Switching Megawatts with Power Transistors

Abstract

Semiconductor silicon revolutionized the computing and communication industries in the last century. With the invention of the semiconductor transistor, miniaturization of electronic systems took place at an unprecedented rate. Today, everyone has access at their fingertips to computing and communication devices capable of delivering multi-megabits of data within seconds, once simply unthinkable. The advent of silicon integrated circuit (IC) technology enabled the information revolution, and information technology (IT) was a prime driver of the 20th century global economic boom. With the advent of information technology, energy technology has become more critical than ever before.1 Batterypowered, wireless handheld computing and communication devices are finding applications in every walk of life from the boardroom to the emergency room. However, further miniaturization and performance enhancement of these devices are hindered by battery size and limited storage capacity. At the same time, batterychargers are inefficient and waste nearly 25% of the electricity used.2 Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are becoming cost-effective and popular; and there is growing interest in developing all-electric transportation, especially from the perspective of environmental concerns.3 The electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure is more than 100 years old and is in the midst of the greatest change in its history.4 A flexible and robust smart electricity grid is needed that is capable of efficiently integrating distributed renewable energy resources, including solar and wind generators.5 At the same time, alternative and more efficient methods of electricity delivery such as direct DC are under development and have the potential for rapid penetration of renewable energy for local utilization.6