DENSO CORPORATION, a leading mobility supplier, announced it has developed its first-ever inverter with silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. This inverter, which is incorporated in the eAxle, an electric driving module developed by BluE Nexus Corporation, will be used in the new Lexus RZ, the automaker’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) model, and released on March 30.
SiC power semiconductors consist of silicon and carbon which significantly reduce power loss compared to silicon (Si) power semiconductors. A cruising test conducted under specific conditions by BEV using SiC semiconductor inverters demonstrated inverters with SiC power semiconductors reduce power loss by less than half of the ones with Si semiconductors. As a result, the energy efficiency of BEVs is improved and the cruising range is extended.
Key elements of developing the new inverter
• SiC power semiconductors with DENSO’s unique trench-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure improve the output per chip as they reduce power loss caused by heat generated. The unique structure achieved high voltage and low on-resistance operation.
Key elements of manufacturing the new inverter
• Based on the high-quality technology jointly developed by DENSO and Toyota Central R&D Labs, DENSO utilizes SiC epitaxial wafers that incorporate the results of work commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). As a result, DENSO has halved the number of crystal defects that prevent the device from operating normally due to the disorder of the atomic arrangement of the crystal.
• By reducing crystal defects, the quality of SiC power semiconductor devices used in vehicles and their stable production are ensured.
DENSO calls its SiC technology “REVOSIC®,” and uses it to comprehensively develop technologies for products ranging from wafers to semiconductor devices and modules such as power cards.
DENSO will contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society through development aimed at more efficient energy management for vehicles, while also utilizing the grant from Green Innovation Fund (GI Fund), which was adopted in 2022.
Visit Denso to learn more about its latest SiC inverter.
