PowerAmerica Funds New wide bandgap Projects
The PowerAmerica Institute at North Carolina (NC) State University, a member of Manufacturing USA, has awarded funding to six new member projects that will enhance wide bandgap technologies in the US. In addition, PowerAmerica has awarded funding for 20 projects to be led by existing members for a total of $20 million in project funding for this cycle.
"These projects are instrumental in
fulfilling PowerAmerica's mission of accelerating the adoption of wide bandgap
technologies into power electronics systems. To date, the institute has funded
scores of projects that have contributed to the development of more efficient
power electronics, which will benefit a range of applications "“ from electric
vehicles to data centers," said PowerAmerica deputy executive director and CTO
Victor Veliadis.
The new member projects receiving funding are:
Wide bandgap power modules for next generation systems
GE Aviation Systems and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will work together to design and produce advanced wide bandgap power modules made with SiC and GaN. The goal of this project is to enable true engine coolant temperature-grade equipment which is required to support next generation defence systems as well as commercial transportation, wind and solar, while reducing overall system costs.
Dual-inductor hybrid converter for direct
48V to sub-1V DC-DC module
A team at UC Boulder will design and implement a GaN-based, novel converter with an increased density of ten times that of converters currently on the market, with up to three times lower power loss. The converter will have fewer components, simpler implementation and lower cost. It can be used for power delivery to data centres, cellular base stations, portable applications, and defence systems.
Devices for solid-state circuit breaking at the medium voltage level
A team at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte (
600V GaN bi-directional switch
Infineon will develop a low-cost, 600V
bidirectional 70mOhm switch based on the company's CoolGaN HEMT technology,
capitalising on the unique bidirectional nature of the GaN HEMT. The project
will validate both the dual gate concept and a solution for substrate voltage
stabilization, and will make the GaN switch more economically attractive compared
to the standard silicon devices commonly used today.
Graduate wide bandgap semiconductor power device lab
A team at NCSU will establish a graduate
laboratory course focused entirely on the design, fabrication, and
characterisation of wide bandgap power devices, and disseminate the curriculum
to PowerAmerica members to accelerate the education of new engineers.
Power electronics teaching lab incorporating wide bandgap switches and circuits
Researchers at UNCC will develop a modular,
multi-function, educational high-frequency power electronics board with plug
and play capability. The new board will give students the flexibility to
perform different power electronics lab sessions and train undergraduate
students as wide bandgap power electronics engineers through hands-on
experience and practical knowledge of WBG semiconductors in power electronics
applications.
