Power Devices

Managing the power consumption of circuits and systems is now considered as one of the most important challenges for the semiconductor industry. Elaborate power management strategies, such as voltage scaling, clock gating or power gating techniques, are used today to control the power dissipation during functional operation.

This textbook provides an in-depth treatment of the physics of power semiconductor devices that are commonly used by the power electronics industry. Drawing upon decades of industry and teaching experience and using numerous examples and illustrative applications, the author discusses in detail the various device performance attributes that allow practicing engineers to develop energy-efficient products. Coverage includes all types of power rectifiers and transistors and analytical models for explaining the operation of all power semiconductor devices are developed and demonstrated in each section of the book.

Power devices are key to modern power systems, performing essential functions such as inverting and changing voltages, buffering, and switching. The increasing complexity of power systems, with distributed renewable generation on the rise, is posing challenges to these devices. In recent years, several new devices have emerged, including wide bandgap devices, each with advantages and weaknesses depending on circumstances and applications.

This symposium was the sCientific-technical event of the centennial celebration of the Asea Brown Boveri Switzerland. The purpose was to assess the present state of the art as well as shaping the basis for future progress in the area of power devices and related power circuits. The merger of Brown Boveri (BBC) with Asea to Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) three years ago gave new stimulus and enriched the technical substance of the symposium.