SiC inverter control modules accelerate electric motor drivetrain development

CISSOID has released its new series of SiC ICMs dedicated to the e-mobility market. These software-powered modules are created to help engineers develop functionally safe, robust and modular e-motor drives while dramatically shortening time-to-market.

The new CXT-ICM3SA series provides optimal hardware and software integration of the company's existing line of three-phase 1200V/340A-550A SiC MOSFET Intelligent Power Modules with an OLEA T222 Field Programmable Control Unit control board and OLEA APP INVERTER application software, supplied in partnership with Silicon Mobility. Depending on the selected ICM product, this modular core engine can power and control high voltage SiC traction inverters with battery voltages up to 850V, at output power over 350kW, and peak efficiency above 99%.

This unique integration enables the rapid development of SiC inverters by solving head-scratching EMC issues often generated due to fast-switching SiC transistors, by supporting different modulation schemes, e.g. SVPWM or DPWM, combined with dead time compensation, and by offering advanced motor control algorithms, including Field Oriented Control and Flux Weakening management.

The company further improves time-to-market by providing a complete SiC inverter reference design, allowing motor bench testing of the ICM with key peripheral elements such as current sensors, a high-performance DC-Link capacitor and an EMI filter. The ICM and the reference design can be obtained from the company, together with the motor control software and on-site technical support.

Delivering leadership performance, the ICM supports the drive of high-speed motors with no compromise on efficiency, thanks to the combination of the company's low losses SiC power module with the ultra-fast real-time FPCU, enabling high switching frequencies up to 50kHz. Furthermore, with onboard programmable hardware, this application-specific processor dedicated to e-motor control accelerates the response time to critical events, off-loading the processor cores and enhancing functional safety. The FPCU and the control software are ISO-26262 ASIL C/D certified and AUTOSAR 4.3 compliant.