EL SEGUNDO, CA. July 1999 - International Rectifier (IR^®) has announced a new family of Low Voltage HEXFET^® power MOSFETs targeted at applications in the automotive and UPS systems industries. These products are a breakthrough in that they eliminate the compromise between R_DS(on) and ruggedness against transients and other fault conditions. IR's new devices offer best-in-class R_DS(on) ratings, while providing avalanche ratings that are several times greater than prior HEXFET^® generations, and more than five times that of any trench devices available today.

These new devices are the first of a new series of "Benchmark" HEXFET^® devices targeted at high-end applications where the most efficient and rugged power MOSFETs are required. Examples of such applications are braking, power steering and the new 42V integrated starter/alternators in cars, as well as the main primary-side switches in UPS inverters. In such applications, IR's new products allow the designer to dramatically reduce the size and number of paralleled power MOSFETs needed. They can also be used to decrease power dissipation and shrink or eliminate heatsinks. In automotive applications, these products enable efficient operation at ambient temperatures up to 175°C, and therefore allow more flexible location of the power electronic assembly. They also allow size reduction and improvement in end product reliability. The lower R_DS(on) values of the new IR parts also enable longer battery life in UPS applications.

The chips used in the new low voltage Benchmark HEXFET^® products are manufactured using IR's brand new low voltage planar stripe HEXFET^® power MOSFET technology. This technology represents a unique realization of application-specific technology development. Unlike traditional technology development, IR's intimate understanding of the targeted automotive applications has allowed them to achieve best-in-class efficiency and ruggedness, parameters that generally have to be traded off against one another. Additional benefit is provided by the combination of the new silicon technology with the latest packaging innovations. IR's new "Super" series of packages allows over 100 percent more silicon to be put in the same footprint. This results in a correspondingly lower R_DS(on) value, and a better thermal path than with smaller-capacity packages. Equally important, at low silicon R_DS(on) values, the package itself can become the limiting factor in device performance and the new IR packages allow a usable current of nearly 50 percent greater than that of their predecessors such as the TO-220.

First members of the product family to be introduced are:

	Basic Ratings			RDS(on)			Avalanche	Ruggedness
Part No.	Voltage	Id@ 100C	Pkg.	New IR Benchmark RDS(on)	Comp's Best RDS(on)	IR vs. Comp's Best	IR Benchmark Rating	Comp's Rating	IR vs. Comp
IRF1404	40V	120A /75A	TO-220	4 mOhms	5.5 mOhms	27% lower	2000 mJ	280 mJ	7 x higher
IRFBA1404	40V	120A /85A	Super-220	3.5 mOhms	5.5 mOhms	36% lower	2000 mJ	280 mJ	7 x higher
IRF1405	55V	108A /75A	TO-220	5 mOhms	7 mOhms	28% lower	2000 mJ	350-550 mJ	4-6x higher
IRFC2907	75V	125A /85A	chip only	3 mOhms	8 mOhms	>50% lower	4000 mJ	none given	---

The new IR products have more than 25 percent lower R_DS(on) than the nearest competition within the same packages. The same chips in the Super-220™ package maintain the same footprint and outline as the TO-220, but have a lower package resistance. Accordingly, the new IR types are as much as 36 percent lower in R_DS(on).

These levels of efficiency are achieved while also achieving a dramatic increase in ruggedness. Trench devices have avalanche energy ratings (Eas) in the range of 350mJ and the new IR Benchmark Series has values on the order of 2,000mJ. This means that the new IR devices are able to withstand higher energies. In about 90 percent of automotive applications, the designer can eliminate the external passive devices that traditionally protected the power MOSFET. All this is achieved using proven planar DMOS technology, manufactured on IR's existing production lines.

The automotive industry's "Q101" standard is the most stringent set of reliability guidelines in the semiconductor industry. The new IR Benchmark types are qualified to Q101 guidelines at up to 175°C, which is more than almost every other manufacturer can meet.

The new Benchmark Series of low voltage FETs from IR is at the top of their existing, industry-leading low voltage, Q101-compliant offerings for automotive applications:

"This product line announcement is an important part of our continued commitment to and focus on the automotive market," states Gabe Gotthard, VP of marketing for the Switch Group at IR. "A designer or purchasing manager in today's market needs to be offered several things: mass production capability, improved quality and reliability, and the latest technology and depth of selection. 'Latest technology' means the latest both in silicon performance AND packaging technology. And IR offers all of the above."

Samples for the new low-voltage Benchmark types are available from IR directly now; production is scheduled for September 1999. For more information, contact the Technical Assistance Center or your local Sales Representative.

For other related information visit the HEXFET Power MOSFET web-site.