RF-MEMS technology has the potential of replacing many of the mechanical and semiconductor switches used in mobile and satellite communication systems. In many cases, such RF-MEMS switches would not only reduce substantially the size and power consumption, but also promise superior performance. The paper reviews the recent development of RF MEMS switches and switch matrices. Several configurati...

This paper presents a novel methodology for IC speed-up in 32 nm FinFET. By taking advantage of independently controlling two gates of IG-FinFET, we develop the boosting structures that can improve the signal propagation on interconnect significantly. Furthermore, the circuit area and power dissipation issues are also taken into account. With the addition of boosting path, the full booster can ...

A new MOS gate-controlled power switch with a very low onresistance is described. The fabrication process is similar to that of an n-channel power MOSFET but employs an n--epitaxial layer grown on a p+ substrate. In operation, the epitaxial region is conductivity modulated (by excess holes and electrons) thereby eliminating a major component of the on-resistance. For example, on-resistance valu...

A multilevel inverter is a power electronic device made to synthesize a desired AC voltage from several levels of DC voltages. Some industrial drives require medium voltage and megawatt power level. For a medium voltage grid, it is troublesome to connect only one power semiconductor switch directly. A multilevel power converter structure has been introduced as an alternative in high power and m...

With wide-spread application of power electronic converters in high power systems, there has been a growing interest in system reliability analysis and fault-tolerant capabilities. This paper presents a comprehensive review of conventional fault-tolerant techniques regarding power electronic converters in case of power semiconductor device failures. These techniques can be classified into four ...

Numerous industrial applications have begun to require higher power apparatus in recent years. Some medium voltage motor drives and utility applications require medium voltage and megawatt power level. For a medium voltage grid, it is troublesome to connect only one power semiconductor switch directly. As a result, a multilevel power converter structure has been introduced as an alternative in ...

Power switches are used as part of power-gating technique to reduce leakage power of a design. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in open-literature to show a systematic diagnosis method for accurately diagnosing power switches. The proposed diagnosis method utilizes recently proposed DFT solution for efficient testing of power switches in the presence of PVT variation. It div...

In the present simulation work, an attempt is made to study the switching dynamics of an optically controlled 4HSiC thyristor power semiconductor device with the use of GaAs optically triggered power transistor. The half-cell thyristor has the forward breakdown of 200 V and reverse breakdown of more than 1000 V. The optically controlled thyristor has a rise time of 0.14 μs and fall time of 0.06...

This article discloses part of an invention on plug-and-play converter-level on-state voltage measurement methods for power semiconductor devices. To exclude the external supply required in circuits, a self-power solution is proposed to provide bidirectional low-voltage sources. The application circuit with demonstrated single-switch, single-phase inverter, and three-phase inverter.

GaN power devices are promising candidates for future application in vehicle electrification. Rapid progress in related material and device technology has been reported in the past decade. However, the chance of near-term implementation is still limited due to high cost and remaining technical challenges. This paper compares available GaN device technologies against automotive requirements, and...