One Step Ahead! Fuji Electric's Fundamental Technologies

We provide an overview of our latest fundamental technologies that enhance our product development capabilities.

Power Semiconductor Application Technology

Bringing out the maximum performance of the power semiconductors used in power electronics equipment

Power semiconductors are key products mounted on various types of power electronics equipment such as inverters and uninterruptible power systems (UPSs) to achieve energy saving. Power semiconductors control power through repetitive switching (turning electricity on/off). The speed of this switching can be increased to reduce power loss, and the switching frequencies* can be increased to make equipment smaller.

Our present focus is on the development of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. One feature of SiC power semiconductors is high-speed switching. Bringing out this performance to the fullest requires continued updating of the technology to make full use of power semiconductors.

Increasing the switching speed may cause instantaneous high voltage or large waveform variation, and the noise generated may affect the peripheral circuits. The research task for us in the Main Circuit Development Department is the question of how to solve these problems to reduce any adverse effects on the power semiconductors themselves or the equipment on which they are mounted while at the same time achieving higher switching speeds.

*

Number of switchings per second

New application technology developed to achieve high-speed switching

Our strength is that we have the businesses of both power semiconductors and power electronics equipment as well as knowledge and design data for both fields. We leverage this strength to simulate how the high voltage and large waveform variation generated at the time of switching affect power semiconductors and peripheral circuits and identify the optimum switching speed and the method of minimizing the adverse effect of voltage and waveform variation. The switching speed of a semiconductor may vary due to temperature changes and various other causes, and these causes need to be investigated to study the measures. Based on these results, product samples are built, evaluation test equipment is used on the samples for sufficient verification, and the results are reflected in the development of power electronics products.

SiC power semiconductor module

Voices of developers

Main Circuit Technology Development Department, Power Electronics Technology Development Center, Core Technology Laboratory, Corporate R&D Headquarters

Working on advanced research before othersWe contribute to environmental protection by material development

SiCs and other next-generation power semiconductors have excellent performance. Finding the method of bringing out this performance to the fullest is very diffi cult but simultaneously very interesting, as we can pursue various different discoveries and potentials. Power semiconductors are essential to power electronics products, and we consider one important point of differentiation to be power semiconductor application technology, which links these two together. We intend to closely study the continuously evolving area of power semiconductors, and to create new power electronics equipment earlier than other companies in order to contribute to the business expansion of Fuji Electric.

The article and the affiliations are at the time of coverage.