Avnet collaborates with Infineon on silicon carbide technologies

Leading global technology solutions provider Avnet is working closely with Infineon on the manufacturer’s leading-edge silicon carbide (SiC) based CoolSiC technology, which delivers key benefits for engineers designing advanced power systems across a wide selection of market sectors and applications. Infineon and Avnet will collaborate over the next year and beyond to accelerate the deployment of energy-efficient power devices with CoolSiC technologies.

There is strong global demand for improved, smaller and more cost-effective power conversion systems, especially for the fast-growing market for electric vehicles. Silicon carbide delivers many important advantages over the traditional use of silicon, including higher voltage operation, wider operating temperature ranges and higher switching frequencies. Infineon’s CoolSiC technology builds upon these inherent advantages of the semiconductor material to deliver efficiency and reliability across a variety of applications such as battery charging, photovoltaic inverters, motor drives, energy storage and power supplies. The CoolSiC portfolio ranges from SiC-based diodes and discrete MOSFETs to hybrid and full SiC modules.

Entry-level evaluation board (EVAL-1ED3122MC12H-SiC). Source: Infineon

As part of the cooperation between the two companies, Avnet is selling an exclusive entry-level evaluation board (EVAL-1ED3122MC12H-SiC) from Infineon that is designed to provide engineers and developers with a simple way to quickly try out the possibilities of the advanced CoolSiC technology. The board is ready for use to evaluate the performance of the 650V or 1200V CoolSiC MOSFETs, which will require soldering to the board depending on the user application. The two companies are also offering extensive training programs for engineers designing power systems.

SiC market is expected to grow

Key features of the new Infineon board include the CoolSiC MOSFETs organized in a half-bridge configuration, along with onboard optimized 1ED-X3 family of single-channel galvanically isolated 10A gate drivers, and isolated power supply circuitry to provide the required voltages.

“The SiC market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30 percent over the next 5 years. Infineon is dedicated to participating in this growth for SiC technology leveraging distribution channels that share the same ambition,” said PY Ferrard, Corporate VP distribution & EMS at Infineon. “And we anticipate that Avnet can be a cornerstone of our strategy to realize our goals for our CoolSiC portfolio, which provides designers with the ability to realize ever-lower costs and higher efficiency in power conversion systems in fast-growing markets and applications.”

“It speaks volumes that Infineon, a world leader in silicon carbide and power technologies, has chosen Avnet as its first distributor to run a dedicated program on CoolSiC technology,” said Tony Roybal, president Avnet Americas. “It is a clear demonstration of both our know-how and the global reach of Avnet in critically important power electronics applications.”