Power electronics

Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power. The first high-power electronic devices were made using mercury-arc valves. In modern systems, the conversion is performed with semiconductor switching devices such as diodes, thyristors, and power transistors such as the power MOSFET and IGBT. In contrast to electronic systems concerned with the transmission and processing of signals and data, substantial amounts of electrical energy are processed in power electronics. An AC/DC converter (rectifier) is the most typical power electronics device found in many consumer electronic devices, e.g. television sets, personal computers, battery chargers, etc. The power range is typically from tens of watts to several hundred watts. In industry, a common application is the variable speed drive (VSD) that is used to control an induction motor. The power range of VSDs starts from a few hundred watts and ends at tens of megawatts. The power conversion systems can be classified according to the type of the input and output power: AC to DC (rectifier) DC to AC (inverter) DC to DC (DC-to-DC converter) AC to AC (AC-to-AC converter) Power electronics started with the development of the mercury arc rectifier. Invented by Peter Cooper Hewitt in 1902, it was used to convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). From the 1920s on, research continued on applying thyratrons and grid-controlled mercury arc valves to power transmission. Uno Lamm developed a mercury valve with grading electrodes making them suitable for high voltage direct current power transmission. In 1933 selenium rectifiers were invented. Julius Edgar Lilienfeld proposed the concept of a field-effect transistor in 1926, but it was not possible to actually construct a working device at that time. In 1947, the bipolar point-contact transistor was invented by Walter H. Brattain and John Bardeen under the direction of William Shockley at Bell Labs.

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Power electronics

Insulated-gate bipolar transistor

An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily forming an electronic switch. It was developed to combine high efficiency with fast switching. It consists of four alternating layers (P–N–P–N) that are controlled by a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) gate structure. Although the structure of the IGBT is topologically similar to a thyristor with a "MOS" gate (MOS-gate thyristor), the thyristor action is completely suppressed, and only the transistor action is permitted in the entire device operation range.

Power semiconductor device

A power semiconductor device is a semiconductor device used as a switch or rectifier in power electronics (for example in a switch-mode power supply). Such a device is also called a power device or, when used in an integrated circuit, a power IC. A power semiconductor device is usually used in "commutation mode" (i.e., it is either on or off), and therefore has a design optimized for such usage; it should usually not be used in linear operation. Linear power circuits are widespread as voltage regulators, audio amplifiers, and radio frequency amplifiers.

Introduction à l’électronique analogique- seconde partie. Fonctions linéaires de base réalisée à l’aide de transistor bipolaire.

Découvrez les systèmes alternatifs triphasés et leurs charges associées ainsi que les régimes transitoires, base des alimentations à découpage.

EE-492(c): Project in bioelectronics

EE-365: Power electronics

The goal of the course is to present fundamentals of power electronics. The key focus is on the operating principles of power electronic converters, their modelling, sizing and design.

EE-465: Industrial electronics I

The course deals with the control of grid connected power electronic converters for renewable applications, covering: converter topologies, pulse width modulation, modelling, control algorithms and co

Electron Emission Regimes of Planar Nano Vacuum Emitters

Yujia Yang, Alberto Nardi, Marco Turchetti

Recent advancements in nanofabrication have enabled the creation of vacuum electronic devices with nanoscale free-space gaps. These nanoelectronic devices promise the benefits of cold-field emission a

IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC2022

Diamond on GaN integration for power semiconductor devices with efficient thermal management

Reza Soleiman Zadeh Ardebili

The international actions against global warming demands reductions in carbon emission and more efficient use of energy. Energy efficiency in the conversion and use of electricity, as an important for

EPFL2021

Low-Complexity Optimization-Based Control: Design, Methods and Applications

Ivan Pejcic

Optimization-based controllers are advanced control systems whose mechanism of determining control inputs requires the solution of a mathematical optimization problem. In this thesis, several contribu

EPFL2019

Explores small signal models of bipolar transistors with application examples and discusses gain in voltage, Early effect, and temperature behavior.

Covers supply independent biasing, beta-multiplier reference, and temperature behavior in analog circuits design.

Covers the small signals model, dynamic regimes, and linearization in bipolar amplifiers.