ESI Automotive has released the results of tests looking at the performance impact of using silver sintering technology over soldering in inverter designs. The research, which was carried out by ESI Automotive and customer engineers, involved a series of real-world electric vehicle tests.
As part of its analysis, which focused on power cycling and thermal resistance measurements, ESI Automotive supported the replacement of soldered die attach and wire bonding with a fully sintered top-and die attach design. This enabled the inverter to operate at a higher power and temperature, and allowed a smaller cooling system.
Resultantly, the new SiC power module approach enabled an increased power density of 84% and endurance of more than 10 times. The company also reported a 33.8% reduction in weight.
“These latest real-life results are testimony to just how revolutionary silver sintering technology is,” noted Chris Klok, director of vehicle electrification at ESI Automotive. “Not only can power density and reliability be increased, but silver sintering can also have a positive light-weighting effect, which drives further vehicle efficiency improvements.
“These results are just a snapshot of what can be achieved now, and the direction cost- and operationally efficient EV design is heading in the future. By making the move to current SiC die technology, powertrain engineers benefit from numerous significant performance and reliability gains. This forms the foundation for optimizing the traction inverter in the very near future.”