Development of Inverter for 2006 Model Year CIVIC Hybrid

Our goals in developing the inverter used in the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system for the new CIVIC Hybrid were to reduce size and increase power. To reduce size, a trench structure was used in the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) gates, the chip thickness was reduced, a thin film capacitor was used, and the control components of the motor and structural components were integrated. These changes resulted in the 47% volume reduction and the 25% weight reduction compared to those in the previous model. For higher power, carbon-copper (C-Cu) substrates were used in the power module to increase heat diffusion, resulting in a 6% rise at maximum power current compared to that of the previous model.