TRENCHSTOP Advanced Isolation package for single-tube IGBTs

     Infineon Technologies AG introduces a new packaging technology, TRENCHSTOP Advanced Isolation. TRENCHSTOP Advanced Isolation can be used with TRENCHSTOP and TRENCHSTOP Highspeed 3 IGBTs to ensure best-in-class thermal performance and simplify manufacturing processes. Both versions are optimized for performance to replace full plastic encapsulation (FullPAK) and standard and high-performance insulation foils. The new package is suitable for a wide range of applications, such as air conditioning power factor correction (PFC), uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and frequency converters.

     Common insulation options, like FullPAK or standard TO package with insulating materials, are expensive and more difficult to process. In addition, they are not sufficient to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the newly introduced high-power density IGBTs. TRENCHSTOP™ Advanced Isolation has the same dimensions as the standard TO-247 package, but is 100% insulated. However, no insulating foil or thermal grease is required. The new package offers increased power density thanks to an efficient and reliable heat dissipation path from the IGBT wafer to the heat sink. It improves reliability and reduces system and manufacturing costs.

     By eliminating the need for insulation and thermal grease, designers can reduce assembly time by up to 35 percent. At the same time, it improves reliability by eliminating misaligned foils. The thermal resistance (Rth) of the new package is 50% lower than the TO-247 FullPak and 35% lower than the standard TO-247 with insulated foil. These improvements translate into improved performance, with operating temperatures reduced by 10° C compared to the FullPak package. Encapsulation with TRENCHSTOP™ Advanced Isolation improves system efficiency by 0.2 percentage points compared TO the standard TO-247, which uses insulated foil.

     In addition, the package has a low-coupled capacitance of only 38 pF, which means better anti-electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance and the possibility of using smaller filters. Improved heat dissipation characteristics also help to improve reliability because IGBTs can operate at lower temperatures, which reduces pressure on components. The lower operating temperature also reduces the size of the cooling device, which helps to save system costs. In addition, due to reduced heat dissipation requirements, designers can also choose higher design margins to achieve higher power density.