Models make transistors more efficient

The Robuspic project has developed models for two power transistors: DMOS (double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor) and LIGBT (lateral-insulated gate bipolar transistor).

Researchers claim that these models will be more efficient, reduce waste and be better for the environment.

Due to the lack of accurate models of how DMOS and LIGBT behave under different conditions, such as temperature, high voltage and fast switching, semiconductor manufacturers have tended to overcompensate in their design, according to researchers.

This has resulted in a waste of the materials used to make them and the energy they consume.

The team believes semiconductor and system manufacturers can use the models to design more efficient power transistors and smart circuits.

The models will help manufacturers reduce costs and could lead to the development of new applications, according to Edgard Laes, coordinator of the Robuspic project team.

The project targeted DMOS and LIGBT as essential to the development of smart-power integrated circuits.

The ‘smart’ in the circuit refers to its ability to adjust automatically the efficient switching of power from source to load as conditions change. In extreme cases, such devices are ready to stop the power in the case of a short circuit.

The team’s main objective was to model DMOS and LIGBT transistors accurately to enable the more efficient design of smart-power integrated circuits.

To design the circuits, drive the electrical motors or make the power supplies, the manufacturer needs a model that accurately describes the behaviour of the DMOS or LIGBT throughout all variations of voltage, current, temperature and other factors.

While previous models of DMOS and LIGBT were valid at room temperature, these were not very useful at helping manufacturers predict how the transistors work when the temperature is raised or when switching the load on and off very rapidly.

The Robuspic models claim to allow manufacturers to better predict the tolerance of a transistor to a variety of temperature changes. So, they do not have to overcompensate in its design to ensure operational efficiency.

“This modelling allows the designer to make these motor drivers and power supplies very efficient and thus avoid waste of electrical energy,” says Laes.

“An additional goal is to make these circuits very reliable with a long lifetime.”

The models also allow manufacturers to simulate how reliable the power transistors will be, helping to extend the working lifetime and reliability of smart-power circuits.

ICT Results
http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/BrowsingType/Features/ID/89743