SemiSouth Laboratories, Inc. has announced that silicon carbide JFETs made by the company are being used in small 0.5 litre inverters to achieve an output power density of 30kWh/l. If inverters of this size and capacity are used with PV panels, one inverter could supply enough electricity for up to five households, it is claimed.
A team at the Japanese academia and industry R&D Partnership for Future Power Electronics Technology (FUPET), consisting of participants from Fuji Electric, Nissan Motor, Sanken Electric and Toshiba, aims to deliver power converters that operate at high temperature with high output power density. Using SiC JFETs from SemiSouth Laboratories, the team developed a three-phase 500cc inverter that delivers 15kW output power when connected to a three-phase motor with a conversion efficiency of 99%. Featuring a compact, optimized cooling system, the power modules can operate at up to 200°C.
