Power Electronic Module: Enabling the 21st-century energy economy

Abstract

To enable the rapidly emerging and imminent energy economy, high-voltage (HV) and high-current robust power electronic modules (PEMs) are needed at low cost. PEMs typically consist of a number of semiconductor power switches and driver chips; intelligent power modules often contain sensing and protection circuitry. In the entire supply chain of power electronics systems-from materials to end-user applications, including the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)-the PEM is the key building block, as it forms the heart of a power electronic system. The performance, cost, and durability of the entire power electronic system critically hinge on those of the PEM. In addition, major business opportunities in power electronics are often enabled by the advances in power semiconductor devices. One such opportunity currently available to the power electronics community has been created by the advances in wide-bandgap (WBG) power switching devices, which were first introduced by Shenai et al. in the 1980s [1].