DENSO DEVELOPS ITS FIRST INVERTER USING SIC POWER SEMICONDUCTORS

DENSO CORPORATION has announced the development of its first inverter with silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. This inverter, which is incorporated into the eAxle, an electric driving module developed by BluE Nexus Corporation, will be used in the new Lexus RZ, the vehicle manufacturer’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) model, which was released at the end of March 2023.

SiC power semiconductors, which consist of silicon and carbon, significantly reduce power loss compared to silicon (Si) power semiconductors. In a cruising test, conducted under specific conditions by a BEV using a SiC semiconductor inverter, a reduction in power loss of more than 50% was demonstrated when compared with a BEV using an inverter with a traditional Si semiconductor. Therefore, as a result of using a SiC semiconductor inverter, the BEV’s energy efficiency is improved and its cruising range is extended.

Key elements of the new inverter development
SiC power semiconductors with DENSO’s unique trench-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure improve the output per chip because they reduce power loss caused by generated heat, which allows the unique structure to achieve a high voltage and low on-resistance operation.

Key elements of the new inverter manufacture
Based on the high-quality technology jointly developed by DENSO and Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., DENSO utilises SiC epitaxial wafers that incorporate the results of work commissioned by 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 and stable production of SiC power semiconductor devices used in vehicles, are ensured.




DENSO Power Card
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 realisation of a carbon-neutral society through development aimed at more efficient energy management for vehicles, while also utilising the grant from the Green Innovation Fund (GI Fund), which was adopted in 2022.