Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Materials in Power Electronics

Dear Colleagues,

Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) or gallium oxide (Ga2O3), allow power electronic components to be smaller, faster, more reliable, and more efficient than their silicon (Si)-based counterparts. Currently, around half of the world’s total energy consumption of any kind is electrical, and it is estimated that 80% of all electricity will flow through a power-electronic device by 2030. These figures are expected to further increase due to the general implementation of (more) electric transport methods and the adoption of renewable energy sources. In these arrangements, the conversion and control of electrical energy is accomplished by modulating the semiconductor charge within devices that, due to their ability to sustain larger voltages, are commonly referred to as “power devices”. Here, the same Si-based rectifier and transistor concepts are built into other semiconductors with a wider bandgap; this has been demonstrated to overcome some physical limits of silicon, with a huge potential market, projected to grow from the current $52 billion to $71 billion USD by 2023 (with Si-based technology accounting for >90% of the module market share). We are now just scratching the surface of the opportunities that are being opened up by the mainstream adoption of wide bandgap semiconductors for power electronics, making it possible to reduce weight, volume, and life-cycle costs in a wide range of power applications, resulting in dramatic energy savings in industrial processing and consumer appliances, the accelerated widespread use of electric vehicles and fuel cells, and helping to integrate renewable energy onto the electric grid. Yet, there is a lot of room for basic and material science; WBG materials are indeed all over the place; almost the entire Earth crust is formed by wide bandgap oxides, and there are many chalcogenides, halides, organic and biomaterials that are also wide bandgap materials, among many other possibilities. In addition, some WBG materials can be engineered to be transparent, flexible or biocompatible, which will certainly pave the way for new power electronic avenues, which are as yet virtually unexplored.

The present Special Issue is devised as a collection of articles, reporting both concise reviews of recently obtained results, and new findings produced in this broad research area.

Dr. Amador Pérez Tomás
Guest Editor

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