Sub-Nanosecond Power Electronics: A New Paradigm in Power Conversion

forthcoming

The adoption of electrical energy systems is rapidly increasing across critical sectors, including portable battery systems (phones, tablets or laptops), transportation (hybrid and electric vehicles), home climate control (heat pumps), and industrial processes, among others. Power electronics now processes up to 70% of all electrical energy, making it a cornerstone of the global transition toward cleaner and more efficient energy systems and a key enabler of renewable energy integration for a sustainable future. The growing adoption and rapid evolution of these technologies require innovative solutions to reduce energy waste, enhance efficiency, and improve compactness and performance, with switching frequency identified as one of the major limiting factors. The SPEED project introduces a groundbreaking concept in power conversion: sub-nanosecond power electronics. By enabling switching transitions in the picosecond range—up to two orders of magnitude faster than current technologies—SPEED promises ultra-efficient, highly compact, and cost-effective designs that unlock new possibilities to radically improve power conversion in the aforementioned applications and to enable previously unattainable applications. SPEED revolutionary vision is driven by a novel dynamic expert driving technology with an advanced multi-level holistic design, integration, and optimization process. This process comprises innovations in semiconductor device, topologies, control, and system-level design, addressing key challenges to overcome the frequency limitations of wide-bandgap power semiconductors. SPEED’s unique combination represents a major breakthrough, aiming to research on novel concepts and integrate cutting-edge advancements. SPEED’s approach is expected to directly benefit existing technologies, enabling ultra-efficient (>99%) power conversion and ultra-high power density (>50 kW/l) applications.