General

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Question: How do I install ModusToolbox™ software on Linux?

Answer: For Linux, the ModusToolbox™ tools package is provided via tar.gz file. Some users have found the installation process confusing because the current Infineon Developer Center webpage provides an "Install via Launcher" button. This is standard for all Infineon tools. However, since the Linux package is not an installer, the installation process requires several manual steps.

This KBA only provides instructions to install the ModusToolbox™ tools package on Linux, specifically Ubuntu. These instructions apply to the ModusToolbox™ version 3.0 tools package, and they are meant to clarify the current process. Refer also to the ModusToolbox™ tools package installation guide for additional details, such as system requirements, installing in a non-default location, etc.

For the next release of the tools package, the instructions will be consolidated and clarified further.

Step 1: Download the tar.gz file.

• The file can be downloaded from the Infineon website: https://softwaretools.infineon.com/tools/com.ifx.tb.tool.modustoolbox
• We recommend clicking the Download button instead of the Install via Launcher button.

Enter your user ID and password, or register for an account.

Note: If you use the Launcher tool, you will be asked to install that tool first. Then, you will need to open the Launcher tool to download the ModusToolbox™ tools package.

Step2: Extract the tar.gz file into ~/ModusToolbox.

• There are several ways to extract the tar.gz file; ensure the end result looks like this:

             /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/

• If the files/folders were extracted into a different location, move them to ~/ModusToolbox.

Note:  The Launcher tool extracts the files into /home/<user>/.local/share/Infineon_Technologies_AG/Infineon-Toolbox/Tools/ModusToolbox_<version>-linux-install/ModusToolbox/.

Step 3: Install prerequisites:

• Install the following packages for ModusToolbox™ software to operate correctly:
  • diffutils
  • git
  • make
  • coreutils
  • perl
  • python3
  • libncurses5
  • libusb-1.0-0
  • libxcb-xinerama0
• Run the following command to install these packages:

sudo apt install diffutils git make coreutils perl python3 libncurses5 libusb-1.0-0 libxcb-xinerama0

Step 4: Run post-install scripts:

• Run the following scripts before running ModusToolbox™ software on your machine:
  • OpenOCD:  /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>/openocd/udev_rules/install_rules.sh 
  • AIROC™ Bluetooth® Boards:  /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>/driver_media/install_rules.sh 
  • Firmware Loader:  /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>/fw-loader/udev_rules/install_rules.sh 
  • Post-Install Script:  /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>/modus-shell/postinstall 
  • IDC Registration Script:  /home/<user>/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>/idc_registration-<version>.bash 

At this point, installation is complete. Refer to the ModusToolbox™ tools package user guide for various instructions including how to create applications and how to build and program them.

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Due to very high-speed switching transients, practical power electronic switches are subjected to high dV/dt and di/dt. As the slopes of these transients increase, the voltage and current induced across the parasitic inductance/capacitance increase, which can sometimes damage the device and affect its performance.

Since these devices have a very short switching time and; therefore, faster voltage transition (dV/dt), it may result in induced voltage spikes. The voltage induced across the parasitic inductors will be . The influence of parasitic parameters on these power electronic switches is more serious due to the switching transients. For example, if the induced turn-on spike exceeds the Vth of the device, then the device will partially turn on for a brief period of time before the high-side MOSFET has fully turned off. With both the devices partially on, a high current can flow through the half-bridge, which can violate SOA limits and destroy one or both devices.

Figure 1  Representation of a MOSFET along with its parasitic lead inductance

See the device datasheet for more information. If it is not present in the datasheet, you can determine the lead inductance values from the device Spice Model:

1. Search for your device on the Infineon website using the product part number.
2. If you do not have the exact part number, go to Home > Product > Power > Products, and choose the required part from the available part numbers as shown in Figure 2.

3. Go to the product page and scroll down for the design files, or click Design Support.
4. Click Simulation Models and download the respective simulation model - MOSFET OptiMOS™ 40V N-Channel Spice (.lib file, Ex- StrongIRFET_40V_LTSpice.lib) as shown in Figure 3.

5. Open the downloaded file in any text editor tool (for example, WordPad or Notepad).
6. Go to the sub circuit definition of the part number (L0, L1, or L3) and find the values for Ls (Source Inductance), Ld (Drain Inductance), and Lg (Gate Inductance) in the circuit definition. Press Ctrl+F and choose from the available inductance values.

In the simulation model, while defining Ls, Ld, and Lg values, the effect of PCB tracks is also considered up to a certain extent, which depends on the length and width of the PCB track defined.

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In this article, we will discuss the desaturation (DESAT) protection feature present in automotive gate drivers. The following diagrams illustrate how DESAT protection works.

Figure 1  Typical application example

Figure 1 shows the application example using Infineon’s third-generation galvanic isolated EiceDRIVER™ driving an IGBT. The driver is connected to the microcontroller on the primary side with various pins and their connections.

Figure 2 shows the internal structure of the DESAT pin. When the voltage at VCE pin exceeds the threshold, the NFLT logic is set low and the signal is detected by the microcontroller. The driver initiates a safe turn-off procedure to protect the switch. The DESAT pin has an internal clamping, which clamps DESAT to VDESATL when TOUT= low (negative secondary supply). The clamp is released after the DESAT blanking time is exceeded.

When an IGBT or MOSFET is completely on, it is said to be saturated; when it exceeds the maximum current ratings, it is known as over saturate which will eventually cause device failure. A desaturation protection circuit provides protection for power semiconductor switches (IGBT or MOSFETs) against such events. The power switch collector-emitter voltage, VCESAT, the voltage drop across the component, is monitored by the DESAT pin of the gate driver while the device issues a PWM ON command.

When there is a short circuit in an application and a very high current flows through the power semiconductor switch, it will go into the desaturation mode; hence, its VCESAT voltage will rise. A fault is detected by the gate driver (while the switch is on) once this VCESAT voltage goes above the internal desaturation fault detection threshold voltage, which is typically 9 V for IGBT and 6 V for SiC MOSFETs.

The following table shows the differences between SiC MOSFET and IGBT during DESAT detection:

Table 1  Differences between SiC MOSFET and IGBT during DESAT detection

Sr. No.	DESAT detection with SiC MOSFET	DESAT detection with IGBT
1.	DESAT threshold voltage: 6 V	DESAT threshold voltage: 9 V
2.	Transfer characteristic	Transfer characteristic
3.	SiC MOSFET works in the linear region during normal operation. SiC MOSFET does not desaturate virtually . The desaturation level of the SiC MOSFET is much higher than the level of an IGBT when assuming an identical chip size for both components.	IGBT typically works in the saturation region during a normal on state and hits the current limit very early. A desaturation protection circuit is usually adopted to sense the VCE and the IGBT needs to be shut down when VCE exceeds the preset voltage ratio.

External components of the DESAT circuit:

The connection of the DESAT pin via three external components to the SiC/ IGBT module provides the following three functionalities:

1. A resistor with a minimum value of 1 kΩ limits the current flowing through the DESAT diode if VCE is negative.
2. A HV-diode protects the DESAT pin from high-voltages when the IGBT/ SiC MOSFET is turned off.
3. A capacitor is used to define a filtering time together with the internal current source and to increase the robustness against false triggering of DESAT for short-term voltage peaks during runtime.

Related FAQs:

1. What is blanking time in the DESAT circuit?

Blanking time (DESATBT) is the time taken to ensure no unintended tripping of the DESAT protection happens  while turning on the IGBT / SiC MOSFET after the DESAT circuitry has been disabled for a short time period such that the collector voltage of the IGBT / SIC MOSFET falls below the threshold level.

The blanking time, together with the external filter and DESAT reaction time defines the minimum time required for the gate driver to detect the fault condition and to activate the DESAT protection. The filter time is defined by the internal charge current of ICHG = 500 μA (typically), DESAT threshold VDESATth, and an external blanking capacitor, CDESAT.

tblanking = VDESATth × CDESAT/ICHG

The external filter time can be further reduced by connecting an external connecting source on the DESAT pin or by connecting an external resistor between VCC and the DESAT pin.

2. What is the minimum pulse required to trigger the DESAT function?

It depends strongly on external filtering components and the selected DESATBT. Generally, the DESAT detection will be triggered after passing VDESAT threshold followed by the DESAT blanking time.

3. Can a Schottky diode be used as a DESAT diode?

Yes, a fast recovery diode or Schottky diode can also be used as a DESAT diode.

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While running the code in CM0+ core, note that IRQ0 and IRQ1 interrupts are reserved only for internal system calls; if interrupts are to be used in the code, use IRQ2 or IRQ3.

Refer to the “Nonvolatile memory programming” section of the TRAVEO™ T2G architecture TRM for more information.

Note:  This KBA applies to the following series of TRAVEO™ T2G MCUs:

• CYT2 Series
• CYT3 Series
• CYT4 Series