Power Electronics for Solar Inverters

Our solutions for solar energy

Power Electronics for Solar Inverters

SEMIKRON’s portfolio includes a wide range of products for efficient solar inverters in all power ranges: residential, industrial and utility scale applications. From individual modules, including dedicated drivers, to high power SKiiP 4 IPMs and ready-to-use power electronic stacks – SEMIKRON has the solution.

 

 

SEMIKRON offers a large portfolio of power modules for 2-level and 3-level inverters, IPMs and power electronic stacks, which can reduce system costs significantly as well as optimize annual energy production, especially for increased input DC voltages up to 1500V.

 

 

Performance Range

Technology Highlight

The New Benchmark 3-Level Topologies in Combination with Generation 7 IGBT Technology

SEMIKRON has introduced 1200V Generation 7 IGBTs from two different manufacturers. Both Generation 7 IGBTs have fundamental improvements over the previous versions. Thanks to a new chip design, the chip size is an average of 25% smaller across all current classes. This technology allows higher current density and an approximately 20% reduction in on-state voltage VCE(sat).

This new chip generation allows for compact inverters with unprecedented power density.

Generation 7 IGBTs share the following features:

 

More about IGBT Generation 7

IGBT Generation 7 – The New Workhorse in the Power Electronics World

Product Highlights

The Power Density Master: New Levels Utilizing the Latest Generation 7 IGBT Chips

With the existing portfolio, the MiniSKiiP provides a power dense design for the string inverter market up to a power range of 300kW without paralleling of modules.

Key Features

  • Low stray inductance case
  • Solder-free assembly
  • Optimized thermal performance
  • Flexible architecture
  • 17mm module height
  • Available with Si and Si/SiC Hybrid semiconductors

More about MiniSKiiP

Comprehensive 3-Level and Booster Module Family

The SEMITOP E1/E2 packages provide supply chain security with a standard industrial design. Press-fit pins offer reduced manufacturing time and a low inductance design. Ideal for fast switching chips, such as SiC-MOSFETs and SBD-diodes, the SEMITOP has a wide portfolio of topologies, ready for your string inverter design. The SEMITOP E1/E2 family also includes latest 950V and 1200V Generation 7 IGBTs.

Key Features

  • Low stray inductance case
  • Solder-free, press-fit assembly
  • Optimized thermal performance
  • Flexible architecture
  • Available with Si, Full and Hybrid SiC 

More about SEMITOP E1/E2

Achieve Higher String Inverter Power Density – Power Electronics for Solar Inverters

Power Modules

Product Portfolio

 

SEMITOP® E1/E2

Exceeding the standard for superior performance

MiniSKiiP®

Solder-free spring technology for minimum assembly time

SEMiX® 5

Extended standard for superior thermal and dynamic performance

SEMiX® 3 Press-Fit

Exceeding the standard for superior performance

SEMITRANS® Classic

The proven power electronics packages

SEMITRANS® 10

Robust high power modules

SEMITRANS® 20

The new standard in high power

Intelligent Power Modules – IPMs

For Maximum Reliability

 

The SKiiP IPM product line sets a benchmark for high performance and robust inverter designs. Both SKiiP 3 and SKiiP 4 feature high power densities combined with flexible cooling options such as air and water cooling, also with customized heatsinks. Reliable driver technology, integrated current sensors and comprehensive protection functions complete the IPM design.

The IPMs of SKiiP 3 platform have propagated widely through the industrial drive segment. With sixpack or half-bridge topologies, it covers a IGBT nominal current range from 500A up to 2400A.

The SKiiP 4 platform products, available in a half-bridge topology, cover the highe power range up to 3600A IGBT nominal current. It has been optimized for highest power cycling requirements.

To ensure highest reliability and service life, the SKiiP 4 power circuitry is 100% solder-free. Sinter technology as die attach replaces the solder layers between semiconductor chips and DCB, which usually causes the limitation in lifetime. Hence, sintering improves power and thermal cycling capability.

The integrated gate driver in the SKiiP 4 has set new standards in terms of reliability and enhanced functionality through its CAN interface. The digital driver guarantees safe isolation between the primary and secondary side for both switching signals and parameter measurement. The CAN interface allows setting the SKiiP 4 configuration parameters and reading application parameters.

High performance cooling (HPC) technology has been new introduced providing approximately 25% more output capability compared to standard water cooling. A double side mounting HPC water cooler is also available and enables an even higher power density.

Key Features

  • 1200V and 1700V IGBTs
  • Half-bridge and sixpack topology
  • 500A to 3600A
  • 500A to 3600A IGBT nominal current Flexible cooling options: air, water or customized cooling options, SKiiP 4 high performance water cooling for single and double-sided SKiiP mounting
  • Paralleled operation for even higher output power possible
  • Special version of 1700V SKiiP 4 with “Solar function” for startup at 1500VDC available
More about SkiiP

Power Electronic Stack Platforms

Fully Qualified Inverter Assemblies Tailored to Your Specific Needs

Standard Stacks

SEMIKRON’s Power Electronic Stacks enable our customers to succeed in dynamic markets and meet any global challenge. We deliver diode-, IGBT- and SiC-MOSFET-based stacks for AC voltages from 380V to 690V. Our standard stacks cover an output current range from 70A to 4000A.

More about Power Electronic Stacks

Customized Stacks

In addition to standard stacks, SEMIKRON has vast experience in developing customer-specific solutions. Engineers are available in our stack centres around the globe to offer such solutions by adapting existing platforms or designing customized stacks.

Four Key Factors for your success

  • Shortest time to market
  • Cost savings in R&D, production and qualification
  • Global SEMIKRON stack production footprint
  • Highly experienced engineering team
More about Customized Stacks

Product Portfolio IGBT Driver

Above the Standard

SEMIKRON’s unique product portfolio enables access to all established industries with a one-stop solution that combines state-of-the-art power modules and driver electronics.

SEMIKRON’s IGBT drivers are available as one- or two channel driver boards, two-channel driver cores for PCB-Integration, suitable for any standard semiconductor power module or as Plug-and-Play solutions, which perfectly fit the SEMiX 3 Press-Fit, SEMITRANS 10 and compatible modules.

Cost Efficient

Achieve outstanding system compactness and create space-and cost-effective inverter designs with SEMIKRON’s drivers, utilizing highly integrated ASIC technology. Isolated DC-link voltage and temperature sensor signals at the driver’s interface along with over-voltage and over-temperature lockout also help to reduce system costs significantly.

Time Efficient

More than 25 years of experience in developing innovative IGBT driver electronics enables SEMIKRON to have a short-term solution for almost every challenge related to driver electronics. SEMIKRON’s Plug-and-Play drivers connect directly to most common standard IGBT modules. The IGBT driver cores fit with SEMIKRON’s adapter boards or application sample PCBs. For the latter, SEMIKRON shares the entire manufacturing data to decrease development time, speeding up the time-to-market.

Reliable

SEMIKRON’s SKYPER and SKHI drivers are well-known, highly robust and reliable IGBT driver solutions, even under demanding environmental conditions.

Over many years of field operation experience the proprietary IGBT driver technology has been relentlessly developed further. This technology sets new standards for the essential features of safe gate control, reliable protection and reinforced insulation.

Key Factors

  • Reinforced insulation for signal and power transmission
  • One- and two-channel driver
  • Up to 1700V transient collector-emmitter voltage
  • Up to 1500V continuous DC link voltage
  • 8Apk to 35Apk output current per channel
  • 1W to 4.2W peak output power per channel
  • Suitable for multi-level topologies and Generation 7 IGBT

Driver Cores

Plug-and-Play Driver

Driver boards, adapter Boards and Application Samples

Thermal Interface Materials (TIM)

Stay Cool – Heat Dissipation is Our Job

 

SEMIKRON was the first power module manufacturer on the market to offer power modules with pre-applied thermal interface material in thermal paste form. With more than two decades of field experience and more than 17 million pre-printed modules in the field, benchmarks are being set. The modules with pre-applied TIM are printed in a clean environment on an automated and SPC controlled silkscreen and stencil printing line.

For each requirement, SEMIKRON offers the right choice of material. In addition to the standard silicone thermal grease, phase change materials and high performance thermal paste with improved thermal performance are also available.

SEMIKRON offers either thermal grease or phase change materials depending on customer requirements (e.g. performance increase, reduced handling effort) and module type (with or without baseplate). Phase change materials have a solid consistency at room temperature, fully exploiting the advantages a non-smearing TIM layer offers, with no drawbacks. Baseplate-less modules, on the other hand, usually require a lower-viscosity material to help improve robustness during assembly. Here, thermal grease is the preferred solution.

Key Features

  • Increased productivity thanks to reduced handling costs and improved logistics
  • Low thermal resistance with optimized TIM layer thickness
  • Improved lifetime and reliability
  • Improved assembly robustness
  • Modules can be shipped directly to the assembly line without any additional treatment processes
  • Lower overall costs

Portfolio

More about Thermal Interface Materials