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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Smart integration of GaN & SiC high power electronics for industrial and RF applications

Project description


Smart components and smart systems integration
Packaging and thermal management in an efficient and cost effective way for SiC and GaN-based power devices

For industrial motor-drive, UPS and solar inverters applications and aerospace or telecom radio frequency applications, new emerging power semiconductor technologies, respectively SiC and GaN, have demonstrated their higher performances than the actual technologies (Si and GaAs) in terms of reduction of losses, increase of efficiency and power handling. But to increase the efficiency of the power modules and in the same time reduce their size and make them more cost effective, these SiC and GaN technologies still have to be associated with new efficient cooling and packaging solutions. The goal of the SMARTPOWER project is to carry out the packaging and thermal management developments required to achieve the efficient and cost-effective implementation of SiC- and GaN-based power modules into industrial power inverters and RF transmitters systems, respectively. This main objective is supported in the project by two routes of research. The first one of them is the developments of key enabling technologies required to the integration of the power modules into viable systems: efficient and reliable thermal interface materials and electrical interconnect, highly efficient thermoelectric modules and integrated temperature sensor. The second one is the development of new 3D packaging techniques and the associated thermal architectures that will allow to integrate the core chips, together with the enabling technologies, in a viable and cost effective manner. The RTD developments will be demonstrated into the realisation of two high power modules: a SiC-based inverter for UPS, solar and motor-drive applications as well as a GaN-based RF transmitter for aerospace and telecom applications. The SMARTPOWER consortium (15 partners from 7 European States) gathers all the competences required to achieve these objectives and involves all the supply chain partners in order to anticipate the cost-effective introduction of these new technologies and future products on the market.

For industrial motor-drive, UPS and solar inverters applications and aerospace or telecom RF applications, new emerging power semiconductor technologies, respectively SiC and GaN, have demonstrated their higher performances than the actual technologies (Si and GaAs) in terms of reduction of losses, increase of efficiency and power handling. But to increase the efficiency of the power modules and in the same time reduce their size and make them more cost effective, these SiC and GaN technologies still have to be associated with new efficient cooling and packaging solutions. The goal of SMARTPOWER is to carry out the packaging and thermal management developments required to achieve the efficient and cost-effective implementation of SiC- and GaN-based power modules respectively into industrial power inverters and RF transmitters systems. This main objective is supported in the project by two routes of research:- The developments of key enabling technologies required to the integration of the power modules into viable systems: efficient and reliable thermal interface materials and electrical interconnect, highly efficient thermoelectric modules andintegrated temperature sensor.- The development of new 3D packaging techniques and the associated thermal architectures that will allow to integrate the core chips, together with the enabling technologies, in a viable and cost effective manner.The RTD developments will be demonstrated into the realisation of two high power modules: (i) SiC-based inverter for UPS, solar and motor-drive applications (ii) GaN-based RF transmitter for aerospace and telecom applications. The SMARTPOWER consortium (15 partners from 7 European States) gathers all the competences required to achieve these objectives. It is well balanced and involves all the supply chain partners in order to anticipate the cost-effective introduction of these new technologies and future products on the market.

Call for proposal

FP7-ICT-2011-7
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

THALES
EU contribution
€ 939 460,00
Address
4 RUE DE LA VERRERIE
92190 MEUDON
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Hauts-de-Seine
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Afshin Ziaei (Dr.)
Links
Total cost
No data

Participants (14)