NEWS REVIEW
Toyota reveals higher effi ciency SiC power semiconductor
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, in collaboration with Denso Corporation and Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. (Toyota CRDL), has developed a SiC power semiconductor for use in automotive power control units (PCUs).
Toyota will begin test driving vehicles fi tted with the new PCUs on public roads in Japan within a year. Through use of SiC power semiconductors, Toyota aims to improve hybrid vehicle (HV) fuel effi ciency by 10 percent under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s (MLIT) JC08 test cycle. The company also aims to reduce PCU size by 80 percent compared to current PCUs with silicon-only power semiconductors.
SiC power semiconductors have low power loss when switching on and off, allowing for effi cient current fl ow even at higher frequencies. This enables the coil and capacitor, which account for approximately 40 percent of the size of the PCU, to be reduced in size.
PCUs play an important role in hybrids and other vehicles with an electrifi ed powertrain: they supply electrical power from the battery to the motor to control vehicle speed, and also send electricity generated during deceleration to the battery for storage. However, PCUs
account for approximately 25 percent of the total electrical power loss in HVs, with an estimated 20 percent of the total loss associated with the power semiconductors alone.
Therefore, a key way to improve fuel effi ciency is to improve power semiconductor effi ciency, specifi cally by reducing resistance experienced by the passing current. Since launching the Prius gasoline-electric HV in 1997, Toyota has been working on in-house development of power semiconductors and on improving HV fuel effi ciency.
As SiC enables higher effi ciency than silicon alone, Toyota CRDL and Denso began basic research in the 1980s, with Toyota participating from 2007 to jointly develop SiC semiconductors for practical use. Toyota has installed the jointly developed SiC power semiconductors in PCUs for prototype HVs, and test driving on test courses has confi rmed a fuel effi ciency increase exceeding 5 percent under the JC08 test cycle.
In December last year, Toyota established a clean room for dedicated development of SiC semiconductors at its Hirose Plant, which is a facility for research, development and production of devices such as electronic controllers and semiconductors.
5N Plus to supply First Solar to 2019
5N PLUS, has entered into new supply agreements with First Solar, covering its compound semiconductor needs until March 31st, 2019. The company has renewed its existing CdTe supply agreement and the compounds’ by- products recycling agreement.
In addition, a new supply agreement broadly covering all of First Solar’s other compound semiconductor needs up to March 31st, 2019, has also been concluded. Under the new agreements, First Solar has agreed to exclusively purchase from 5N Plus, all the CdTe required by First Solar on a worldwide basis for the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic modules.
“We are very pleased to have extended our agreements with First Solar until 2019, enabling us to bring our relationship with this important customer to another level. While we conceded competitive pricing, we believe that this will be largely compensated over the course of the next quarters by the increase of sales volume providing us with a solid and predictable revenue stream for the next fi ve years,” says Jacques L’Ecuyer, President and Chief Executive Offi cer of 5N Plus.
“First Solar remains committed to reducing solar module cost and improving effi ciency, and we intend to be their preferred solution for doing so through our close technical and commercial relationship. We strongly believe that these new supply agreements will allow 5N Plus to benefi t from continued growth associated with First Solar’s leading position in the solar market,” he adds.
“5N Plus has been and continues to be a critical supplier to First Solar. These agreements support our plans to increase the competiveness of CdTe based solar modules and are in line with our corresponding roadmap aimed at achieving this,” notes Tymen de Jong, Senior Vice President of Global Operations of First Solar, Inc.
18
www.compoundsemiconductor.net June 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108