Silicon Carbide for Electric Vehicle Fast Charging

Wolfspeed WolfPACK™ Silicon Carbide Power Modules

Wolfspeed Silicon Carbide (SiC) power modules can enable a simpler fast charging circuit topology using fewer components at very high efficiency (97.0% peak), switching at more than twice the frequency (45-250 kHz). The higher frequency allows smaller magnetics and capacitors which, in turn, accounts for the smaller, lighter, and less costly system.

Wolfspeed WolfPACK™ FM3 and GM3 power modules are ideal for mid-power applications, including EV fast charging.

The modules come in MOSFET half-bridge and six-pack configurations with a variety of mΩ options. The devices feature a baseplateless design, compact footprint, and press-fit pins, providing efficient, powerful performance while keeping system layouts straightforward for design and assembly processes.

The product family includes high performance Aluminum Nitride (AlN) substrate modules, which can reduce thermal resistance by over 50% and provide 7x higher thermal conductivity compared to Alumina.

Fast Charging Reference Design: 25kW SiC Active Front End (AFE)

The CRD25AD12N-FMC reference design demonstrates the application of Wolfspeed’s WolfPACK™ power modules to create a bidirectional high power density Active Front End (AFE) that can be applied to electric vehicle (EV) fast charging.

The design is ideal for scaling up to higher power levels by interleaving multiple 25kW AFE AFE’s. The use of a single power module with an isolated substrate simplifies the system design with commonly used thermal management techniques.

The complete stack up includes: Wolfspeed modules, Skyworks Si823H-AAWA-KIT gate drivers, heatsink, magnetics, power PCBs, voltage / current sensors, and Controller.

Skyworks Inc. Solutions

Skyworks' isolation products are reliable, high-performance, and robust. With more than one billion channels deployed and over a decade of proven technology, our isolation solutions are trusted by industrial and automotive customers worldwide.

Skyworks' Si823Hx Gate Driver Board is designed to interface with Wolfspeed's clamped inductive load evaluation boards for dynamic testing of the Wolfspeed WolfPACK™ modules.

The board features the Si823H2x two-channel gate driver with built-in dead-time control and overlap protection to safely drive the modules. It also uses the Si88421x digital isolator with built-in DC-DC converter to isolate temperature feedback and provide the on-board isolated gate power supply. User configurable gate resistors, status LEDs, and test points make evaluation and prototyping simple and effective.

Get the tools you need to evaluate and optimize the switching performance of Wolfspeed’s WolfPACK™ FM3 and GM3 Silicon Carbide power modules.