SiC MOSFET cuts inverter losses in industrial motor drives
Higher-efficiency switching in motor-drive inverters comes from the Littelfuse IXSJ80N120R1K, 1200V silicon carbide MOSFET combining low on-resistance with strong thermal handling in an isolated Kelvin-source package.
When it comes to frequency drives, reducing switching loss and thermal load are important. This is because these factors directly affect how large the enclosure must be, how much cooling is needed, and how much power can be handled. The IXSJ80N120R1K offers a solution for this. The SiC MOSFET has an on-resistance of 18mΩ, a drain rating of 80A, low gate charge of 155nC, and input capacitance of 4556pF. This means that designers can make fast-switching 1200V power stages for inverters and active front-end designs.
The way the drive stage is integrated also benefits from the package choice. The ISO247-4L outline includes a Kelvin source connection, which helps to reduce the effect of common-source inductance during fast switching. The isolated package construction also supports thermal handling and helps to simplify mounting in higher-power inverter designs.
Littelfuse is highlighting the use of 1200V silicon carbide MOSFETs in frequency drives. These are used in the rectification or active front-end stage and the inverter stage. Silicon carbide is also important for efficiency and low total harmonic distortion regenerative front ends. It is used in two-level or three-level inverter topologies for applications such as servo drives, conveyors, pumps, blowers, mixers and extruders.
The switching behavior of the IXSJ80N120R1K is also suited to higher-frequency control. This gives engineers a way to increase switching frequency while limiting the losses associated with older silicon power stages.