为电源半导体建立更好的模型

This article is part of our APEC 2022 coverage.

在建造更快，更小的充电器，更便宜，更长远的电动汽车以及带有电池存储的可再生电网的竞赛中，公司正在推动电力电子领域的信封。

Nexperia is trying to get ahead of the game with其MOSFET的新电热型，在投资物理原型之前，为客户提供更准确的方法来测试不同方案的设备。该公司表示，新车型在人群中脱颖而出，因为它们可以准确地预测其在其完整的工作温度范围内的功率MOSFET的性能-55至175°C。

Nexperia Power MOSFET业务的市场和产品高级总监Chris Boyce说：“电气和热性能之间有很多复杂的互动。”“您最终得到的是一个更准确，更可靠的型号，您可以在模拟引擎中构建。最终，这意味着您可以更好地选择组件而无需构建任何硬件，并且您可以获得更快的市场营销时间。”

Power MOSFET Specifics

总部位于荷兰的Nexperia是电力半导体市场的主要参与者，希望在该行业中挖掘更深的根源。它成立于2017年，是NXP标准产品业务的衍生产品。它在世界各地开设了几家制造工厂，每天耗尽超过2.5亿筹码，每年超过1000亿筹码，占去年全球所有筹码的10％。

The company has amassed a product portfolio of more than 15,000 devices, including power rectifiers, diodes, bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), MOSFETs, analog and standard logic ICs, as well as GaN and SiC devices.

But the MOSFET is the workhorse of the power electronics industry. The power MOSFET is the most popular semiconductor device in the world, due to the device’s stability under high temperatures, reduced on-state resistance (R_DS（ON）), and its ability to sustain high blocking voltages and fast switching speeds. They are key components in low- and mid-voltage (less than 200 V) power supplies, dc-dc converters, and motor drives.

Most semiconductor companies create simulation models for their power MOSFETs. Customers take these models and plug them into electronic design software, where they put the semiconductor through its paces and try to identify design weaknesses before building a final prototype. But most of these models are not as detailed as they could be, said Boyce, and tend to only simulate the device at typical operating temperatures.

This is not ideal because power MOSFETs rarely operate within a tight temperature range. MOSFETs are subject to self-heating and, given that they can handle large amounts of power, are frequently placed under the hood of cars or on factory floors. Consequently, they are vulnerable to harsh temperatures, which can take a toll on the device’s performance. For instance, variations in temperatures can impact the R_DS（ON）和闸门源阈值电压（V_GS(th))的设备。

Electrothermal Models

Nexperia said it is upgrading its electrothermal models to take these complicated relationships into account, giving its customers a more accurate tool to use when evaluating components or troubleshooting a power-system design. According to the company, its new models can recreate the performance of its MOSFETs across the full operating temperature range of its devices, from extremely hot (up to 175°C) to frigid conditions (down to −55°C).

工程师可以使用这些电热模型来评估特定温度范围内MOSFET的性能，而不是在不太可能的最坏情况下测试物理硬件。

Boyce said the new models can also be used to get an early start on reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) that is produced as an unwanted by-product of switching currents and voltages in power electronics.

Nexperia said the enhanced models, which it developed in a close partnership with a Tier-1 OEM, are available in Spice and VHDL-AMS, meaning that they can work with widely available circuit simulation tools.

The company has already rolled out advanced models for a range of its automotive-grade MOSFETs. But it is also in the process of building electrothermal models for many of its non-automotive MOSFETs, too.

Nexperia said the plan is for these electrothermal models to come standard with every new product in its MOSFET family from now on. Further out, Boyce expects the company to extend these models for other power devices such as GaN FETs.

This article is part of our APEC 2022 coverage.