News: Microelectronics
18 July 2023
NoMIS Power gains USAF award to develop SiC devices for aircraft electrical power systems
NoMIS Power of Albany, NY, USA — which was spun off from State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) in 2020 — has achieved won an award from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop rugged silicon carbide (SiC) power devices to support the electrical power systems of aircraft.
NoMIS will develop 1200V SiC power semiconductor devices (PSDs) through the award. The focus will be on metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) with enhanced operational lifetime as well as improved on-state and off-state efficiency at operating temperatures, resulting in lower losses for power electronics engineers to manage.
Solid-state power controllers within aircraft electrical power distribution systems require low on-state losses to enable passive cooling, as well as surge current and voltage overshoot protection during system start-up and fault interrupt. The proposed 1200V SiC MOSFETs from NoMIS Power will provide airframers and system builders/integrators with the necessary PSD chips capable of high efficiency, long short-circuit withstand time (SCWT), and operational ruggedness for nominal and transient conditions. Moreover, the 1200V rating will not only support current-generation aircraft utilizing 270VDC architecture but also aircraft operating with a +/-270VDC (i.e. 540VDC rail-to-rail) architecture as well.
NoMIS Power says that it overcomes the limitations of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Si and SiC-based PSDs via a novel SiC device design that is achievable using disruptive manufacturing techniques. As a result, NoMIS SiC devices can withstand higher voltage spikes and current surges during harsh operating conditions, enabling longer power management product lifetime through superior reliability and ruggedness, it is claimed.
“Our team is very excited to get the opportunity to support strategic groups working to improve the capabilities of our armed forces,” states NoMIS Power’s CEO Dr Adam Morgan. “This novel SiC device technology will also have a significant impact on other critical technology markets, such as electric vehicles and grid infrastructure. These efforts will directly support our company’s near-term product launch of next-generation SiC devices.”
NoMIS to provide SiC power semiconductor devices and modules
