隨著市場對混合動力/電動車的需求不斷增加，芯片產(chǎn)業(yè)對功率電子組件市場的期望也越來越高；市場研究機構(gòu) IHS 指出，來自電源供應(yīng)器、太陽光電逆變器(PV)以及工業(yè)馬達驅(qū)動器等的需求，預(yù)期可在接下來十年讓新興的碳化硅(SiC)、氮化鎵(GaN)功率半導(dǎo)體市場以每年兩位數(shù)字的成長率，達到目前的十八倍。 日本半導(dǎo)體自動測試設(shè)備供貨商愛德萬測試(Advantest) 董事會成員吉田(Yoshiaki Yoshida)在接受EETimes美國版編輯電話采訪時表示，許多半導(dǎo)體公司：“都將未來寄望于功率組件?！彼赋?，在今日的手機等小型消費性電子裝置內(nèi)的電源芯片，制作精良且已經(jīng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化，但在大型系統(tǒng)中的功率組件則仍面臨一些問題。 吉田解釋，所謂的大型系統(tǒng)指的是混合動力/電動車、電網(wǎng)、智能家庭、智能城市以及地鐵的動力系統(tǒng)等等，需求較高電壓、電流：“目前我們對于這類功率組件的技術(shù)發(fā)展以及標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化腳步稍嫌落后?！倍@也是最近日本半導(dǎo)體產(chǎn)業(yè)成立功率組件促進協(xié)會(Power Device Enabling Association，PDEA)的動機之一。 在 4月分成立的PDEA成員包括豐田汽車(Toyota Motor)、愛德萬測試、大日本印刷(Dai Nippon Printing)等，旨在推動“功率半導(dǎo)體技術(shù)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化”；該組織的成立也意味著，日本希望能在這個尚未開發(fā)的高電壓、高電流功率組件市場扮演領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者角 色。目前PDEA的官方網(wǎng)站仍只有日文版本，但吉田表示，該組織并不排除外國成員加入。 功率組件的國際標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是由 IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 旗下的SC 47E所掌管；該組織的任務(wù)是訂定對環(huán)境無害的離散半導(dǎo)體組件設(shè)計、制造、使用與重復(fù)使用方法，包括相關(guān)術(shù)語與定義、符號、基本額定值與特性、量測方法與 規(guī)格。而PDEA并沒有打算計要與IEC的工作重疊。 不過擔(dān)任PDEA總監(jiān)的吉田強調(diào)：“我們相信IEC的功率組件標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化行動──由半導(dǎo)體廠商所參與的──將對功率組件使用者(例如汽車制造商)、材料供貨商與測試設(shè)備業(yè)者等帶來很大的幫助?！彼赋觯骸拔覀兇蛩阍赑DEA的開放式論壇，從更廣泛(超越芯片供貨商)的產(chǎn)業(yè)界成員處收集更多相關(guān)信息?！? 吉田表示，為了配合PDEA強調(diào)“功率組件使用者”的成立宗旨，該組織的首任主席邀請來自豐田汽車旗下Toyota Technical Development (TTDC)的高層主管來擔(dān)任；TTDC成立于2006年，是豐田汽車的工程研發(fā)智庫，負責(zé)車輛設(shè)計與開發(fā)，包括車身、底盤、引擎、傳動系統(tǒng)、混合動力車、燃料電池、電子組件、儀表系統(tǒng)、IT系統(tǒng)、通訊系統(tǒng)與IP設(shè)計服務(wù)。 在PDEA，吉田表示：“我們希望像TTDC這樣的 領(lǐng)導(dǎo)級功率組件使用者能發(fā)聲并分享他們的愿望清單，包括在材料、品質(zhì)、供應(yīng)鏈需求等等?！倍仓赋?，目前針對高電壓/電流需求所開發(fā)的功率組件與模塊都 未建立測試規(guī)格；舉例來說：“我們希望落實測試程序，建立評估功率組件的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)與規(guī)格，因此使用者不必面臨可能因依賴測試設(shè)備而大不相同的測試結(jié)果?！? 消費性電子設(shè)備所應(yīng)用的組件測試程序都已經(jīng)完善建置，但汽車與其它基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施所應(yīng)用的高電壓、高電流應(yīng)用功率組件測試程序卻尚未達到相同水準(zhǔn)；吉田警告：“這可能會導(dǎo)致與人身安全有關(guān)的風(fēng)險。”PDEA的宗旨說明了日本產(chǎn)業(yè)希望讓該國生產(chǎn)之功率組件領(lǐng)先全球市場的野心，而該組織將扮演第三方催化劑的角色，填補 目前功率組件產(chǎn)業(yè)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的空缺。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Japan to Form Power Device Initiative，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Japan to Form Power Device Initiative Junko Yoshida MADISON, Wis. -- As the demand for both hybrid and electric vehicles is growing, the chip industry's expectation for the power electronic market is also ballooning. Energized by demand from power supplies, photovoltaic (PV) inverters and industrial motor drives, “the emerging market for Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductors is expected to grow a remarkable factor of 18 during the next 10 years,” reported market research company IHS earlier this year. The firm's forecast on the annual double digit growth in the power device market revenue has escaped hardly anyone's notice. Many semiconductor companies are "pinning their hopes on the future of power devices," said Yoshiaki Yoshida, board member of Tokyo-based Advantest Corp., in a recent phone interview with EE Times. Advantest is a leading manufacture of automatic test equipment for the semiconductor industry. Power chips today in small devices such as mobile phones and other CE devices are well established and well standardized, he noted. At issue are the big systems -- such as HEV/EV, electrical grids, smart homes, smart cities, and powertrains for subway cars -- which demand high voltage and current requirements, Yoshida explained. "Lagging is our efforts in technology development and standardization of those power devices." This has become the basis for the recent formation of the Power Device Enabling Association, noted the Advantest executive. [Editor's note: This story was previously reported as a mysterious collaboration among Toyota Motor Corp., Advantest Corp., Dai Nippon Printing Co., and possibly others to "standardize power semiconductor technology."] PDEA's mission The PDEA's intention is clear: Japan hopes to take a lead in this largely untapped high-voltage, high-current power device market. The Tokyo-based industry association, formally launched in April, is open to any paying subscriber interested in the subject. Although its website is currently available only in Japanese, "we have no intention to exclude membership from abroad," said Yoshida. To be clear, when it comes to international standards for power devices, IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)'s SC 47E is taking charge. The group's objective is to prepare international standards for environmentally sound practices in design, manufacture, use and reuse of discrete semiconductor devices -- including terms and definitions, letter symbols, essential ratings and characteristics, measuring methods, and specifications. The newly formed PDEA has no plans to overstep the IEC's activities. However, Yoshida, who also serves as PDEA's director, stressed, "We believe that the IEC's power device standardization activities -- participated in by semiconductor companies -- will greatly benefit from the input and varying perspectives from users of power electronics [i.e., carmakers]; material suppliers and testing equipment vendors." Yoshida added, "We intend to gather such information from a broader industry constituency (that goes well beyond chip suppliers) in our open forum at PDEA." True to the PDEA's founding spirit (with an emphasis on "users" of power devices), an executive from Toyota Technical Development Corp. has become the first chairman of PDEA, according to Yoshida. Toyota Technical Development Corp. (TTDC) founded in 2006 is essentially a firm that serves as the engineering brains of Toyota Motors Corp. TTDC provides vehicle design and development services to Toyota, while offering vehicle body, chassis, engine, drive train, hybrid vehicles, fuel cells, electronics, instrumentation systems, IT systems, communication systems, and intellectual property design services. At the PDEA, "We want leading power device users such as TTDC to speak up and share their wish list -- on materials, quality, and supply chain requirements," said Yoshida. Life and death issues For power devices and power modules able to meet the high-voltage, high-current requirements, there are no established "testing specifications," for example, Yoshida explained. "We need to put in place a testing procedure, and establish standards and specifications for the way we evaluate power devices, so that users don't have to face testing results that might wildly vary depending on testing equipment." While these testing procedures are well established for devices used in the consumer electronics market, there is no equivalent for power devices used in vehicles or other high-voltage, high-current infrastructure equipment. "And that could result in... life and death issues," Yoshida cautioned. The PDEA website makes clear Japanese industry's ambition to lead the global market with home-grown power devices. The PDEA's goal appears to become a third-party catalyst, to fill in the gap in the emerging power devices eco-system. Although the power module market has been traditionally dominated by Toyota, which manufactures the module internally, there is near-universal involvement among other carmakers and tier-one suppliers in this market. Semiconductor companies are also part of the eco-system and they're moving up the value chain. Infineon, for example, already holds a sizeable market share in the power device pie. In this light, the PDEA cannot afford to remain an association of Japanese members only. Yoshida agrees. He pointed out that Infineon representatives were invited as speakers in a recent power device seminar. SiC vs. GaN Another reason why the power device market is getting hot, with industry associations like PDEA playing a likely role, is that the industry stands at a crossroads -- in terms of its underlying technology for power devices. As the automotive industry strives to cut the cost of power modules for HEVs and EVs, carmakers, for example, need to weigh two different types of power semiconductors -- SiC and GaN. SiC Schottky diodes have been around for more than 10 years, with SiC metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET), junction-gate field-effect transistors (JFET), and bipolar junction transistors (BJT) appearing in recent years. In contrast, GaN power semiconductors are just appearing in the market. According to HIS's April report: GaN is a wide bandgap material that offers similar performance benefits to SiC but has greater cost-reduction potential. This price/performance advantage is possible because GaN power devices can be grown on silicon substrates that are larger and lower in cost compared to SiC. Richard Eden, senior market analyst for power semiconductor discretes and modules at IHS, said in a statement: