexperia launches automotive-qualified 1200V SiC MOSFETs in D2PAK-7 packaging
Discrete device designer and manufacturer Nexperia of Nijmegen, the Netherlands (which operates wafer fabs in Hamburg, Germany, and Hazel Grove Manchester, UK) has announced a range of highly efficient and robust automotive-qualified silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs with on-resistance (RDS(on)) values of 30mΩ, 40mΩ and 60mΩ.
Delivering what is claimed to be industry-leading figures-of-merit (FoM), the devices (NSF030120D7A0-Q, NSF040120D7A1-Q, NSF060120D7A0-Q) were previously offered in industrial grade and have now been awarded AEC-Q101 certification. This makes them suitable for automotive applications like on-board chargers (OBC) and traction inverters in electric vehicles (EV) as well as for DC–DC converters, and heating ventilation & air-conditioning systems (HVAC). The switches are housed in the increasingly popular surface-mounted D2PAK-7 package, which is more suitable for automated assembly operations than through-hole devices.
RDS(on) is a critical performance parameter for SiC MOSFETs as it impacts conduction losses. However, concentrating on the nominal value neglects the fact that it can increase by more than 100% as device operating temperatures rise, resulting in a considerable rise in conduction losses. The temperature stability is even more critical when SMD package technologies are used compared with through-hole technology, since devices are cooled through the PCB. Nexperia identified this as a limiting factor in the performance of many currently available SiC devices and leveraged the features of its innovative process technology to ensure that its new SiC MOSFETs offer industry-leading temperature stability, with the nominal value of RDS(on) increasing by only 38% over an operating temperature range from 25°C to 175°C. This feature enables customers to address higher output power in their applications, achieved with a higher nominal 25°C-rated RDS(on) from Nexperia compared with other vendors, without sacrificing performance.
“This feature allows to get more power out of the selected Nexperia SiC MOSFET devices compared to similarly rated RDS(on) devices from other vendors, delivering a clear cost advantage for customers on semiconductor level,” says says Edoardo Merli, senior VP & head of business group Wide Bandgap, IGBT & Modules (WIM). “Additionally, relaxed cooling requirements, more compact passive components, and higher achievable efficiency allow customers more degrees of freedom in their design and lower total cost of ownership,” he adds. “These products are now available for the automotive market, where their performance and efficiency benefits can make a real difference in next-generation vehicle designs.”
Nexperia is planning to release automotive-qualified versions of its 17mΩ and 80mΩ RDS(on) SiC MOSFETs in 2025.
Nexperia launches 1200V SiC MOSFETs in top-side-cooled X.PAK packages
Nexperia’s 1200V SiC MOSFETs made available in D2PAK-7 SMD packages
Nexperia launches discrete 1200 V devices as its first silicon carbide MOSFETs
