Osaka University-Led Project Develops Next-Generation Power Devices

TOKYO, Jul 19, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - A project team led by Professor Katsuaki Suganuma, Osaka University, in which Showa Denko ("SDK"; TSE:4004) participates, has successfully developed a hybrid board structure for silicon carbide (SiC) based power devices which can stably operate even under high-temperature condition of 300 degrees Celsius.

This project was organized as university-industry research collaboration under the leadership of Professor Suganuma with the object of developing board structures for heat-resistant SiC power devices. Professor Suganuma focused on a heat-resistant property of aluminum, developed special aluminum material and packaging technologies, and realized a material structure that develops no defect even under the temperature cycle of -40 degrees Celsius to 300 degrees Celsius.

SDK has been participating in the project team, and providing the team with technologies to develop materials for direct brazed aluminum (DBA*) circuit boards and cooling devices, technologies to solder those materials, and heat radiation design for the whole structure of the hybrid circuit board. In 2010, SDK was awarded the 45th Oyamada Medal from the Japan Institute for Light Metals as commendation to the development of cooling apparatus for power devices featured with these technologies.

Under the ongoing medium-term business plan "Project 2020+," SDK has been promoting development of parts and materials for power modules. Taking advantage of its technologies to design and process diverse materials, SDK will aim to develop and offer new parts and materials for power modules with superb high-temperature tolerance and heat-dissipation efficiency, technologies to evaluate performance of power modules equipped with these parts and materials, and solution to realize downsized high-output power modules.

* DBA (Direct Brazed Aluminum) circuit board:A circuit board with efficient heat-dissipation property, manufactured as a combination of aluminum layer to mount semiconductors and ceramics layer to insulate electricity. In the above project, we use aluminum nitride, which has high thermal conductivity, as a material to produce high-performance ceramics layer.

About Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. ("SDK"; TSE:4004,US:SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial and high-performance gasses and chemicals and high-purity gases and chemicals for the semiconductor industry, and the Inorganics Sector provides ceramics products such as alumina, abrasive, refractory and graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. Today, the Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high-bright LEDs and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.

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