Latest innovations driven by EV technologies

The analysis’ aim to get a better understanding of the market evolution and technical issues of the power module packaging industry: ‘Power Module Packaging Report, 2018’ edition and Automotive ‘Power Module Packaging Comparison 2018’ report.

Once again, both partners combine their expertise to provide a deep added-value study. Taking into account the whole value chain, the market issues and technical expectations, analysts propose you today a valuable vision of the tomorrow’s industry.

The introduction of the WBG semiconductors, SiC and GaN is today pushing the development of new power packaging solutions, announces the market research and strategy consulting company, Yole. SiC technologies become step by step an essential solution to answer the industrial requirements, with a market estimation reaching 29% CAGR between 2017 and 2023. Actually, WBG devices can work at higher switching frequencies and higher junction temperatures.

The latest Model3 inverter from Tesla is a good example of WBG penetration, showing the added-value of STMicroelectronics’ SiC power module, reverse engineered by System Plus Consulting.

Beyond the semiconductor industry, the EV/HEV industry’s demand for high power density and mechatronics integration is also driving many power electronics innovations with dedicated packaging solutions. New standards in terms of electrical devices and systems become a reality, pushing electronic components to work in non-conventional environments for longer. System Plus Consulting’s report, ‘Automotive Power Module Packaging Comparison 2018’ report details the physical composition and cost of ten modules for automotive applications from five different manufacturers.

Analysts reviewed the different topologies and techniques used for the module packaging. Under this new report, System Plus Consulting’s analysts highlight the specificities of each solution, defined by the car makers.

Under a continuous process of innovations, the power module packaging industry is in a good shape. This market is showing a 8.2% CAGR during the period 2017-2023, reaching a global sector of almost $2bn at the end of the period.

With two major technical trends, over-molded double-side cooled modules for hybrid cars and single-side cooled modules with pin-fin baseplates for full electric cars, this industry is dominated by IGBT power modules.

Dr. Milan Rosina, Senior Technology and Market Analyst, Power Electronics and Batteries at Yole, stated: “The IGBT power module market grew 18.1% in 2017. No doubt today, that IGBT modules are driving the power module packaging materials business.”

Indeed 2017 was an impressive year for the IGBT power module market. And 2018 perspectives are even better, with over 20% growth in the first half of the year. The main explanation of this drastic market explosion is the boost from the EV/HEV sector, especially in China. It has also been an exceptional year for industrial motor drives in Asia. In parallel, other device modules, like those based on MOSFETs and bipolar transistors, show a slight decrease.

Consequently the overall power module market is expected to be over $5.5bn in 2023. This promising market is directly beneficial for the packaging material business.

The power module packaging material business is worth $1.2bn, a little more than a third of the total power module market.

Alejandra Fuentes Suarez, Technology and Market Analyst at Yole, commented: “It is a very dynamic market, where continuous innovations and material enhancements and a lot of R&D investment are needed.”

This power module packaging material market’s CAGR for 2017-2023 will be 8.2%, coming close to a $2bn business opportunity by 2023.

Power module packaging report from Yole highlights the market trends and forecasts and provides a comprehensive analysis of the package designs and materials. In addition, it describes the current packaging challenges, especially for SiC and GaN technologies. Key technology trends are also well detailed in this report, showing the impact of the market evolution.