6.6 kW bi-directional EV on-board charger. Source: WolfspeedSilicon carbide (SiC) is one of a handful of wide bandgap (WBG) materials finding broad adoption in the power electronics industry. Wolfspeed, a Cree company and North Carolina-based manufacturer of WBG semiconductors, will be presenting a number of demonstrations at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) focused on the ability of its components to withstand the harsh conditions and tough demands typical of automotive, energy and industrial applications.
The hands-on demonstrations will feature reference design models:
- Automotive: 6.6 kW bi-directional on-board charger featuring surface-mount metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) technology. According to the company, the charger targets high-efficiency, high-power-density applications; the high voltage rating of the SiC MOSFETs allows the DC bus to vary according to battery voltage, producing optimal efficiency.
- Energy: 60 kW solar boost converter. The converter targets high-efficiency and high-power density applications such as solar energy. The demo will showcase Wolfspeed's 1200 V C3M MOSFET and an isolated discrete gate charger that is tailored to optimize its performance.
- Industrial: Buck boost evaluation kit for industrial applications. The kit, which features sub-miniature A (SMA) connectors to monitor the gate to source voltage and offers cleaner waveforms than traditional probes and ground leads, can be run as a boost or buck converter.
- In addition, system designs featuring Wolfspeed components can also be found at the Richardson RFPD booth at the show.
Several juried industry sessions and presentations during the conference will also feature Wolfspeed SiC technology; a full schedule is available here. APEC runs from March 17-21, 2019, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. For more on the show, visit our dedicated section Electronics360 covers APEC 2019.
