Nissan Motor Co. Develops a SiC Inverter for use in a Vehicle
Source/Type: Reported News

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

September 8, 2008... Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. of Tokyo announced the development of a silicon carbide diode-based inverter for use in a vehicle. The company has reportedly launched tests using an X-TRAIL FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) equipped with this technology. The technology may one day go into hybrid electric, full electric, or fuel cell vehicles. Inverters on electric-powered vehicles control the direct current electricity coming from the power source, and convert it to alternating current. Nissan notes that their size has often set limitations on vehicle layout. The inverter reportedly employs a new Nissan-developed heterojunction diode (HJD) structure. Nissan says that the SiC diode and HJD structure together reduce the overall size and weight of the inverter and dramatically improve its reliability.

Nissan says that previous silicon diodes used in electric-powered vehicles created power losses and required heat dissipation countermeasures. However, the company contends that its newly developed SiC diode provides high power efficiency with improved heat resistance and reliability to create a high breakdown voltage, large capacity inverter. The company boasts that its new SiC inverter's diode surface has been reduced by 70% and the circuit energy efficiency has been improved by 20% in comparison to previous diodes. Additionally, the company says that simplification of the system's cooling mechanisms allows for further reductions in the size and weight of the inverter by 15% to 20%. The company says it aims to further reduce the inverter size by employing SiC diodes on the transistor. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. News Release

See the Current Industry News Summary
See this article in its orginal context, with the other current news from the same week