Gate drivers hold the key for efficient wide bandgap semiconductor adoption on the road to sustainability. Innovative companies are developing disruptive new technologies that move the world towards a safer and more sustainable future. Wide bandgap semiconductors, notably GaN and SiC transistors, are a present-day example of a rapidly emerging and disruptive technology that dramatically […]
Sustainability
How does digital isolation contribute to sustainability?
In general, digital isolation can be implemented using capacitive, giant magneto restrictive (GMR), and magnetic technologies. The digitally isolated gate drivers used to drive silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices plus silicon power MOSFETs and IGBTs in green energy systems like electric vehicles (EVs) and solar inverters mostly rely on magnetic isolation techniques, […]
imec models semiconductor processes for sustainability
A software platform currently in beta testing creates a virtual fab to help the IC manufacturing value chain reach environmental targets by quantifying the manufacturing impact through a bottom-up approach with realistic process conditions and validated data from partners as well as imec state-of-the-art fab and equipment. Early in my career, I worked for a […]
How does vehicle-to-grid technology work to improve sustainability?
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is often touted as one key to a more sustainable energy infrastructure. Like other areas where technology strongly impinges on economic and social interactions, however, the reality is complex and nuanced. Battery chargers can be a particularly daunting technical problem when implementing V2G. The charger must be bidirectional and offer high efficiency.…
How advanced control strategies and system architectures contribute to sustainability
Doing something the same way as in the past rarely produces improved results. Technology is constantly evolving and improving, and new technologies can require new approaches. In the case of the power electronic systems discussed below, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are common themes in these advanced control strategies and system architectures. Another […]
How much can GaN improve sustainability and reduce CO2 emissions?
Gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors are about less. Less CO2 emission from device fabrication, less materials in the devices and power converters using GaN, less cost due to higher frequency operation and smaller passive components, and less thermal dissipation due to higher efficiencies. Those performance factors combine to improve the sustainability of power converters built […]
How can digital twins improve power and motion system performance and sustainability?
A digital twin (DT) is a virtual representation of a physical system that spans its lifecycle, is updated using real-time data, and combines simulation, virtual testing, and machine learning to enable cross-functional teams to work collaboratively. Because it’s updated with real-time data, a DT creates a fusion between a modeling environment and real objects that’s […]
How multilevel converters and SiC can improve sustainability
Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are an advanced form of a voltage source converter. They are emerging as the preferred choice in medium- and high-voltage green energy applications like high-voltage DC (HVDC) transmission systems, medium voltage motor drives including electric vehicles (EVs), wind and solar renewable energy systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and EV chargers […]
How can TinyML support sustainability on the edge?
Sustainability can be in the eye of the beholder. That’s certainly true for the question of how can TinyML (tiny machine learning) support sustainability on the edge? From a societal perspective, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) believes that TinyML can help to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From an engineering […]
How do the six most common Li primary chemistries compare?
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries get a lot of headlines, but primary Li battery chemistries are the workhorses in a large number of industrial, medical, consumer, and other applications. This article looks at the performance tradeoffs and typical applications for the six most common Li primary chemistries including LiCFX (lithium poly carbon monofluoride) LiMN02 (lithium manganese dioxide),…