Stephen Russell
Dr. Russell has over 15 years experience in wide bandgap (WBG) device fabrication and characterization. He received his PhD in Electronic Engineering in 2013 from the University of Glasgow with a thesis entitled ‘High Performance Hydrogen-Terminated Diamond Field Effect Transistors’ and demonstrated what was at the time the highest frequency diamond transistor reported.
Continuing in academia he researched high voltage silicon carbide devices, and successfully demonstrated 3.3 kV and 10 kV variants. He won the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics – best paper award in 2018 for the paper ‘High Temperature Electrical and Thermal Aging Performance and Application Considerations for SiC power DMOSFETs’.
He led an exploratory research project in gallium oxide for power devices, presenting findings to the Royal Institution, London.
He moved into industry in 2018 to lead development of a new silicon IGBT product line and instigated an R & D project to use silicon carbide JFETs in circuit protection applications.
In 2020 he joined TechInsights as subject matter expert for power semiconductor devices keeping informed of developments across the entire industry. Curating content across the platform including seminars, briefings and recommending new products for reverse engineering analysis. To support a fair marketplace where semiconductor and electronics IP can be innovated and monetized.
The power electronics landscape is rapidly evolving. There is a global demand for a carbon-neutral society, with the devastating effects of climate change becoming more apparent every year. Simultaneously the societal demand for increased energy usage is accelerating. Generation from renewable energy sources is critical in creating a sustainable planet, equally important is how we convert and use this energy. This is where power electronics comes into play.
Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors have the potential to revolutionize how we distribute, convert and consume energy. They have been available in the market for twenty years, however, only now are we seeing the tipping point of widespread adoption.
In this webinar, we will look at how power semiconductor technology has evolved from the original dawn of semiconductor technology in the middle of the last century, through the development of advanced silicon power device concepts into the wide bandgap era. Finally looking beyond to what the next ten years may hold.
We will also look at some of TechInsights most recent power device analysis including the Navitas NV6128 gallium nitride (GaN) power IC. Beginning with a device overview through detailed reverse engineering analysis including atomic scale characterization via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to this cutting-edge device’s potential applications. We may be on the verge of GaN breaking through from consumer applications into the light industrial and even automotive markets.
