Next Generation Power
Electronics Manufacturing
Innovation Institute
February 27, 2014
Research Retreat
Dennis Kekas
I n t e r i m E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r,
Next Generation Power Electronics
Manufacturing Innovation Institute
North Carolina State University © 2014
$25,634,942 (18%)
State Appropriated Funds
Employees (thousands)
Challenge:
Loss of U.S. Manufacturing Employment
Year
Source: data.bls.gov, Current Employment Statistics Survey
Next Generation Power Electronics
Manufacturing Innovation Institute
Vision: Wide bandgap technology for a more energy efficient world
Mission: Develop a manufacturing-focused innovation ecosystem to
reduce cost, improve performance and reliability, and enable U.S.
industry dominance in WBG semiconductor devices and systems to
create jobs.
Applications
Operate above 300 oC compared to 150 oC for
Silicon-based devices
Handle 10 times
higher voltages
Produce bulbs with 10 times
more light that last 30 times
longer …
saving $250B by 2030
Reduce losses during DC-to-AC
electricity conversion by 90%
Founding Partners
Wafer
Suppliers
Design House
/Device
Manufacture
Device
and Package
Foundry
Power
Electronics
Companies
RD&D
North Carolina State University © 2014
Comprehensive
Education and
Workforce
Development
Program
Research,
Development &
Demonstration
Thriving Power
Electronics Industry
Ecosystem
Commercial
Product
Acceleration
Production
& Packaging
Foundries
TALENT:
Comprehensive Education and
Workforce Development Program
$25,634,942 (18%)
State Appropriated Funds
 Summer Institute
 Training for working professionals
 Training community college and high school teachers
 Undergraduate Research Program
 WBG Professional Science Masters
 Online WBG University
 MEP provided training
Wafer
Suppliers
Device
Design
House
Wafer
Fabs
Packaging
Fabs
Market Demand
and Feedback
Approach
To
Innovation
OEMs
MARKET DEMAND:
Commercial Product Acceleration
End Products
Devices
20kW
RFMD
600V,
GaN HFET
Avogy
1200V,
GaN
Vertical Tr.
600V
1200V
Monolith
Semi. &
X-Fab
1200V,
SiC JBS,
MOSFET
Monolith
Semi. &
X-Fab
1700V,
SiC JBS,
MOSFET
Toshiba PV
Inverter
4500V
SiC JBS,
MOSFET
10kV
CREE
10kV,
SiC JBS,
MOSFET
15kV
Voltage
200kW
Power
Delphi
Vehicle Traction
Inverter
Toshiba PV
Inverter
1700V
4.5kV
USCi
Toshiba PV
Inverter
75kW
John Deere
Heavy Duty EV
Inverter
Vacon
Medium Voltage
Drive
GridBridge
Grid Energy
Router
Toshiba
MVD
Currently 10X
Low Voltage
Currently 10X
Devices
(600V to 1700V)
Medium Voltage
Devices
(3300V to 6500V)
3 years
5 years
Don’t Exist
High Voltage Devices
(> 10kV)
10 years
TARGET:
WBG Costs
Reach Parity with Silicon
1.5X
Achieve last 50%
cost reduction via
Power Electronics
Innovation
Cost
Parity
Reliability
WBG Service
WBG Service
CentersCenters
1
1
Wide
Bandgap
Service
Centers
• Establish standard testing benchmarks ❶❷❻
High Power Electronics
WBG High Power
and
Sharedreliability
RD&Dtest
Facilities
Electronics
• Long-term
❶❷❹❺
• Identify physics of failure mechanism ❹❺❻
2
2
• Develop ruggedness by process/device ❸❹❻
Power Supply WBG Power Supply
 Increase reliability
3
3
Performance
Device Design WBG Device Design
 Improve performance
• Devices to exploit WBG benefits ❸❹❻
4
4

Reduce
cost
• Advanced package development ❶❷❺
Device Failure Analysis
WBG Device Failure
Analysis
• Application aligned device choice ❶❷❸
• Develop WBG exclusive application ❶❷
5
5
Cost
•
•
•
•
Power Module Failure
WBGAnalysis
Power Module
&
Reliability
Failure Analysis &
Reliability
Improve materials for predictive output ❹❺❻
Larger volume inviting many customers ❶❷❺
6
6
Device FabricationWBG
& Characterization
Device
Silicon compatible manufacturability ❸❹❻
Fabrication &
Novel device, package development ❸❺❻
Characterization
RD&D Thrust Areas
Critical GaN Research - Umesh Mishra, Lead
- GaN Ron Scaling
- Stability and Reliability
- Normally-off mode
Critical SiC Research - Jay Baliga, Lead
- MOS interface quality
- Stability and Reliability
- Bipolar degradation
Power Electronics - Fred Lee, Lead
- High density converters
- Low cost PV inverters
- High temperature EV inverters
Packaging - Doug Hopkins, Lead
- High temperature packaging
- Low Rth
- Low parasitic inductance
IP Generation
&
Technology
Transfer
NC State Expertise
North Carolina State University © 2014
Existing Infrastructure at NC State
NC State’s Centennial Campus
NSF FREEDM
NNF, AIF
Analytical Instrumentation Facility
NCSU Nanofabrication Facility
NC State Competency:
Building Industry Partnerships
Centers & Institutes draw about 180 partners,
including some of the top names in industry.
North Carolina State University © 2014
Transforming Economies
Dennis Kekas
research.ncsu.edu/power