APEC 2024, Day 3: Daily Briefing Video

EDN editor-in-chief Majeed Ahmad and Power Electronics News editor-in-chief Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio discuss the highlights on day 3 of APEC 2024. One major topic included the move to a greener infrastructure for automotive manufacturing and more efficient automotive subsystems such as power trains. Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as SiC and GaN will be critical in realizing higher efficiencies for these systems moving forward. 

Majeed touched upon the rising popularity of GaN devices for applications outside its previous space of consumer electronics (e.g., USB chargers, AC adapters, etc.) and high frequency (RF) devices to other use cases such as data center power supplies and EV systems. Many players have, in recent years, made the claim that GaN can go beyond 650 V however, the jury is still out on its viability especially in large volumes. GaN power devices must contend with finding a suitable substrate to enhance factors such as power density, voltage capabilities, thermal performance, larger wafer sizes, long-term reliability, etc. Substrates for GaN vary from GaN-on-Si, GaN-on-SiC, to more specialty GaN-on-GaN, GaN-on-sapphire, and GaN on ceramics such as QST as accomplished by Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) in Taiwan. 

SiC technology has been steadily maturing where cost and wafer availability issues are appearing to ease up. Many exhibitors displayed wafers up to 8″and test and measurement (T&M) systems for wafer testing. Innovations in simulation tools such as QSPICE continue to keep up the pace with advances in SiC technologies, offering engineers a free platform rapidly to evaluate designs. Finally, Maurizio covers the non-WBG technologies revealed including a hydrogen fuel cell power system by Kohler Energy. 

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