Materials major Sabic will introduce a thinner gauge of its Elcres HTV150A amorphous polycarbonate (PC) co-polymer–based dielectric film at the 2022 Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in Houston this week. The material is suited for capacitors in the traction inverters, onboard chargers, and electrical compressors of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles (xEV). The 3-µm film is 40% thinner than Sabic’s recently announced 5-µm film, enabling further volume and weight reductions and greater design flexibility through enhanced energy density for the capacitor.

Further, like the five-µm Elcres HTV150A film, this exceptionally thin film maintains stable performance at operating temperatures up to 150°C and addresses the critical performance gap experienced by traditional polypropylene (PP) films above 135°C. This new level of thermal performance helps customers to increase the adoption of SiC power modules with a smaller package size due to the higher energy density, reducing weight while providing the efficiency and performance desired for increased xEV adoption by consumers.

Sabic’s participation at APEC will include a technical presentation by Adel Bastawros, Chief Scientist, Technology & Innovation, on March 22. His presentation, titled “Elcres HTV150A Film – New Generation Capacitor Films for High Heat Inverter Applications,” will begin at 2:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. At its booth, the company will exhibit Elcres HTV150A film and typical capacitor applications.

“When we launched the five-micron Elcres HTV150A film last year, we committed to develop thinner gauges to meet requirements for different capacitor voltages, and we’ve delivered on that pledge,” said Greg Stoddard, Technical Director, Resins and New Chemistries, Sabic. “Our new three-micron film can help customers design smaller package sizes that potentially avoid the use of active cooling systems associated with films that perform at lower temperatures. As OEMs design electric and hybrid vehicles to operate at specific voltages, the new three-micron film can help with differentiation by providing tailored properties. Segmentation of voltage performance aids automakers to match capacitor performance to the needs of different vehicles in their product lines.”

Elcres HTV150A dielectric film is the first capacitor film in the industry to be engineered for stable performance at operating temperatures of -40°C to 150°C and frequencies up to 100 kHz, while offering stable capacitance, insulation resistance, and dielectric performance (dielectric constant (Dk) of 2.9, dissipation factor (Df) of 0.002). Other key properties include high breakdown strength over the full temperature range, good self-healing, and adhesion to aluminum and zinc. The film has been validated by customers for use with both film-foil and metalized electrodes. Capacitors built with 3-µm and 5-µm metalized films pass standard electrical and life tests at 150°C for 2,000 hours, with low capacitance change and stable insulation resistance.