SBIR Phase I: Direct Optical Control of High Power Using Silicon Carbide

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过更好的控制和减少能源消耗，在加强电网安全和稳定方面取得进展。由于速度更快，转换时间更短，容量更大，电力系统将得到更大的简化和成本的降低。电力半导体的全球市场总额在2014年估计为160亿美元，到2020年将增至280亿美元。亚洲在这个市场占据主导地位。从这一努力中预期的高功率、高频、低成本器件将成为现有电力半导体器件的一种有吸引力的替代方案。像这种设备这样具有竞争力和颠覆性的技术，以及在更多应用中对更高效的大功率开关设备的日益增长的需求，将为美国在这一市场获得更大份额提供增长和潜力。电力设备制造商将能够为可再生能源开发更小、更轻、更便宜的逆变器，并为并网存储系统和工业电机速度控制开发更简单的拓扑结构。医疗、交通和工业设备的电源可以变得更高效、更小、更便宜。用于电力传输的更简单的开关配置和更快的故障中断以防止广泛的电源故障也将成为可能。该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目是使用碳化硅的光驱动、高功率开关和控制的可行性研究。对大部分材料的控制消除了标准功率器件中存在的半导体控制结。这种方法是基于广泛的政府实验室研究，即光线入射到特殊掺杂的宽带隙材料(如碳化硅)上，会使材料的大部分变得可控地导电。对这一特性的深入了解使新型、高效、经济高效的器件能够在更高的开关频率下开关大功率。由于功率流不限于结点处狭窄的空间电荷区，体导通比现有半导体器件具有更大的能力。掺杂的碳化硅样品将被选为最佳的载流子复合特性，并将由发光二极管或二极管激光器驱动，以演示在100 kHz下的15千伏开关，并最终在一个集成的四端封装中实现10 A的开关。最终目标是在1000 kHz下实现30千伏、20安的开关，过渡率为10 mV/？S，占空比大于50%。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is progress towards greater security and stability for the power grid through better control and reduced energy consumption. Because of the greater speed, decreased transition time, and increased capability, greater power systems simplification and reduced costs will result. The total world market for power semiconductors is estimated to be $16 billion in 2014 rising to $28 billion by 2020. Asia dominates this market. The expected high power, high frequency, low cost device from this effort will be an attractive alternative to existing power semiconductor devices. A competitive and disruptive technology such as this device, and a growing demand for more efficient high-power switching devices in more applications will provide growth and potential for the US to gain a greater share in this market. Power equipment manufacturers will be able to develop smaller, lighter and less expensive inverters for renewable energy and simpler topologies for grid-tied storage systems and industrial motor speed control. Power supplies for medical, transportation and industrial equipment can be made more efficient, smaller and less expensive. Simpler switching configurations for power transmission and faster fault interruption to prevent widespread power failures will also be possible.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is a feasibility study of optically driven, high power switching and control using silicon carbide. Control in the bulk of the material eliminates the semiconductor control junction that exists in standard power devices. This approach is based on extensive government laboratory research that light incident on specially doped wide bandgap materials such as SiC causes the bulk of the material to become controllably conductive. A deeper understanding of this characteristic enables a novel, highly efficient, cost effective device, capable of switching high power at much higher switching frequencies. Bulk conduction also enables greater capability than in existing semiconductor devices as power flow is not limited to the narrow space charge region at the junction. Samples of doped SiC will be selected for optimal carrier recombination characteristics and will be driven by light emitting diodes or diode lasers to demonstrate 15 kV switching at 100 kHz and eventually 10 A in an integrated four terminal package. The eventual goal is a demonstration of switching 30 kV, 20 A, at 1000 kHz, with a transition rate of 10 MV/ìs, and duty cycle greater than 50%.