Mitsubishi Electric Develops Accurate Circuit Simulation Technology for SiC-MOSFETs

Will contribute to more efficient circuit designs for power converters

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today that it has developed a highly accurate Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) model to analyze the electronic circuitry of discrete power semiconductors. The technology is deployed in the company’s “N-series 1200V” SiC-MOSFET^* samples of which will begin shipping in July. The model simulates high-speed-switching waveforms almost as well as actual measurements, on a level of accuracy currently believed to be unmatched in the industry, which is expected to lead to more efficient circuit designs for power converters. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric expects to add several temperature-dependent parameters to enable its SPICE model to work at high temperature. The company presented the new model^** on July 8 at the International Conference on Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion (PCIM Europe 2020), which was held online on July 7 and 8.

* Silicon-carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor
** Conference presentation: T. Masuhara, T. Horiguchi, Y. Mukunoki, T. Terashima, N. Hanano and E. Suekawa. “Development of an Accurate SPICE Model for a New 1.2 - kV SiC-MOSFET Device”

Characteristics of SiC-MOSFET

The SiC-MOSFET controls the current (drain current) flowing from the drain electrode to the source electrode depending on the voltage that is imposed on the gate electrode. The MOSFET has parasitic capacitances that accumulate charges and determine switching speed. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes of the device, the capacitance values change due to changes in distance between the layers that accumulate the positive and negative charge changes, resulting in changes in the switching speed. When the distance between layers decreases, the capacitance value increases and the switching speed decreases, and conversely, when the distance between layers increases, the capacitance value decreases and the switching speed increases.

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