Headline, May 26 2022/ FUTURE : ''' '' POWER ELECTRONICS POUCH '' '''

FUTURE : ''' '' POWER

 ELECTRONICS 

POUCH '' '''

THE STORY OF MODERN ELECTRONICS IS OFTEN equated with the relentless advancement of the silicon-based microchips that process information in our computers, phones and increasingly, everything else.

MOORE'S LAW has become a well-known summary of how those chips become even more compact and powerful.

But electronics also have a critical, less celebrated role in modern life : directing the electricity that powers all of our gadgets. This field, aptly called ''power electronics'' is changing quickly as engineers switch to power-control devices based not on silicon chips but on new materials that handle electricity more quickly and efficiently.

Some novel, post-silicon devices are in use already, and better power electronics will become far more important in the future as much of the world's economy switches from fossil fuels to electricity.

At a time when supply chains for silicone are severely kinked, these newer materials have boomed.

This wave of new materials burst from the lab in 2017, when Tesla faced a pivotal moment in its history. The company. has released two successful luxury car models, but in its effort to become a major automaker, it gambled the company's future on making a cheaper, mass-market vehicle.

When Tesla released its Model 3, it had. a secret technical edge over the competition : a material called silicon carbide. One of the key parts of an electric car is the traction inverters, which take electricity from the batteries, convert into a different form and feed it to motors that turn the wheels.

To get the pin-you-to-your-seat acceleration that Tesla are known for, traction inverters must pump out hundreds of kilowatts, enough power to supply a small neighborhood, while being dependable enough to handle life-or-death highway use.

Previous traction inverters had been based on silicon, but the Model 3's were made from silicon carbide, or SiC, a compound that contains both silicon and carbon.

STMicroelectronics, the European company that produced the silicon carbide chips Tesla used, claimed they could increase a vehicle's mileage range up to 10 percent while saving significant space and weight, valuable benefits in automotive design.

''The Model 3 has an air-resistance factor as low as a sports car's,'' Masayoshi Yamamoto, a Nagoya University engineer, who does tear-downs of electric vehicle components, told Mekkei Asia. ''Scaling down inverters enabled its streamlined design.''

The Model 3 was a hit, thanks in part to its groundbreaking power electronics, and demonstrated that electric cars could work on a large scale. [It also made Tesla one of the most valuable companies in the world.]

''Tesla made this fantastic move,'' said Claire Troadec, an analyst at Yole Developpement, a high-tech research and consulting firm in France, referring to the company's switch to silicon carbide. ''What they did in a year and half was really amazing.''

With Tesla's rapid rise, other automakers have moved aggressively to electrify their fleets, pushed on, in many places, by government mandates. Many of them also plan to use silicon carbide not only in traction inverters but in other electrical components like DC/DC converters, which power components such as air conditioning, and onboard chargers that replenish the batteries when a car is plugged at home.

Silicon carbide costs much more than silicon, but many manufacturers have concluded that the benefits more than make up for the higher price.

Last month, Wolfspeed, a semiconductor manufacturer, opened a $1 billion silicon carbide ''fab,'' or fabrication plant, in upstate New York. The company based in North Carolina, has deals to supply the material to General Motors, among other buyers.

Customers of electronic vehicles ''are looking for greater range,'' said Shipan Amin, a G.M. vice president. ''We see silicon carbide as an essential material in the design of our power electronics.''

New York Gov. Kathy talked up the Wolfspeed plant at its opening ceremony. ''There's a little place far away called Silicon Valley. You ever hear of that? Yeah, it's kind of overrated,'' she said.

''I want to be the first to welcome you to Silicon Carbide Valley, because this is the future.''

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Materials and Technology and the Future, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Amos Zeeberg.

With respectful dedication to the Research Scientists, Engineers, and the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society - for every subject in the world : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

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