Recent Advances and Future Development Trends in Silicon High Power Semiconductor Devices

Abstract:
Silicon based high voltage semiconductor devices continue to play a major role in modern megawatt power systems especially in the fields of traction, industrial and grid applications. The main development trend of power devices has always been focused on increasing the power ratings while improving the over all device performance in terms of reduced losses, increased robustness, better controllability and reliable behavior under normal and fault conditions. This paper will provide an overview of the recent advancements and future outlook purely from the power device design point of view for enabling the next generation systems designs.