Wide Bandgap Semiconductors and Their Applications in Power Electronics

Semiconductor power switches are essential to the operation of power electronic converters and systems. Traditional silicon-based semiconductor power switches have intrinsic physical limits to their performance. Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices deliver higher efficiency, smaller size, and/or lighter weight. Applications in power grid electronics as well as in electromobility are on the rise, but WBG devices also pose new challenges, in particular due to their fast switching speed and the need for protection.

SiC Power Devices and Applications covers the progress made in the area of WBG technologies, with a particular focus on silicon carbide, and a strong emphasis on their applications. Following an introduction to the topic, chapters cover fabrication and packaging, applications in data centres and telecom, motors and generators, transport and drives, avionics, power grids and HVDC, PV and energy storage, and in wind turbine converters. The book systematically and thoroughly addresses the important aspects of real-life applications of WBG devices.

The book is important reading for researchers and engineers in academia and industry, especially those involved in R&D of state-of-the-art power electronics, as well as advanced students in power electronics and semiconductor science.

Li Ran is a professor of power electronics with the University of Warwick, UK and Chongqing University, China. He is seconded to Huairou Laboratory, Beijing, China, as a research consultant. Prior positions include post-doctoral researcher with the Universities of Aberdeen, Nottingham and Heriot-Watt, and academic roles with Northumbria and Durham Universities, UK. He was seconded to Alstom Power Conversion UK, and took a sabbatical leave at MIT. His research interests include reliability of power semiconductor devices and power electronic systems.

Rui Jin is the director of the Power Semiconductor Research Institute at the Beijing Institute of Smart Energy and Huairou Laboratory, Beijing, China. Her main research interests include the design and fabrication of high-power electronic devices. Professor Jin is a fellow of the IEEE Power Energy Society Technical Committee on Transmission. She serves as the Deputy Secretary-General for China IGBT Technology Innovation and Industry Alliance.

Philip Mawby is a professor for power electronics at the University of Warwick, UK. He is also the head and founder of the PEATER (Power Electronics Applications and Technology in Energy Research) Group. His research interests focus on power electronics, modelling of power semiconductor devices and new concepts for power semiconductor devices. He has authored many publications in international journals.

Haitao Liu is the deputy general manager of Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co. Ltd. and dean of the Electrical Technology and Materials Engineering Research Institute, both with CRRC Zhuzhou, China. His research interests include the application of power electronic technology and automatic control theory in transportation and energy systems. Previous roles include head of the Industrial Drive Department, deputy director and director of the Technology Centre, as well as deputy chief engineer of CRRC Zhuzhou Times Electric Co. Ltd.