Vehicle electrification: Infineon ready for strong growth in mild hybrid vehicles

Infineon Technologies AG expects significant growth in automotive 48 V systems in the coming years and is expanding its portfolio of related power devices. To meet the different requirements of different 48 V systems, the chipmaker will launch new packages for its 80 V and 100 V MOSFETs with OptiMOS™ 5 technology. In view of the expected increase in demand, Infineon has built a new production line in Dresden, Germany, to produce chips using 300 mm thin wafers.

“In this decade, the majority of new cars produced worldwide will be partially or fully electrified . Market research shows that the production of vehicles with 48 V power supply systems and mild hybrid systems could increase more than tenfold between 2020 and 2030,” said Stephan Zizala, Vice President and General Manager of the High Power Business Line at Infineon Technologies’ Automotive Electronics Division. “In addition to our product portfolio for high-voltage systems for pure electric vehicles as well as full and plug-in hybrid vehicles, we are also strengthening our portfolio for 48 V systems with new devices and expanded supply capabilities.”

Expanding product portfolio at both ends of the power spectrum

Infineon Technologies offers a wide range of 80 V and 100 V MOSFETs with OptiMOS 5 technology, which have extremely low, scalable on-state resistances down to 1.2 mΩ. In order to meet the needs of high power density for core applications of mild hybrid systems such as starter generators, battery switches and DC-DC converters, Infineon will expand its TOLx package series. This is based on the existing TOLL (TO without leads, 10 mm x 12 mm) package products, supporting standard copper substrate PCBs and up to 300 A current.

In addition, the series also includes the TOLG (TO Gull Wing Lead) package with the same size and an aluminum core insulated metal substrate (IMS). Due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of copper and aluminum, the use of IMS circuit boards under large thermomechanical stress will cause greater stress on the solder joints between the package and the PCB. To reduce this stress, the TOLG package uses gull-wing leads.

New package enables top-side cooling

Next, Infineon will add a third distinctive member to its TOLx package family: the TOLT (TO Top Cooled) package. It dissipates heat by cooling the top of the package instead of on the PCB. This can increase power by more than 20% and also reduce the need for cooling the circuit board. The TOLT product is planned to go into volume production by 2021.

Infineon will also expand its package portfolio for auxiliary devices such as fans and water pumps that consume little power and are increasingly moving to 48 V supply systems. The new models are small S3O8 packages (3.3 mm x 3.3 mm) for low current applications up to 40 A. They complement the recently launched slightly larger SSO8 packages (5 mm x 6 mm) for currents up to 100 A.

Mild hybrid systems based on a 48 V power supply system allow automakers to quickly and cost-effectively reduce CO2 emissions from their fleets. In addition, they can recover more energy than 12 V systems and use the recovered energy to support the electrical devices of the internal combustion engine. For safety and comfort functions that rely on high-current loads, such as stability control or the air conditioning compressor, the 48 V power supply also has advantages in terms of performance and efficiency. Depending on the powertrain configuration and the number of auxiliary devices, a mild hybrid system can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 15% compared to a pure internal combustion engine.

Availability

Products in TOLL, TOLG, SSO8 and S3O8 packages are available now. Mass production of TOLT products is planned to start in early 2021.