Wednesday May 27, 2020 / 2:00 p.m. ET
Hosted By: Sinjin Dixon-Warren
The power electronics industry is in a period of transition. For many years silicon-based devices dominated the industry, with conventional Si MOSFET transistors being used for lower power and intermediate frequency, with super junction (SJ) MOSFET devices being used for higher frequencies and higher voltage, and IGBT being used for high power and lower frequencies. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are newer, wide bandgap (WBG) technologies that have appeared on the market within the last decade that aim to displace these silicon technologies. GaN, SiC and SJ MOSFET technologies compete directly for 650 V devices and currently it is not clear which technology will eventually dominate the market at this intermediate voltage level.
The GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) concept was first patented in 1991 under US5192987A at APA Optics in Minneapolis, MN. US 5192987 A is an apparatus (or machine) patent. APA Optics also applied for a second method (or process) patent, US5296395A, which describes the fabrication of a GaN HEMT device. These patents were then reassigned to Infineon. Both patents have now expired and hence the concepts are in the public domain. Through reverse engineering and patent analysis, we have identified the claim elements of the APA Optics patent US5192987A in several products, including, for example, from GaN Systems, Navitas, Infineon, Panasonic, Efficient Power Conversion, ON Semi, Transphorm and Texas Instruments.
This webinar will be a review of the 650 V power MOSFET ecosystem and IP landscape. We will discuss the technologies in light of an early seminal GaN HEMT patent, demonstrating how reverse engineering can show innovation.
The discussion will include:
- Motivations for Reverse Engineering
- GaN Power Landscape
- How GaN fits in the Si and SiC power device market
- Early GaN IP
- Reverse Engineering Results
- Analysis of RE results in light of the early GaN IP
Wednesday May 27, 2020
2:00 p.m. ET
Duration 1 Hour
About The Host
Expert who will be conducting this webinar
Sinjin Dixon-Warren
Senior Process Analyst
Sinjin Dixon-Warren is a Senior Process Analyst at TechInsights with over 20 years of experience with semiconductor analysis and is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Power Electronics Analysis. He holds a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Toronto; some of his specialties include semiconductor physics and devices, materials science and surface analytical chemistry.
