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 (碳化硅) 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. 兰比尔·辛格, 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 in Dulles, Virginia, GeneSiC半导体公司. 是高温领域的领先创新者, high-power and ultra high-voltage silicon carbide (碳化硅) 设备. Current development projects include high-temperature rectifiers, field-effect transistors (场效应管) and bipolar devices, as well as particle & 光子探测器. GeneSiC has prime/sub-contracts from major US Government agencies, 包括能源部, 海军, DARPA, 和国土安全部. 公司目前正在经历大幅增长, 聘请合格的功率器件和检测器设计人员, 制造, 和测试. 了解更多, 请拜访 www.genesicsemi.com.
