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Surpassing Silicon: Paper-Thin Gallium Oxide Transistor Handles More Than 8,000 Volts:
People love their electric cars. But not so much the bulky batteries and related power systems that take up precious cargo space. Help could be on the way from a gallium oxide-based transistor under development at the University at Buffalo.
In a study published in the June edition of IEEE Electron Device Letters, electrical engineers describe how the tiny electronic switch can handle more than 8,000 volts, an impressive feat considering it's about as thin as a sheet of paper.
The transistor could lead to smaller and more efficient electronic systems that control and convert electric power — a field of study known as power electronics — in electric cars, locomotives and airplanes. In turn, this could help improve how far these vehicles can travel.
[...] Tests conducted [...] in March show the transistor can handle 8,032 volts before breaking down, which is more than similarly designed transistors made of silicon carbide or gallium nitride that are under development.
"The higher the breakdown voltage, the more power a device can handle," says Singisetti. "The passivation layer is a simple, efficient and cost-effective way to boost the performance of gallium oxide transistors."
Journal Reference:
Shivam Sharma, Ke Zeng, Sudipto Saha, Uttam Singisetti. Field-Plated Lateral Ga2O3 MOSFETs With Polymer Passivation and 8.03 kV Breakdown Voltage, (DOI: 10.1109/LED.2020.2991146)
(Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday June 04 2020, @07:31PM (1 child)
Over my gen-x lifespan vfd tech has improved from exotic aerospace stuff to commodity for LV work.
I'm pretty sure I'll live long enough to see powerco transformers replaced by MV rated VFDs. Interesting time to be alive....
Of course on the other side, if you thought copper/iron xformers were sensitive to EMP / lightning, imagine early generation VFD replacements getting wasted and possibly literally vaporizing on the pole, LOL. Or imagine the results of a short out looking a lot like a Star Trek bridge explosion in every house served by the VFD.
Still amazing to imagine maybe in 2030 replacing a giant barrel distribution xfrmer with a little shoebox VFD outputing 240V to my house, LOL.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Thursday June 04 2020, @10:49PM
Yeh, I wonder how resilient it is to inductive kickback. I have seen all too many really big devices done in by flyback pulses from stray inductance.
Some power FETs will just avalanche and recover if possible. While other devices suffer irreversible and permanent degradation.
Stray inductance is a bitch.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]