Basics of the Power Electronics Industry

Table of Content

Basics of power electronics

A tool to help non-engineer staff understand the power electronics world

(Ver. 2.1 – June 2016)

• Purpose of the document
• Table of contents
• Glossary
• Introduction to Power electronics p.5
  • Outline of the report
  • Our level
  • Converter level
  • Transistor level
  • Material and packaging level
  • Applications of Power electronics
• Power electronics: What is it? p.12
  • Definition of power electronics
  • The two forms of current
  • The different types of conversion
  • Definition: Single phase and Three phase
  • The types of electronics
  • The types of electronics
  • Why we need to convert power
  • Electrical Grid
  • Electrical Grid: the case of renewables
  • Smart-grid
  • Power electronics applications: Power ranges
• Converters p.26
  • Introduction
  • Passive components: Introduction
    • Capacitor
    • Resistor
    • Connection and interconnection
  • Power converters: Introduction
    • SMPS: definition of a switch mode power supply
    • Boost: DC-DC step-up conversion
    • Buck: DC-DC step down conversion
    • What is a converter? – Three phase
    • What is a converter: The inside job
      • Half-bridge
      • Full-bridge (or H-bridge)
      • NPC or three-level topology
      • NPC: how it works
      • Architectures tree
    • What does a converter look like?
    • Power stack components
    • Power stack trends
    • Power converter makers
  • Transistors p.52
    • Semiconductor manufacturing basics: introduction
    • Definition of a semiconductor (highly simplified)
    • Typical semiconductor materials
    • Wide Band Gap Semiconductor’s main impact
    • Wide Band Gap Semiconductor remaining issues
    • Power semiconductor manufacturing steps: Overview
    • Power semiconductor manufacturing steps
    • Difference between Semiconductor and Power Semiconductor
    • Semiconductor manufacturing: Node size
  • Power semiconductors
    • Definitions of the chapter
    • Bipolar transistor
    • What is a MOSFET ?
    • What is an IGBT?
    • Power devices by system’s power and frequency
    • Power devices by application’s power and frequency
    • Technology roadmap IGBT: Power densities
    • Thin wafer: Definition and advantages
    • IGBT wafer size
    • IGBT versus MOSFET: The losses trade-off
    • IGBT versus MOSFET
    • Power devices positioning by voltage and market range
    • Power electronics dies and modules manufacturers
    • Power module makers supply chain
    • IGBT die manufacturers: Positioning
  • Power devices packaging p.84
    • Power device packaging introduction
    • Definitions of the chapter
    • Device types
      • Additional pictures of power modules
      • Infineon IGBT econopack
      • Infineon IGBT econopack: the inside view
    • Device types: inside the devices
      • Power module packaging: cross-section
      • Power module packaging: issues and solutions
      • IPM: Integrated Power Module
      • Discrete components
      • Packaging of IGBT: Power versus multi-functions
    • Power module packaging
    • Cooling: conventional and direct cooling structures
    • Cooling: Improving coolant path to improve cooling
  • Applications p.101
    • Power electronics applications: Introduction
    • Power electronics applications: Summary
    • Power electronics applications: market drivers
  • Rail Traction
    • Rail traction: converters in a train
    • Rail traction: different trains architectures
    • Rail traction market
    • Rail traction main players location
    • Rail traction supply-chain
    • Rail traction supply-chain
  • Wind turbines
    • Wind turbines: principle
    • Wind turbine converter types
    • Wind turbine: Supply-chain
    • Wind turbine: Supply-chain
    • Photovoltaic inverters
  • PV inverters
    • PV inverters: Architecture and IGBT voltage
    • PV inverter supply-chain
    • PV inverters: IHS’s market ranks 2013
  • Hybrid and electric vehicles
    • EV/HEV: Electric and hybrid cars types and fuel savings
    • EV/HEV: Operation principle
    • EV/HEV: Converter types and power ranges
    • EV/HEV: Supply chain specificities
    • EV/HEV: Supply chain specificities
  • Motor drives
    • Motor drives: Introduction
    • Motor drive: supply-chain
    • Motor drive: supply-chain
  • Uninterruptible Power supplies (UPS)
    • UPS: operation principle
    • UPS: What is it? How it works?
    • UPS: Typology
    • UPS: Main players supply-chain
    • A non-exhaustive list of UPS players
  • Others: power devices are used everywhere
• Power electronics: the big picture p.140
  • Power electronics: The big picture – Introduction
  • Power electronics: Market
  • Power devices market by region
  • Power electronics business models
  • Power electronics business models with examples
  • Power converter main players
  • Power device makers Geo-strategy
  • The power devices dinosaurs’ battle
• Conclusions p.152
• Appendix
  • Additional converter topologies
    • Different type of 3 level: from Fuji electric’s analysis
    • Different architectures of multi-level
    • Matrix converter: how it works