LEIDEN, Netherlands and CHIPPENHAM, United Kingdom, Oct. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IXYS Corporation (NASDAQ:IXYS) an international power and IC semiconductor company, today announced that its wholly owned UK subsidiary, IXYS UK Westcode Ltd., launched a new range of 4500 volt very high current fast recovery diodes (HP-sonic FRDs) with nominal operating currents from 1800 to 3000 amperes, to be used in conjunction with IXYS’ family of very high current press-pack IGBTs.

The new diodes incorporate IXYS UK’s most advanced die bonding technology, where the silicon die is bonded to a metallic disc, replacing older designs based on floating silicon. The new bonded die design offers a diode with improved thermal stability and very robust mechanical properties. The silicon is optimised with advanced processing to give an unrivalled rate of change of current capability to more than 5000 amperes per microsecond, while retaining a soft recovery characteristic and low switching losses.

The diodes are packaged in fully hermetic 26mm thick ceramic packages with copper electrodes, and are compatible for series clamping in the same stack as IXYS UKs range of very high current press-pack IGBTs. The 3000 ampere device has a 96mm die and the 2400 ampere device has a 91mm die. Both are packaged in an 85mm electrode package with an overall diameter of 125mm. The 1800 ampere device has an 83mm die and is packaged in a 75mm electrode package with an overall diameter of 112mm.

Parts number designations are as follows: 3000 ampere device, E3000EC45E, 2400 ampere device, E2400EC45E and 1800 ampere device, E1800TC45E. The two lower current devices will replace the older C series floating silicon products and the 3000 ampere device extends the range to cover the new 3000 ampere press-pack IGBT.

“These new diodes combine IXYS’s established and market leading HP-sonic FRD fast diode technology with our best practice silicon bonding technology. These advanced diodes will replace our older floating silicon devices and will offer the customer the ultimate in reliability,” commented Frank Wakeman, IXYS UK’s Marketing and Technical Support Manager.

The new HP sonic FRDs are optimised for use with IXYS UK’s range of 4500 volt press pack IGBTs as both anti-parallel and neutral point clamp diodes for multi-level converters. Typical applications for this device include: utilities and HVDC applications such as, flexible AC transition systems, HVDC transition, Statcoms, VSC SVC etc.; medium voltage AC drives for harsh environments and ultra-high power, such as mining, marine and off shore, gas and oil installations; and renewable energy for wind turbines, hydro generation, wave-generation and solar. As well as applications incorporating IXYS UKs press-pack IGBTs, the devices are also suitable for use with other very high power switching devices which require the same combination for very high di/dt and soft recovery, such as IGCTs (integrated gate-commutated thyristor).

For data sheet please go to the IXYS UK website at www.ixysuk.com or please contact us at (email: sales@ixysuk.com) or telephone: +44 (0)1249 444524 for quotation.

About IXYS UK

Located in Chippenham, England, IXYS UK Westcode Ltd is the IXYS leading manufacturing site for very high power thyristors, SCRs and rectifiers ranging up to 7200 Volts and 15,000 Amps.  IXYS UK continues to supply high technology components for a wide range of applications such as wind and solar energy, welding, AC and DC motor drives for oil, marine and water treatment facilities, uninterruptible power supplies, motor soft starters, transportation, induction heating, mining equipment and many other industrial applications.

About IXYS Corporation

Since its founding, IXYS Corporation has been developing power semiconductors and mixed signal ICs to improve power conversion efficiency, generate solar and wind power and provide efficient motor control for industrial applications.  IXYS, and its subsidiary companies, offer a diversified product base that addresses worldwide needs for power control in the growing cleantech industries, renewable energy markets, telecommunications, medical devices, transportation applications, flexible displays and RF power.

Safe Harbor Statement

Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including the performance, features and suitability of products for various applications, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of IXYS to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2017. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.

Contacts: 

Frank Wakeman, IXYS UK Westcode Limited, Chippenham, SN15 1GE, United Kingdom. +44 (0)1249 444524
Ray Segall, IXYS Long Beach 562-296-6584 (US sales enquiries only)