 The demand for electric motors is rapidly increasing, especially in particular market segments such as white goods, air-conditioning systems and cooking hoods.
This growth is mainly due to the entry of these devices in great distribution channels.
This has caused a price reduction for the final customer at the average rate of 10% per year, when comparing the price level in the last five years.
In parallel with this huge increase in demand we are now witnessing a gradual but continuous replacement of the TRIAC based technology with IGBTs for motor control systems, with a corresponding increase for the market of these devices worth about 10% of the estimated 2001 TAM ($ 1.1 B).
In more detail the use of IGBTs for motor control improves:
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Overall system efficiency, allowing the reduction of the size of the motor. |
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Acoustic pollution problems, increasing the control switching frequency up to 20Khz in order to stay above the audible threshold. |
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Flexibility in speed regulations. |
ST is now developing a new series of IGBTs for triple and single phase appliances, with the precise target of completing the product portfolio for motor control.
Both new silicon with an extremely reduced Vcesat and a new series of free-wheeling diodes with the following main features have been introduced:
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New IGBT silicon for frequencies up to 15KHz with a reduction in Vcesat of 10% when compared with the faster “H” series. |
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New faster and softer free-wheeling diodes for all IGBT series. |
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New short circuit families with or without free wheeling diodes. |
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Increased current range from 2A up to 50A |
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Highly competitive price-levels. |
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ST is the only supplier in the market that can provide a 100% solution for motor control applications, with:
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IGBTs |
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Micros |
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Voltage supply / regulators
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Protection
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Drivers |
This product portfolio means a great advantage for customers in terms of engineering and cost reduction, in a vast array of applications. |
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