1
Fast switching for welders
of ever decreasing size and price
fastPACK 0 H 2
nd
gen & fastPHASE 0
In recent years welding equipment has become lighter and physically smaller. In
the case of welders of higher power, size is becoming increasingly important as a
cost factor, e.g. in determining the total surface of a production line. For handheld
equipment, size and weight are critical. In both cases, the price pressure is high.
By Kuno Straub, Product Marketing Manager, Vincotech
The fastPACK 0 H 2
nd
gen and fastPHASE 0 2
nd
gen families of power modules
are Vincotech’s answer to these requirements. The portfolio of CoolMOS and fast
IGBT full-bridges and half-bridges, along with optional AlN substrate and/or
integrated capacitors, enable the fast switching required to reduce the size of the
transformer. Featuring chips of various sizes, these modules cater for almost
every need in welding for up to approximately 30 kW as single modules. The
compact flow0 housing and efficient layout design lead to a high power per area
rating, thus satisfying the demands for both small size and low price.
Overview of fastPACK 0 H 2
nd
gen and fastPHASE 0 2
nd
gen modules
An overview of the modules in question can be seen in Table 1.
Part
Configuration
Voltage
Current
Technology
Substrate
V23990-P622-F64-PM*
H
600 V
30 A
CoolMOS
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P622-F74-PM*
H
600 V
30 A
CoolMOS
AlN
V23990-P623-F04-PM*
H
600 V
60 A
High Speed IGBT2
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P623-F14-PM*
H
600 V
60 A
High Speed IGBT2
AlN
V23990-P623-F24-PM*
H
600 V
50 A
IGBT3
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P624-F24-PM*
H
600 V
75 A
IGBT3
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P625-F24-PM*
H
600 V
100 A
IGBT3
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P628-F64-PM*
H
900 V
26 A
CoolMOS
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P629-F44-PM*
H
1200 V
25 A
IGBT2 phantom
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P629-F64-PM*
H
1200 V
25 A
IGBT2 phantom
Al
2
O
3
V23990-P629-F54-PM*
H
1200 V
25 A
IGBT2 phantom
AlN
V23990-P629-F56-PM*
H
1200 V
25 A
IGBT2 phantom
AlN
10-Fx122PA100FEx-
P999F3x-PM**
Half bridge
1200 V
100 A
IGBT2 phantom
AlN
10-Fx122PA100FEx-
P999F2x-PM**
Half bridge
1200 V
100 A
IGBT2 phantom
Al
2
O
3
10-Fx122PA100FCx-
P999F5x-PM**
Half bridge
1200 V
100 A
Fast IGBT2
AlN
10-Fx122PA100FCx-
P999F4x-PM**
Half bridge
1200 V
100 A
Fast IGBT2
Al
2
O
3
*optionally available with internal DC link capacitors (V23990-P72x-PM family)
*optionally available in 12mm /17mm / solder pin / Press-fit pin
Table 1: overview of fastPACK 0 H 2
nd
gen & fastPHASE 0 2
nd
gen modules for welding
2
The technologies used are
600 V: CoolMOS and High Speed IGBT2
1200 V: Fast IGBT2
Optionally available is an AlN substrate instead of the standard Al
2
O
3
substrate
for better thermal performance. The V23990-P72x-PM modules feature the same
layout and components as the V23990-P62x-PM family and additionally feature
internal DC link capacitors for reduction of E
off
losses.
The simulation results shown throughout this document were generated using
a linear interpolation model based on actual measurements. This tool allows the
comparison of two modules under the same conditions. The cases simulated are
for DC to DC conversion using Zero Voltage Switching, which is typical for
welding. A more detailed simulation tool is flowSIM, the power module simulation
tool by Vincotech.
Component Technology
At 600V, CoolMOS is used for the V23990-P622-PM and V23990-P722-PM
modules. It is ideal for applications requiring extremely fast switching without
short circuit capability. High Speed IGBT2 at 600V and Fast IGBT2 at 1200V are
IGBT platforms designed for extremely fast switching. A comparison between the
different technologies based on an application example can be seen in Figure 1
(600 V) and Figure 2 (1200 V). The conditions chosen are typical for welding and
can be found in Table 2 below.
600V
U
out
= U
dc
= 230V
R
gon
= 4 Ohm
R
goff
= 2 Ohm
T
j
= 125 °C
Ioutpeak/Iout = 1,3
T
sink
= 60 °C to 100 °C in steps of 10 °C
ZVS
DC output
Table 2: Parameters for application examples
As can be seen in Figure 1, for any frequency above 20 kHz to 25 kHz, the High
Speed IGBT2 module V23990-P623-F04-PM provides a clear advantage over
the IGBT3 module V23990-P625-F24-PM of the same chip size. At 1200 V, the
Fast IGBT2 module P999F48/-F49 /-F58/ -F59 performs better than the similar
(10% smaller size) sized standard IGBT4 module P999F08/ -F09 for any
switching frequency above 20 kHz, depending on heat sink temperature
(Figure 2).