Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FastLane (Boosting the European Value Chain for Sustainable Power Electronics)
Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-04-30
With the Green Deal, the European Union’s ambition is to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This requires electrification and innovations in all economic domains to ensure a radical and rapid shift towards cleaner, more efficient and sustainable generation and use of energy. All these domains heavily depend on power electronics for converting electric energy. This comes with a strong increase in the demand for Wide Band Gap (WBG) power electronics by the need of increased energy efficiency.
The vision of FastLane is to build a comprehensive, highly competitive, sustainable and resilient all-European value chain for SiC-based power electronics, starting from powder and boules to engineered SiC substrates, enabling novel smart semiconductor devices, smart power modules and converters, that will address several EU key application domains. This will also ensure Europe’s sovereignty and reinforce the leading position of the EU power electronics industry.
The FastLane vision is addressed through five strategic and technical objectives:
1. Environmental footprint reduction: demonstrate an overall environmental footprint reduction all along the product life cycle
2. Sustainable European Sovereignty in Power Electronics: secure European sovereignty in SiC-based power electronics by establishing a strategic value chain, boosting the EU’s market position, aiming to increase production, reduce costs and improve processes.
3. Broaden SiC functionalities: enhance SiC devices functionalities by integrating on-die sensors to monitor the devices in situ, improving device, module and system protection with increased performance.
4. Overcome device-related limitations: overcome limitations thanks to advanced packaging, improved parasitics and fusion of in-die current measurement with integrated sensors.
5. Achieve cost benefits by reuse of automotive economy of scale: demonstrate how cost benefits can be achieved by reusing the economy of scale of automotive power electronics for other power conversion applications.
The vision of FastLane is to build a comprehensive, highly competitive, sustainable and resilient all-European value chain for SiC-based power electronics, starting from powder and boules to engineered SiC substrates, enabling novel smart semiconductor devices, smart power modules and converters, that will address several EU key application domains. This will also ensure Europe’s sovereignty and reinforce the leading position of the EU power electronics industry.
The FastLane vision is addressed through five strategic and technical objectives:
1. Environmental footprint reduction: demonstrate an overall environmental footprint reduction all along the product life cycle
2. Sustainable European Sovereignty in Power Electronics: secure European sovereignty in SiC-based power electronics by establishing a strategic value chain, boosting the EU’s market position, aiming to increase production, reduce costs and improve processes.
3. Broaden SiC functionalities: enhance SiC devices functionalities by integrating on-die sensors to monitor the devices in situ, improving device, module and system protection with increased performance.
4. Overcome device-related limitations: overcome limitations thanks to advanced packaging, improved parasitics and fusion of in-die current measurement with integrated sensors.
5. Achieve cost benefits by reuse of automotive economy of scale: demonstrate how cost benefits can be achieved by reusing the economy of scale of automotive power electronics for other power conversion applications.
The main activities and achievements of the 1st project year are summarized per work-package (WP) hereunder.
WP1 – Use case definition & requirements
- Definition of the two FastLane use case domains “e-Mobility with Automotive Drivetrain” (UCD1) and “Energy Applications” (UCD2)”
- Identification of top-level requirements and specification of the detailed requirements for components/system, modules, devices and materials for the design and development subsequent work in WP2, 3, 4 and 5
WP2 – SiC material and pilot line
- Several developments of SiC materials, substrates and wafers as well as improvements of the corresponding processes
- Delivery Gen I and Gen II test samples were delivered to the device manufacturers in WP3
WP3 – Devices for SiC applications
- Alignment of the intended features and characteristics of the SiC MOSFETs
- Progresses regarding the development and integration of the new tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor
- Initial production of Trench-MOSFETs on off-the-shelf wafers and delivery to the WP4/WP5 partners to build-up of their power modules and components; work on new substrates started.
- Device topology concepts and simulations as well as concepts and designs for the fabrication of the new integrated SiC circuit breaker device.
- Planning of experiments and conduction of first experiments, along with set-up of simulations and test tools.
WP4 – Efficient packaging and modules
- Development of new / adaptations of existing manufacturing equipment and processes.
- Specification, development and optimization of the PM and circuit breaker designs, e.g. regarding the new functionality, along with implementation of test and measurement equipment.
- First variants of an automotive power module designed and manufactured, based on the particular developments of the project partners.
WP5 – Components and systems
- Specification of the requirements for the components and systems of the drivetrain and electrolyser applications, based on the outcome of WP1.
- Various investigations and implementation of preparatory measures, e.g. inverter topologies, hardware concept and design for the automotive powertrain, set-up of simulation models, approaches for sensing, data fusion, digital twins, driver circuits, control etc.
- The main focus of the activities in WP5 is planned for 2nd and 3rd period.
WP6 – Demonstration and validation
- According to the plan, the WP6 activities dedicated to demonstration have not started yet.
- Lead by CEA, the common methodology and planning of project-wide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was agreed between the partners of WP6 and WP2..5 followed by a first exchange of data.
- For the Use Case Demonstrators, a demonstration plan was prepared for the later integration and validation activities.
WP7 ‘Exploitation and dissemination’ and WP8 ‘Project Management’ and are transversal WPs organizing the work inside the project and establishing suitable communication channels to disseminate the results. All management processes required were established at the beginning of the project and executed during the reporting period.
WP1 – Use case definition & requirements
- Definition of the two FastLane use case domains “e-Mobility with Automotive Drivetrain” (UCD1) and “Energy Applications” (UCD2)”
- Identification of top-level requirements and specification of the detailed requirements for components/system, modules, devices and materials for the design and development subsequent work in WP2, 3, 4 and 5
WP2 – SiC material and pilot line
- Several developments of SiC materials, substrates and wafers as well as improvements of the corresponding processes
- Delivery Gen I and Gen II test samples were delivered to the device manufacturers in WP3
WP3 – Devices for SiC applications
- Alignment of the intended features and characteristics of the SiC MOSFETs
- Progresses regarding the development and integration of the new tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor
- Initial production of Trench-MOSFETs on off-the-shelf wafers and delivery to the WP4/WP5 partners to build-up of their power modules and components; work on new substrates started.
- Device topology concepts and simulations as well as concepts and designs for the fabrication of the new integrated SiC circuit breaker device.
- Planning of experiments and conduction of first experiments, along with set-up of simulations and test tools.
WP4 – Efficient packaging and modules
- Development of new / adaptations of existing manufacturing equipment and processes.
- Specification, development and optimization of the PM and circuit breaker designs, e.g. regarding the new functionality, along with implementation of test and measurement equipment.
- First variants of an automotive power module designed and manufactured, based on the particular developments of the project partners.
WP5 – Components and systems
- Specification of the requirements for the components and systems of the drivetrain and electrolyser applications, based on the outcome of WP1.
- Various investigations and implementation of preparatory measures, e.g. inverter topologies, hardware concept and design for the automotive powertrain, set-up of simulation models, approaches for sensing, data fusion, digital twins, driver circuits, control etc.
- The main focus of the activities in WP5 is planned for 2nd and 3rd period.
WP6 – Demonstration and validation
- According to the plan, the WP6 activities dedicated to demonstration have not started yet.
- Lead by CEA, the common methodology and planning of project-wide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was agreed between the partners of WP6 and WP2..5 followed by a first exchange of data.
- For the Use Case Demonstrators, a demonstration plan was prepared for the later integration and validation activities.
WP7 ‘Exploitation and dissemination’ and WP8 ‘Project Management’ and are transversal WPs organizing the work inside the project and establishing suitable communication channels to disseminate the results. All management processes required were established at the beginning of the project and executed during the reporting period.
FastLane targets a complete, highly competitive, and sustainable European value chain for Silicon Carbide (SiC) based power electronics, to provide a cutting-edge technology excellence, including:
- Next gen. high performance and sustainable SiC substrate materials with improved quality.
- New SiC MOSFET power devices overcoming current limitations in terms of efficiency, performance, robustness, intelligent functionality and sustainability.
- Power modules for automotive and energy applications, including multiple innovations.
- Highly efficient and reliable converters/inverters for automotive and industrial applications with innovative topologies and transfer from automotive to industrial leveraging the benefits of high-volume automotive manufacturing.
- Improvement of SiC material characterization methodologies will enhance the quality and output, while reducing the environmental footprint of EU-based power electronics products.
With these envisioned objectives, FastLane will actively contribute to the European Green Deal and ensure sustainable European sovereignty in power electronics, all while providing cost benefits for the end user.
- Next gen. high performance and sustainable SiC substrate materials with improved quality.
- New SiC MOSFET power devices overcoming current limitations in terms of efficiency, performance, robustness, intelligent functionality and sustainability.
- Power modules for automotive and energy applications, including multiple innovations.
- Highly efficient and reliable converters/inverters for automotive and industrial applications with innovative topologies and transfer from automotive to industrial leveraging the benefits of high-volume automotive manufacturing.
- Improvement of SiC material characterization methodologies will enhance the quality and output, while reducing the environmental footprint of EU-based power electronics products.
With these envisioned objectives, FastLane will actively contribute to the European Green Deal and ensure sustainable European sovereignty in power electronics, all while providing cost benefits for the end user.