PowerAmerica, a private-public partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, industry and academia, has released a new call for projects to advance wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor manufacturing and to accelerate the adoption of WBG semiconductor power electronics applications.
The call for projects requests participation on: Projects that lower the cost and increase the availability of wide bandgap power electronic devices by increasing gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) foundry capacity. Projects that advance innovative WBG semiconductor devices from design through qualification and accelerate the pathway for devices to reach volume manufacturing. Projects that increase the acceptance and adoption of WBG power electronics by advanced packaging and demonstrating reliability of SiC and GaN devices.
In addition, projects to accelerate commercialization of WBG power electronics applications in: Transportation and energy constrained mobile systems. Renewable energy power conversion and energy exploration; Energy efficiency for communications and digital systems; and High-voltage systems and energy efficient motor drives.
“The advantages of WBG are tremendous,†said John Muth, Deputy Director of PowerAmerica. “Compared to silicon, in many applications using WBG power electronics the system can be reduced in size and weight, operate at higher temperatures and cut energy losses in half. This is a great opportunity for U.S. industry to excel and compete with the rest of the world and is a fantastic area for young engineers to further their careers.â€
