IXYS intros smallest footprint surface mount package for 1.2KV to 1.8KV power semiconductors

SWITZERLAND: IXYS Corp. has announced the D2-Pak (TO-263) and D3-Pak (TO-268) packages with higher ‘creepage’ spacing which enables higher voltage power semiconductors to be used in these Surface Mount Devices (SMD).

Jeroen van Zeeland, head of marketing at IXYS Germany, said: “The market demands smaller footprint solutions for 1.2KV to 1.8KV power semiconductors. The main reason for this is the higher power demands which are realized by higher voltages instead of higher current. By using a higher voltage the conduction losses in copper wires are less for power control circuits; therefore, thinner copper conductors or traces on PCB circuits can be used. These SMDs improve energy efficiency, reduce cost, reduce size and reduce weight when used in power electronics.”

SMDs are preferred for lower cost alternatives to modules and to other bulkier discrete components in integrated power designs. Until now there was no such solution for applications higher than 1.2KV. The new IXYS D2-Pak and D3-Pak designs now offer the standard footprint, but with compliance to the high voltage ‘creepage’ specifications.

For D3-Pak the creepage distance between the terminal to the copper of the backside is greater than or equal to 5.80 mm. The same value for the D2-Pak is greater than or equal to 4.70 mm. This enables the use of 1.2KV D3-Pak in pollution degree 2 industrial designs. In addition to industrial power control applications, these devices target other 1.2KV to 1.8KV power supply, UPS, renewable energy, motor drives and medical applications.