Wednesday, November 12th 2008 – The US Department of Energy has awarded GeneSiC Semiconductor two separate grants totaling $1.5M for the development of high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) devices that will serve as key enablers for wind- and solar-power integration with the nation’s electricity grid.
“These awards demonstrate the DOE’s confidence in GeneSiC’s capabilities, as well as its commitment to alternative energy solutions,” notes Dr. רנביר סינג, president of GeneSiC. “An integrated, efficient power grid is critical to the nation’s energy future — and the SiC devices we’re developing are critical for overcoming the inefficiencies of conventional silicon technologies.”
The first award is a $750k Phase II SBIR grant for the development of fast, ultra-high-voltage SiC bipolar devices. The second is a $750k Phase II STTR grant for the development of optically gated high-power SiC switches.
Silicon carbide is a next-generation semiconductor material with the ability to handle 10x the voltage and 100x the current of silicon, making it ideally suited to high-power applications such as renewable energy (wind and solar) installations and electrical-grid control systems.
Specifically, the two awards are for:
- Development of high-frequency, multi-kilovolt SiC gate-turn-off (GTO) power devices. Government and commercial applications include power-management and conditioning systems for ships, the utility industry, and medical imaging.
- Design and fabrication of optically gated high-voltage, high-power SiC switching devices. Using fiber-optics to switch power is an ideal solution for environments plagued by electro-magnetic interference (EMI), and applications that require ultra high-voltages.
The SiC devices GeneSiC is developing serve a variety of energy storage, power grid, and military applications, which are receiving increasing attention as the world focuses on more efficient and cost-effective energy-management solutions.
Based outside Washington, DC בדאלס, וירג'יניה, GeneSiC Semiconductor Inc.. הוא חדשני מוביל בטמפרטורה גבוהה, סיליקון קרביד בעל הספק גבוה ומתח גבוה במיוחד (SiC) מכשירים. פרויקטי פיתוח נוכחיים כוללים מיישרים בטמפרטורה גבוהה, field-effect transistors (FETs) and bipolar devices, as well as particle & גלאים פוטוניים. GeneSiC has prime/sub-contracts from major US Government agencies, כולל משרד האנרגיה, חיל הים, DARPA, והמשרד לביטחון פנים. החברה נמצאת כעת בצמיחה משמעותית, והעסקת כוח אדם מוסמך בתכנון מכשירי חשמל וגלאים, זִיוּף, ובדיקה. לגלות עוד, בבקשה תבקר www.genesicsemi.com.
