Ensuring a sustainable energy future for our planet is a key engineering goal. As the global population increases, the demand for new energy methods is driving greater sustainability. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change, we must reduce emissions to zero. This task requires a revolution in energy production.

As the global demand for electricity and data connections surges, it is clear that power electronic equipment will play a key role in meeting demand by improving the efficiency and price of our equipment. The slogan is efficiency.

As technologies such as solar photovoltaics strive to advance energy applications, the continuous development of reliable power production, storage and transmission solutions is essential. Power semiconductors based on gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) will become a way to improve the power efficiency of industrial applications while promoting the development of renewable energy.

These and other challenges will be solved during PowerUP Expo, a virtual conference and exhibition aimed at exploring the future of power electronics. The three-day event kicked off on December 7 and will provide a series of tutorials on power electronics technology, including wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors and motor control.

EPC CEO Alex Lidow will begin to discuss the basic principles of GaN, including its thermal and electrical advantages over silicon. Victor Veliadis is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University and the CEO and CTO of PowerAmerica. Next, we will discuss the benefits of SiC material characteristics, as well as material and equipment manufacturing considerations. His presentation will focus on the MOSFET design used in the vast majority of SiC-based power electronic devices.

Nexperia's application marketing manager Sebastian Fahlbusch and chief application engineer Sebastian Klötzer will discuss design considerations for SiC and GaN technologies that may become key players in high-voltage applications. In order to fully realize the potential of these technologies, this course will solve the challenges of PCB layout, design and measurement. Practical examples and measurements will be demonstrated.

The first day ended with a speech by Onsemi product line manager Jinchang Zhou, entitled "Extending the power density and life of the latest IGBT power modules in motor drives through transfer molding technology." The presentation will cover the transfer molding technology of the latest IGBT power modules suitable for a variety of motor applications.

Wide band gap GaN and SiC are becoming viable options for power electronics. The energy required to move electrons from the valence band to the conduction band in GaN and SiC makes them WBG semiconductors (1.1 eV for silicon, 3.2 eV for SiC, and 3.4 eV for GaN). These properties produce a higher applicable breakdown voltage, which can approach 1,700 V in some applications. Power semiconductors based on GaN and SiC technologies can also provide a way for more efficient power transmission in industrial environments, while also accelerating the growth of the renewable energy sector.

On December 8th, Victor Veliadis will begin the second day of PowerUP to give an overview of SiC technology. Veliadis will study the challenges and opportunities of implementing this technology.

Robert Kaplar, Manager of Semiconductor Materials and Device Science at Sandia National Laboratory, will introduce the latest developments in GaN power devices. Kaplar focuses on epitaxial growth, device design, processing and characterization.

Toni Versluijs, general manager of Nexperia MOS and GaN division, will introduce in detail the market adoption of GaN, including applications, technology and packaging innovations. Filippo Di Giovanni, STMicroelectronics Strategic Marketing, Innovation and Key Project Manager, will address the progress and challenges faced in adopting WBG semiconductors. Versluijs will also discuss the new packaging concepts required to combine with the unique WBG electrical and physical characteristics.

After the keynote speech, the conference will turn to technical speeches on various topics of WBG. I will host a panel to discuss the next wave of GaN and SiC applications. The meeting started with an introductory speech by the group members, followed by discussion and Q&A sessions.

Panel members and speech topics include:

Motor control cost-effective, energy-saving motor control solutions can simplify the design and provide highly integrated and enhanced safety features and proven isolation features. This is because the efficiency requirements of these applications continue to increase.

On December 9th, we will carefully study the trend of motor control, focusing on industrial automation and defect detection. Peter Friedrichs, Senior Director of Infineon Technologies SiC, will introduce this meeting to discuss the advantages of WBG power switches, SiC MOSFETs in drivers and the opportunities brought by these technologies.

Jeff De Angelis, vice president of industrial communications and motion control at Analog Devices, will discuss industrial automation and AI observer algorithms to produce self-aware devices that can increase efficiency and extend operating life while reducing operating expenses.

Christian Ionescu Catrina, Product Marketing Manager of Power Integrations, will discuss "Built-in motor and system fault detection and reporting can reduce field returns." The presentation will examine how the ability to remotely diagnose problems can reduce downtime.

After the opening ceremony and the keynote speech, the conference was once again turned into a technical conference on various aspects of motor control. Another moderate group will study the challenges faced when deploying industrial motor control applications.

Panel members and topics include:

We will explore electrification and future energy trends on December 9th. First, Thar Casey, founder, president and CEO of Amber Solutions, will discuss the second electrical revolution and new methods of energy use, including electric vehicles. Asif Jakwani, Onsemi's senior vice president and general manager of the Advanced Power Division, will discuss how to meet the electrification needs of the 21st century to achieve a net-zero future. Steve Lambouses, vice president and general manager of high-voltage power supplies at Texas Instruments (TI), will consider the role of low-power semiconductors and compress more power into smaller packages while creating more efficient and durable electronic products.

The conference then entered another round of technical talks centered on future energy trends. The chairing group includes:

It's time to power up! Register here for free.

Maurizio has a PhD. PhD in Physics, a telecommunications engineer and journalist. He has participated in various international projects in the field of gravitational wave research. He worked with research institutes to design data acquisition and control systems for space applications. He is the author of several books published by Springer, as well as many scientific and technical publications on electronic design.

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