Under harsh climatic conditions, secondary damages caused by moisture rank among the most common causes of failure of power electronics modules. Therefore, a classification of a module for a higher pollution degree implies a significant increase in the lifetime of that module.

The new IGBT module SKiiPX is designed for extreme climatic conditions and allows condensation during operation. It meets the requirements specifically for wind turbines in a power range of 1-6 MW in an outstanding way.

The internal construction of the SKiiPX is based on the SKiN-Technology. The SKiN-Technology enables a doubling of the power density within the module. Consequently, the total volume of the inverter can be decreased by up to 50%, inverter costs may be reduced by up to 15%. SKiiPX allows for the first time the integration of a 3MW wind inverter into a single cabinet. Due to the high integration level, the probability of an inverter failure - expressed by the Failure-In-Time (FIT) rate - is reduced by 30%.

The newly designed integrated liquid cooling system allows for a constant operating temperature of the coolant of up to 70° C. This hermetically sealed system requires less numbers of gaskets as compared to conventional systems ensuring higher reliability. As a result, the SKiiPX is the most reliable module in the market to be operated under extreme climatic conditions.

The SKiiPX is supplied as a fully tested subsystem (IPM) with integrated gate driver electronics, cooling and protection functions, thus reducing the design and integration effort for the complete system for the customer.

About SKiN-Technology

The innovative SKiN-Technology is a Semikron proprietary packaging technology which eliminates the use of solders and bond wires. The technology replaces the conventional bond wires by a flexible foil. In combination with the sinter technology, it enables a doubling of power density in the application.

It increases the load cycling capability by a factor of 10 compared to soldered modules. The high power density requires a space-saving connection of power section to the control unit. Therefore, the gate drive unit is contacted via spring contacts on the top side of the flex foil.

Quelle: SEMIKRON International GmbH