Electronic hardware and software design and manufacturing solutions provider Mentor Graphics Corp of Wilsonville, OR, USA has joined the Wide Band Gap integration (WBGi) power electronics consortium to participate in thermal management and power cycling initiatives.
Established in 2013 by professors Katsuaki Suganuma and Tsuyoshi Fuaki of Osaka University in Japan, the WBGi Consortium assembles academics and industrialists worldwide to leverage the possibilities of wide-bandgap semiconductors materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium arsenide (GaN) - which enable devices to operate at much higher voltages, frequencies and temperatures than conventional silicon materials - and the associated challenges.
Mentor Graphics is already an active member of the US-based Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) and European Centre for Power Electronics Consortium (ECPE). WBGi is hence the third power electronics consortium that Mentor Graphics has joined, offering its expertise in the field and proven technologies to advance the power and performance of semiconductors, IGBTs, MOSFETs, and other devices.
"One of the key issues for SiC- and GaN-based power electronics is thermal dissipation," says Katsuaki Suganuma, professor at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University. "Mentor's T3Ster transient thermal tester hardware is the most advanced technology in its field and can contribute to understanding what is going on in WBG semiconductors," he comments. "There are standards for power LEDs already, and we believe that MicReD technology in the Mentor Graphics Power Tester can help in developing power cycling standards for WBG power electronics."
The WBGi Consortium is addressing all aspects of packaging and reliability in the next generation of power electronics, with 34 industrial company members plus several work groups, workshops and meetings in place. The WBGi is also involved with the ECPE in Europe, USA and Asian partner organizations to establish itself as a global consortium.
"Being a member of the WBGi Consortium in Japan is extremely valuable and important to us," says Roland Feldhinkel, general manager of Mentor Graphics' Mechanical Analysis Division. "Our proven technologies and our team of researchers, educators and scientists are eager to contribute to WBGi's initiatives and working groups," he adds. "Our collaboration with the WGBi and its members can help result in tremendous advancements for the power electronics systems industry worldwide."
