News

50 Most-Read Industry News Stories of 2014: 50 to 41

January 04, 2015 by Power Pulse1595211359

50: University of Tokyo Team Improves SiC Power Devices

The improvement of power device performance significantly contributes to energy saving. The operation with lower energy loss is expected especially by using silicon carbide (SiC) instead of silicon (Si) which is the common material. However, the transistors with SiC are still suffered from large resistance and insufficient reliability, mainly due to the defects on SiC by the formation of silicon dioxide, as the gate dielectric film. The research group of Koji Kita, an associate professor in the University of Tokyo, found that the density of interface defects is significantly reduced by employing the reaction condition where the byproduct carbon should be ejected as carbon monoxides. more

49: Raytheon UK Developing SiC MOSFETs for Automotive Applications

Raytheon UK's semiconductor business unit in Glenrothes, Scotland, has been selected by a leading automotive manufacturer to develop a Silicon Carbide (SiC) based MOSFET for use in electric, hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. As experts in the development of components and modules intended for safety-critical applications within harsh environments, Raytheon will employ its extensive SiC fabrication expertise to develop a MOSFET, rated at 650V/60A, which can be mass-produced cost-effectively and be fully compliant with the stringent ISO/TS 16949 automotive quality standard. more

48: Johnson Controls Growing its Spectrum of Energy Storage in China

Johnson Controls, Inc. has signed a new long-term automotive battery supply agreement with SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (SAIC Motor), a further indication of Johnson Controls' commitment to expand rapidly in China. The China region is Johnson Controls' primary target for market expansion. Under the agreement, Johnson Controls, a global multi-industrial company, will provide its Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries to power SAIC Motor's Start-Stop vehicles. more

47: FibrLec Energy Harvesting Textiles Spun out of Bolton University

Researchers at the University of Bolton, led by Professor Elias Siores, are pioneering developments into 3D textile structures using piezoelectric energy harvesting fibers. The long term results could lead to energy harnessing carpets or mobile devices, like phones and tablets, being charged on the move. The research has just been published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, in the world's leading academic journal, Energy and Environmental Science. The research carried out previously at Bolton demonstrates the development of continuous piezoelectric yarns which show high flexibility and high mechanical strength. This has now made it possible for piezoelectric fiber to be woven into intricate and complex structures, such as 3D spacer textiles, opening a new horizon for commercial applications. more

46: Making Solar Cells from Used Car Batteries

A system proposed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recycles materials from discarded car batteries — a potential source of lead pollution — into new, long-lasting solar panels that provide emissions-free power. The system is described in a paper in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, co-authored by professors Angela M. Belcher and Paula T. Hammond, graduate student Po-Yen Chen, and three others. It is based on a recent development in solar cells that makes use of a compound called perovskite — specifically, organolead halide perovskite — a technology that has rapidly progressed from initial experiments to a point where its efficiency is nearly competitive with that of other types of solar cells. more

45: Nanotubes may yield Maxi-Performance in Li-ion Batteries

Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are turning to extremely tiny tubes and rods to boost power and durability in Li-ion batteries. If successful, the batteries will last longer and perform better, leading to a cost advantage for electric vehicles. Transportation and communication around the world increasingly rely on Li-ion batteries, with cell phones ubiquitous on six continents, and electric vehicles on pace to accelerate from a $1 billion worldwide market in 2009 to $14 billion by 2016. more

44: Infineon Offers Royalty-Free License of High-Power Module Packages

Infineon Technologies AG today announced the launch of two new power module platforms designed to improve the performance of high-voltage IGBTs in voltage classes from 1200V up to 6.5kV. To make the benefits of the new module broadly available, Infineon is offering a royalty-free license of the design to all providers of IGBT power modules. First products using the platform concept will include the high voltage classes 3.3kV (450A), 4.5kV (400A), and 6.5kV (275 A) with a newly designed package measuring 100mm x 140mm x 40mm. The new modules will be introduced during PCIM which will take place in Nuremberg from May 19 - 21, 2015. Additionally, a package design for the lower voltage classes is being developed. more

43: First Single-Crystalline GaN Growth on Wafer-Scale Graphene

The successful development of graphene wafers promises to reduce the cost and increase the performance of electronic devices. This week, IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center announced a new technique for using graphene as a substrate for single-crystalline semiconductor film growth. Replacement of today's SiC substrates with graphene could lead to new applications for GaN and other advanced wide bandgap semiconductor materials. Initial commercial devices could appear in five years or less. more

42: Transphorm Demonstrates GaN Progress at Techno Frontier

The news at Techno Frontier from Transphorm, Inc. is the continuation of the story begun late in 2013 when the acquisition of the Fujitsu GaN Business unit was announced. This year, Transphorm is announcing that it is now working with three distributors in Japan. They are UKC Electronics Corporation, IIDA Electronics (TSUSHO) Co., Ltd, and FEI (Fujitsu Electronics Incorporated). more

41: V2G Simulator will help PEVs Become an Electric Grid Resource

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are here, and more are coming. One study forecasts that more than a million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will be sold in California, New York, Washington, and Florida alone between 2013 and 2022. There is a need for proven technologies that can predict the grid availability of a collection of independently operated vehicles. Yet the electricity grid needs to precisely match the demand for power from second to second with supply, drawing on a variety of sources ranging from base and peaking power plants to intermittent sources such as wind and solar power. How can electricity grid managers, government authorities, power markets, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders harness the resource offered by the growing fleet of PEVs? A project at the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) may help to answer that question. more