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A demo card with a silicon carbide electronic fuse offers a faster and more reliable method of protecting power electronics in electric vehicle applications

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Microchip's E-Fuse demo board is supplied in six versions for 400–800V battery systems

High voltage electrical subsystems for electric and hybrid vehicles require a mechanism that protects the high voltage distribution and loads in case of overload. With the goal of providing designers of these types of vehicles with a faster, more reliable solution for high-voltage circuit protection, Microchip Technology today announces the demo card E-Fuse (electronic fuse) silicon carbide (SiC) based and available in six versions for 400–800V battery systems and currents up to 30A.

This demo board can detect and interrupt fault currents in microseconds, making it 100–500 times faster than traditional mechanical-type solutions due to its high-voltage, solid-state design. The fast response time dramatically reduces short-circuit current spikes from tens of kiloamps to hundreds of amps, preventing serious damage.

“The E-Fuse demo board is aimed at designers of electric and hybrid vehicles, providing them with a SiC-based solution to jump-start their development process with a faster and more reliable method of protecting power electronics,” he stated. Clayton Pillion, vice president of Microchip's silicon carbide business unit. "The solid-state design of the electronic fuse eliminates concerns about the long-term reliability of electromechanical devices because they do not suffer from degradation caused by mechanical shock, electric arcs or contact bounce."

Thanks to the reset function of the E-Fuse demo card, designers can easily incorporate an electronic fuse into the vehicle without the limitations imposed by a design that facilitates maintenance. This decreases design complexity and increases the degree of flexibility to improve power system distribution in electric and hybrid vehicles.

Manufacturers can speed up the development of SiC-based backend applications with the E-Fuse demo board by incorporating a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) communication interface. The LIN interface allows overcurrent response characteristics to be configured without the need to modify hardware components and also provides diagnostic reports.

The E-Fuse demo board leverages the unmatched levels of robustness and performance of Microchip's SiC MOSFET and Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) technology in its PIC microcontrollers.® with a LIN-based interface. The auxiliary components, which are approved for automotive use, stand out for the low number of devices and their greater reliability compared to a discreet design.

Microchip's SiC power solutions provide the broadest and most flexible portfolio of unpackaged, discrete MOSFETs, diodes and gate drivers, modules and custom power modules. For more information on Microchip's SiC semiconductors, visit our websites.