1200-V SiC MOSFETs Push Power Density with Top-Side Cooling
Microchip's mSiC 1200V MOSFET family has been repackaged into the top-side cooled surface-mount QDPAK package, extending the company's portfolio of silicon-carbide (SiC) devices for high-power industrial and automotive systems.
Unlike other power packages that dissipate most of their heat through the PCB, Microchip said the QDPAK provides a more direct thermal path from the device to an external heatsink. By moving more heat away from the circuit board, it reduces thermal stress on the PCB while enabling higher power density. The package also minimizes parasitic inductance, helping improve switching performance and overall system efficiency.
The new family spans SiC MOSFETs ranging from 20 mΩ to 80 mΩ of on-resistance (RDS(on)). The devices all share the same package footprint, so engineers can scale power levels and optimize efficiency without redesigning the PCB, simplifying development and accelerating time to market. The devices are offered in both industrial-grade and automotive-qualified (AEC-Q101) versions.
About the Author
Lee GoldbergLee Goldberg
Contributing Editor
Lee is the author of the popular PowerBites series.
Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.
Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.
Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.
Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.