Philadelphia, PA - August 26, 2019 - AgileSwitch, LLC has released a new software program to help designers rapidly optimize system performance.
The Intelligent Configuration Tool (ICT) relieves designers of burning up gate driver boards and gives them the flexibility of tuning driver settings within a few clicks. Users can adjust Fault Reporting settings, DC Link & Temperature trip levels, and the +/- Gate Voltages (Vgs). You can iterate multiple times for fine tuning.
AgileSwitch's patented Augmented Switching approach is also included in the ICT. Each setting can be independently controlled and visualized using the built-in graphic editor.
The tool includes recommended Augmented Switching settings for SiC devices from Wolfspeed, Semikron, ROHM, Microsemi, and others. These settings have been characterized by AgileSwitch.
The ICT is currently compatible with the 2ASC-12A1HP - 1200V Dual-Channel Driver Core and 62EM1 - 62mm Plug & Play Gate Driver.
Philadelphia, PA - June 12,
2019 - AgileSwitch, LLC,
innovator of Digital Programmable SiC MOSFET gate drivers, introduces the ASDAK
(Augmented Switching™ Accelerated Development Kit) for power electronics
engineers working with new SiC MOSFET modules. Applications for the kit
including heavy-duty traction vehicles, auxiliary power units in trains, buses
and trolleys, EV charging and other high-power industrial systems.
Each
kit includes: (3) 2ASC Series Gate Driver Cores, (1) Module Adapter Board, (1)
Device Programmer Kit and a link to AgileSwitch’s new Intelligent Configuration
software tool. The kits are designed to support SiC MOSFET modules from
Wolfspeed, Infineon, Semikron, Mitsubishi Electric, Microsemi, Sanrex,
StarPower, Rohm, ABB, Fuji and others.
A presentation describing the performance
improvements of Augmented Switching is available for download. Available for Order Now at Distributors
worldwide.
Software configurable Vgs, Patented Augmented Turn-Off™ switching technique, robust high-noise-immunity design, advanced monitoring and fault reporting in a compact form factor facilitate conversion from IGBTs to SiC MOSFET power modules
Philadelphia, PA—May 30,2018 —AgileSwitch, LLC, innovator of intelligent IGBT and SiC MOSFET gate drivers, introduces the ASC1 (AgileSwitch Software Configurable Core 1) SiC MOSFET gate driver core.
A family of tested reference adapter boards will provide compatibility with most SiC MOSFET modules.
Applications including heavy-duty traction vehicles, auxiliary power units in trains, buses and trolleys, induction heating systems and other high-power industrial systems are rapidly moving from IGBTs to SiC power devices.
The ASC1 driver core is designed specifically to facilitate this conversion.
Visit Us at APEC 2018 to learn about our goals to make automotive,
renewable energy, and traction inverters safer, more reliable and more
efficient than ever before. We will be announcing a new line of Gate
Driver ICs and Cores designed specifically for these applications. 2018
will be a very exciting year for the Power Electronics Industry and we
will be driving it every step of the way.
We will be in Booth 1442 all week to answer questions and talk about power electronics.
AgileSwitch, LLC develops transformative technology that dramatically improves the performance and efficiency of electric vehicle and renewable energy applications. Our gate drivers for SiC and IGBT switches are used in a variety of applications including electric vehicles, solar inverters, wind turbines, energy storage, motor drives, energy storage, traction and other high reliability markets.
This opportunity is for an experienced Electronics Engineer with a thorough and detailed understanding of a wide variety of electronics systems and issues. The primary objective of the position is to support company product development and application engineering efforts in new and sustaining product engineering. The candidate should be comfortable solving challenges both in the lab and directly with customers.
If you, or someone you know is interested in this position, please read the full job description and send us an email.
Power Electronics Conference 2017
Hilton Hotel at Munich Airport/Germany
December 5, 2017
Presenter: Cliff Robins, European Business Development, AgileSwitch, LLC Time: 4:40PM - 5:05PM UTC +1 (Munich) Topic:
Intelligent Gate Drivers for SiC MOSFETs – Addressing Safe Operation, Efficiency & EMI Discussion: While offering significant benefits over traditional IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs present a new range of challenges for safe, efficient operation and high EMI environments. Cliff will discuss how to best address these issues - through implementing Augmented Switching and other Intelligent Gate Driver methods.
About: Bodo's Power Systems and ICC Media/AspenCore Europe are jointly
organizing this Power Electronics Conference with focus on Wide Band
Gap Semiconductors. This is a 1-day program featuring presentations by Siemens, Infineon, Semikron, Littelfuse, Wolfspeed, Danfoss, USCi, GeneSic, and other leading firms focused on Wide Band Gap products and applications.
Philadelphia, PA (October 2017) - A new SiC Power Stack Evaluation Sample is available from Semikron. The Stack is rated to 100kW at a switching frequency of 50kHz. This integrated assembly is driven by AgileSwitch Stack Electronics for use in a wide variety of systems including battery charging, solar energy, and industrial applications.
Each SiC Power Stack includes:
Full SiC half bridge modules
High performance DC link capacitor
Air-cooled heatsink with fans
Current sensors
AgileSwitch SiC 62mm Gate Drivers
AgileSwitch Analog Interface Board
Full Power Testing was performed at the rated specs to qualify the stack. A National Instruments GPIC and LabVIEW provided the user interface, PWM commands, and data capture.
Check out the links below to learn more about the stack and how it was tested.
Introduction
Electronics used in traction inverters are subject to a great variety of environmental conditions including dirt, corrosion, moisture, and chemicals. Additionally, high-voltage applications, above 3000V, require larger creepage-clearance distances to meet UL specifications. To avoid premature failure and ensure safe operation, the printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA) inside the inverter must be well protected.
Conformal Coating
Conformal coating adds a thin lacquer to all surfaces of the PCBA covering all exposed metal contacts. This service, that AgileSwitch provides for all of our products, can dramatically reduce the volume of an expensive enclosure and increase the dielectric withstand voltage of the product.
AgileSwitch recommends HumiSeal UV40 UV curable coating for a good balance of protection and cost. This material is MIL-I-46058C qualified, and IPC-CC-830 and RoHS compliant and recognized under UL File Number E105698. This material has excellent dielectric withstand voltage properties, humidity resistance, and chemical resistance. AgileSwitch also has experience with Humiseal 1A33 polyurethane and IB33 acrylic materials. Customers may also specify a material of their choice.
Approach
There are two approaches to conformal coating PCBAs: automated and manual.
Automated Process:
AgileSwitch issues a list of coating specifications, including material, thickness, and keep-out areas, to our subcontractor. The subcontractor programs a PVA Delta 6 Selective Coating/ Dispensing System with our specifications. The boards are washed in a batch cleaner and placed on a conveyor belt in the PVA machine. Each board is carried under an computer-controlled nozzle and the conformal coating is dispensed. The final coating is precise, repeatable, and very little material is wasted. This process does not require any manual masking.
You can see this process in action below on an AgileSwitch Gate Driver:
Top Side
Bottom Side
Manual Process:
The manual process follows a more conventional approach. Each board is cleaned in a batch cleaner and then a technician masks the keep-out areas using tape. Then, the boards are sprayed in a well ventilated area and cured. After curing, the masking tape is manually removed from all the boards to reveal the keep-out areas. This process is sufficient for many applications, but it requires hours of pre- and post-processing, it is not repeatable, and there may be inconsistencies in the coating thickness and coverage.
Summary
AgileSwitch offers conformal coating as a service for any of our products and highly encourages customers to use conformal coating for all high reliability applications.
In this episode of Power System Design TV from PCIM Europe 2017, Rob Weber, CEO of
AgileSwitch discusses their portfolio of IGBTs and SiC MOSFET Drivers.
And now introduces their full range of Stack Electronics.
We teamed up with Mersen and FT Cap, experts in bus bars, cooling, and capacitors, to develop SiC MOSFET and Si IGBT reference designs. AgileSwitch Intelligent Gate Drivers and Stack Electronics are featured in each stack.
The SiC design uses 62mm power modules from Wolfspeed or Semikron in a very compact 16kW/L, 150kW rated package, beating the DoE's 2020 target. The target application is heavy-duty vehicles.
The IGBT design is targeted for Energy Storage applications. It is built around Infineon's PrimePACK IGBT5 with .XT technology. The demonstrator achieved 25kW/L at 500kW.
Patented Augmented Turn-Off™ switching technique, robust high-noise-immunity design, advanced monitoring and fault reporting facilitate conversion from IGBTs to 62mm SiC MOSFET power modules
Philadelphia, PA—February 16, 2017—AgileSwitch, LLC, innovator of intelligent IGBT and SiC MOSFET gate drivers, introduces the 62EM (62mm Electrical Master) SiC MOSFET gate driver series. The easy-to-use, plug and play driver is compatible with most 62mm SiC MOSFET modules. Applications including heavy-duty traction vehicles, auxiliary power units in trains, buses and trolleys, induction heating systems and other high-power industrial systems are rapidly moving from IGBTs to SiC power devices. The 62EM Series is designed specifically to facilitate this conversion.
The 62EM driver incorporates AgileSwitch’s patented, software configurable Augmented Turn-Off (ATOff™) technology. ATOff addresses two significant impediments to the successful implementation of Silicon Carbide modules in high-power applications. By reducing turn-off spikes and ringing, both under normal operation as well as short-circuit (DSAT) conditions, SiC MOSFET modules can be safely operated in the higher frequencies that enable dramatic increases in power conversion density. This allows SiC MOSFET modules to be operated closer to their rated specifications, resulting in size, cost and performance improvements. The 62EM gate driver is designed for harsh, high-noise environments, with optional conformal coating. It is equipped with powerful diagnostic and troubleshooting tools and it continuously monitors critical parameters, such as temperature and DC link voltage.
“Designers want the benefits of switching at higher speeds using smaller, lighter, less expensive system components. But, today, this can only be achieved by reducing the switching efficiency, which effectively negates much of the benefits,” said Rob Weber, AgileSwitch CEO. “The 62EM Series enables them to have both higher switching frequencies and high efficiency by dramatically reducing the typical secondary effects of high switching frequency: voltage overshoots, ringing and false short circuit reporting.”
A whitepaper describing the performance improvements attained using ATOff is available for download.
Price: $128.94 (OEM quantities) Delivery: 2 Weeks, ARO
The patented Augmented Turn-Off (ATOff™) switching technique addresses two significant impediments to the successful implementation of Silicon Carbide modules in high-power applications. By reducing both turn-off spikes and ringing both under normal operation as well as short-circuit conditions (DSAT), SiC MOSFET modules can be operated in the higher frequencies that enable dramatic increases in power conversion density.
A whitepaper describing this technology and test results can be found here.
Power Systems Design reports today that "AgileSwitch, innovator of intelligent IGBT and SiC MOSFET gate drivers,
announced that it has “allowed patent claims” related to its proprietary
ATOFF (Augmented Turn-Off)) switching technique. The firm expects the
formal patent to be awarded within the next 60 to 90 days."
Protecting the power semiconductor is a continuous process and AgileSwitch Gate Drivers have a unique capability in this regard. The driver boards from AgileSwitch are able to reduce the stress on the Power Semiconductor while reducing switching losses, through the use of Augmented Turn-Off
Under normal operating conditions, the gate voltage in a turn-off cycle steps through an intermediate level before reaching the off voltage level. Under short circuit conditions, the gate voltage steps through multiple intermediate levels before reaching the off voltage level.
A detailed explanation of the benefits of Augmented Turn-Off can be found here.
In addition to this continuous process, what else do we protect against?
Switching an SiC MOSFET Power Module creates two significant problems that need to be addressed to optimize the performance of the device: turn-off spikes and ringing. These two parasitic problems need to be controlled while maintaining efficient switching.
AgileSwitch has developed a patent-pending line of programmable Gate Drive Boards (GDBs) that address these problems, controlling the turn-off di/dt by varying the gate voltage level and dwell time to an intermediate level during turn-off. This process is typically referred to as Two-Level Turn-Off or 2LTO, while having more than one intermediate step is referred to as Multi-Level Turn-Off or MLTO.
In addition, AgileSwitch software configurable GDBs report out 7 unique fault conditions along with Temperature and DC Link Voltage. The combination of these effects will help drive growth in adoption of SiC devices, and the inverters that they support.
Switching an SiC MOSFET Power Module creates two significant
problems that need to be addressed to optimize the performance of the device:
turn-off spikes and ringing. These two parasitic problems need to be
controlled while maintaining efficient switching. AgileSwitch has developed a
patent-pending line of programmable Gate Drive Boards (GDBs) that address these
problems, controlling the turn-off di/dt by varying the gate voltage level and
dwell time to an intermediate level during turn-off. This process is typically
referred to as Two-Level Turn-Off or 2LTO, while having more than one
intermediate step is referred to as Multi-Level Turn-Off or MLTO.
In addition, AgileSwitch software configurable GDBs report
out 7 unique fault conditions along with Temperature and DC Link Voltage. The
combination of these effects will help drive growth in adoption of SiC devices,
and the inverters that they support.
AgileSwitch Silicon Carbide (SiC) Evaluation Kits are fast, powerful,
and compact. They dramatically reduce the development time required to
implement SiC Power Modules in DC-AC Inverters, DC-DC Converters and
other power circuits.
The AgileStack is the industry’s first, and only, fully configurable power conversion module that features AgileStack SwitchStream technology to control, protect and monitor over 40 points of operating and fault conditions and Stack BlackBox technology to store on-board fault data in the event of catastrophic failure.
An advancement in the configurability of this system has just been released. SwitchStreamTM Technology Version 3 is now available for download. 11 new features have been added that provide the tools to control the AgileStack at a higher level. A few of the majors items that have been implemented include: •Voltage Gain and Offset calculations to the voltage measurements •Temperature conversion table for more precise temperature measurement readings •Current Measurement packets to the Temperature and Voltage packets •HB Voltage 1 and 3 logic and support in the Auto Voltage packets
Philadelphia, PA—May 30,2018 —AgileSwitch, LLC, innovator of intelligent IGBT and SiC MOSFET gate drivers, introduces the ASC1 (AgileSwitch Software Configurable Core 1) SiC MOSFET gate driver core. 
The AgileStack is the industry’s first, and only, fully configurable power conversion module that features AgileStack SwitchStream technology to control, protect and monitor over 40 points of operating and fault conditions and Stack BlackBox technology to store on-board fault data in the event of catastrophic failure.
