Past Columns / Departments

ROHM’s 4G SiC MOSFETs Qualified for SEMIKRON’s eMPack Modules Targeting Next Generation EVs

July 18, 2022 by Ashok Bindra

Nuremberg, Germany based power modules maker SEMIKRON has announced that ROHM Semiconductor’s fourth generation (4G) silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs have been fully qualified in SEMIKRON’s eMPack modules for automotive use. Concurrently, SEMIKRON also secured a billion-Euro (U.S. $1.01 billion) contract to supply its innovative eMPack power modules to a major German car maker, … [Read more...] about ROHM’s 4G SiC MOSFETs Qualified for SEMIKRON’s eMPack Modules Targeting Next Generation EVs

Women in Engineering: Women in IEEE PELS: Progress and Opportunities

June 20, 2022 by Katherine A. Kim; Lauren E. Kegley; Stephanie Watts Butler; Christina DiMarino; Marium Rasheed; Radha Sree Krishna Moorthy

PELS embraces the imperative to encourage and assure the diversity and inclusion in our membership, volunteers, local and AdCom leadership. We shall respect each other’s needs and values with honesty and transparency.” ∼ First Core Value of the PELS 2021-2025 Strategic Plan [1]. For more about this article see link … [Read more...] about Women in Engineering: Women in IEEE PELS: Progress and Opportunities

Expert View: Avalanche and Short Circuit Robustness of Vertical GaN FET

June 20, 2022 by Dinesh Ramanathan

GaN power semiconductor devices have been the recent focus of intense development efforts due to the promising material properties of GaN for next-generation power electronics applications. For power switching and rectifying applications, the ruggedness in breakdown is a critical requirement as addition of snubber circuits reduce the performance and efficiency of the system. … [Read more...] about Expert View: Avalanche and Short Circuit Robustness of Vertical GaN FET

Society News: PELS SBC at NCHE Organize Virtual DL Program

June 20, 2022 by Ian Mcilrath; Vinoth Kumar K

On 16 March 2022, the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) Student Branch Chapter (SBC) at the New Horizon College of Engineering (NHCE) and IEEE PELS Bangalore Chapter in India organized a virtual Distinguished Lecture (DL) program with the topic “Long-horizon Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control (FCS-MPC): Theory, Implementation, and Applications.” The presentation … [Read more...] about Society News: PELS SBC at NCHE Organize Virtual DL Program

President’s Message: Hope for Resuming Our In-Person Events

June 20, 2022 by Liuchen Chang

The hybrid format of IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) 2022, held 20–24 March in Houston, Tx, USA, was a refreshing change from the virtual conferences of the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of hundreds of organizers and volunteers, APEC 2022 signals the return to our in-person events. It was a joyful … [Read more...] about President’s Message: Hope for Resuming Our In-Person Events

A technology revolution is unfolding around us as every major mode of transportation is in some stage of electrification, whether on land, sea, or in the air. All of these transportation modes depend on electric machines that play critical roles in both propulsion systems as well as in a wide variety of accessory equipment. Fuel economy and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants are major driving forces for electrified transportation. Despite the significant differences between these varied transportation modes, they all share strong motivations to make their electric machines and adjustable-speed drives smaller, lighter, and more efficient. An excellent example of this trend for the power electronic drives is provided by comparing the drive units in the Tesla S (2012) and Tesla 3 (2017). As shown in the side-by-side views provided in Figure 1, the drive unit shrank in size from an enclosure that matched the size of its main traction motor to a much smaller unit that, at first sight, appears to be a non-descript end-bell attached to one end of the motor. Rather than focusing here on how this impressive reduction in mass and volume was achieved (addressed later in this article), the key point here is that similar technology trends are under way in many of the other transportation modes as well, making electrified transportation increasingly appealing and competitive in the process.