Semikron is a German-based independent manufacturer of power semiconductor components. The company was founded in 1951 by Dr. Friedrich Josef Martin in Nuremberg. In 2019, the company had a staff of more than 3,000 people in 24 subsidiaries (world-wide) with production sites in Germany, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Slovakia, and the USA.
Semikron is a provider of integrated circuits, discrete semiconductors, transistor, diode and thyristor power modules, power assemblies and systems for markets such as industrial drives, wind and solar, hybrid and electric vehicles, the rail industry and power supplies. According to a survey carried out by BTM Consult ApS, the total wind power capacity installed until 2009 was 122 gigawatts. Out of this, 57 gigawatts comprises power semiconductors from Semikron.
In the field of diode/thyristor modules, Semikron is the market leader with a 30% share of the worldwide market.[3]
In March 2022, Semikron and Danfoss Silicon Power announced their merger to establish Semikron Danfoss as the ultimate partner in power electronics. On 22 August 2022, less than five months after it was first announced, the new leader in power semiconductor modules started doing business as Semikron Danfoss.
Semikron Danfoss is a family-owned business, merged by SEMIKRON and Danfoss Silicon Power in 2022.
Products
Semikron's product range consists of 11,600 different power semiconductors from 1kW to 10 MW, including chips, discrete diodes/thyristors, power modules (IGBT/MOSFET/diode / thyristor/CIB/IPM), driver and protection components and integrated subsystems.
Amongst other developments, Semikron invented the world's first isolated power module, the Semipack, of which 56 million are presently in use.
SEMIKRON Elektronik GmbH Sigmundstraße 200 Nürnberg
Some important innovations of the organization include:
2010 SKAI 3 phase converter system up to 250 kVA
2009 SKiiP4 intelligent power module with 3600 A; for use in wind and traction applications
2008 MiniSKiiP IPM first intelligent power module for solder-free assembly
2008 SKYPER with fully digital signal processing
2007 SKiM 100% solder-free IGBT modules for hybrid vehicles
2007 Sinter Technology - reliable sintering replaces solder process
2006 SEMiSTART for soft-start devices
2005 SEMiX rectifiers with solder-free spring contacts for electrical connections
2004 SKYPER IGBT driver family
2003 SEMiX first flat IGBT half-bridge family from 250 to 900 A with solder-free spring contacts for electrical connections
2002 MiniSKiiPII 2nd generation of Converter-Inverter-Brake modules up to 30kW
2001 Integrated converters for hybrid electric drives
2000 Low-power rectifiers: standard, fast and superfast axial diodes, Schottky diodes, Zener diodes, press-fit diodes, low-level rectifier bridges and SMDs
1999 SKiM 6-Pack IGBT modules with driver electronics
1998 SEMITOP rectifier circuits with solder pins for PCB assembly
1996 MiniSKiiP first integrated IGBT rectifier circuits in solder-free spring contact technology
1996 Spring Technology - spring contacts allow for solder-free electrical connections
1995 ASICs optimise the electronic assemblies used to control MOSFET and IGBT modules
1992 Fast, soft freewheeling diode with widely acclaimed properties (CAL-Diode)
1992 SKiiP, the first IPMs (Intelligent Power Modules) with integrated driver and SKiiP pressure contact technology 100-1200 A / 600-1200 V for high-power applications
1992 SKiiP Technology - pressure contact technology, no soldered copper base plate, fewer solder layers, extended service life
1987 SEMITRANS MOSFET modules for electric vehicles, high-frequency generators, inductive heating and lasers
1981 SEMIPACK modules with fast thyristors and diodes. Introduction of glass passivation and square chips
1976 Disc-type thyristors for DC drives and AC converters
1974 SEMIPACK, the world's first isolated thyristor/diode module, now an industrial standard in its 6th generation. Today, SEMIKRON is global market leader for diode/thyristor modules
1967 The first thyristors for variable-speed DC drives, 3-phase soft-start devices and 3-phase AC power controllers
1964 The world's first 1A plastic diode for direct PCB assembly for use in radios and TV sets
1963 The first encapsulated bridge rectifier, a revolutionary plastic bridge that established itself across the entire electronics industry
1961 Development of the first avalanche rectifier diode in the world
1959 First silicon diode made of silicon wafers. At this time, the power range of 2.5 - 300 A was an astonishingly high value
1954 Start of Semikron semiconductor manufacturing: selenium rectifier plates and selenium surge voltage protective devices
Applications
According to Semikron, 40% of yearly installed wind in 2022 contains its technology.[4] "Semikron inside" has become a trademark for new markets such as renewable energy sources and hybrid vehicles as well as industrial applications such as electric drives, welding machines, lifts, power supplies, pumps, conveyor belts, trains and trams.
A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that conducts current primarily in one direction. It has low resistance in one direction and high resistance in the other.
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals for connection to an electronic circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. Some transistors are packaged individually, but many more in miniature form are found embedded in integrated circuits. Because transistors are the key active components in practically all modern electronics, many people consider them one of the 20th century's greatest inventions.
A semiconductor device is an electronic component that relies on the electronic properties of a semiconductor material for its function. Its conductivity lies between conductors and insulators. Semiconductor devices have replaced vacuum tubes in most applications. They conduct electric current in the solid state, rather than as free electrons across a vacuum or as free electrons and ions through an ionized gas.
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The reverse operation is performed by an inverter.
An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily forming an electronic switch. It was developed to combine high efficiency with fast switching. It consists of four alternating layers (P–N–P–N) that are controlled by a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) gate structure.
A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating P- and N-type materials used for high-power applications. It acts as a bistable switch. There are two designs, differing in what triggers the conducting state. In a three-lead thyristor, a small current on its gate lead controls the larger current of the anode-to-cathode path. In a two-lead thyristor, conduction begins when the potential difference between the anode and cathode themselves is sufficiently large. The thyristor continues conducting until the voltage across the device is reverse-biased or the voltage is removed, or through the control gate signal on newer types.
A power inverter, inverter, or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opposite of rectifiers which were originally large electromechanical devices converting AC to DC.
A power semiconductor device is a semiconductor device used as a switch or rectifier in power electronics. Such a device is also called a power device or, when used in an integrated circuit, a power IC.
Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power.
A power MOSFET is a specific type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) designed to handle significant power levels. Compared to the other power semiconductor devices, such as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) or a thyristor, its main advantages are high switching speed and good efficiency at low voltages. It shares with the IGBT an isolated gate that makes it easy to drive. They can be subject to low gain, sometimes to a degree that the gate voltage needs to be higher than the voltage under control.
A power module or power electronic module provides the physical containment for several power components, usually power semiconductor devices. These power semiconductors are typically soldered or sintered on a power electronic substrate that carries the power semiconductors, provides electrical and thermal contact and electrical insulation where needed. Compared to discrete power semiconductors in plastic housings as TO-247 or TO-220, power packages provide a higher power density and are in many cases more reliable.
A solid state relay (SSR) is an electronic switching device that switches on or off when an external voltage is applied across its control terminals. They serve the same function as an electromechanical relay, but solid-state electronics contain no moving parts and have a longer operational lifetime. Solid state relays were invented in 1971 by the Crydom Controls division of International Rectifiers.
A gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) is a special type of thyristor, which is a high-power semiconductor device. It was invented by General Electric. GTOs, as opposed to normal thyristors, are fully controllable switches which can be turned on and off by their gate lead.
In electronics, an electronic switch is a switch controlled by an active electronic component or device. Without using moving parts, they are called solid state switches, which distinguishes them from mechanical switches.
SindoPower is the first business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce business owned by a manufacturer of power semiconductor components. Other manufacturers rely on representatives or independent distributors.
Powerex Inc., is a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in high power semiconductor applications. Powerex supports many markets, including transportation, AC and DC motor controls, UPS, alternative energy, medical power supplies, welding, industrial heating, electrical vehicles, aircraft and communications.
A gate driver is a power amplifier that accepts a low-power input from a controller IC and produces a high-current drive input for the gate of a high-power transistor such as an IGBT or power MOSFET. Gate drivers can be provided either on-chip or as a discrete module. In essence, a gate driver consists of a level shifter in combination with an amplifier. A gate driver IC serves as the interface between control signals and power switches. An integrated gate-driver solution reduces design complexity, development time, bill of materials (BOM), and board space while improving reliability over discretely-implemented gate-drive solutions.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electronics:
An HVDC converter converts electric power from high voltage alternating current (AC) to high-voltage direct current (HVDC), or vice versa. HVDC is used as an alternative to AC for transmitting electrical energy over long distances or between AC power systems of different frequencies. HVDC converters capable of converting up to two gigawatts (GW) and with voltage ratings of up to 900 kilovolts (kV) have been built, and even higher ratings are technically feasible. A complete converter station may contain several such converters in series and/or parallel to achieve total system DC voltage ratings of up to 1,100 kV.
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