News: Microelectronics
5 June 2026
CSA Catapult translates research into double pulse testing
Next-generation AI and data-center power electronics are placing new demands on switching performance, efficiency and reliability. Meeting those demands requires high-fidelity switching data that reflects real device and module behaviour under realistic operating conditions.
The UK’s Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult is therefore applying its latest research alongside collaborative R&D in Double Pulse Testing (DPT) to enable industry to accelerate development cycles, improve modelling accuracy and reduce technical risk.
The DPT service has been developed to support two critical layers of the power electronics ecosystem: power semiconductor device manufacturers, and system integrators and OEMs.
For device manufacturers, the capability enables detailed characterization of switching performance across realistic operating envelopes, supporting rapid validation of new device designs and materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) and future gallium nitride (GaN) technologies. The service generates high-confidence switching data suitable for device modelling, customer engagement and product positioning.
For system integrators and OEMs, the DPT capability supports device selection and optimization based on measured operating behaviour rather than static datasheet values. By improving system-level modelling accuracy, the service enables tighter design margins and faster convergence on power electronic architectures optimized for efficiency, thermal performance and long-term reliability.
The service automates the extraction of key dynamic switching parameters directly from measured waveforms, including switching energy losses, switching speeds and reverse recovery characteristics. This allows fast, consistent and scalable performance evaluation across hundreds to thousands of operating points, addressing the increasing need for statistically robust high-confidence switching data.
The capability is particularly relevant to emerging AI and data-center infrastructure, where rising power densities, more aggressive switching regimes and new architectures, such as 800V DC distribution and advanced power modules, are placing greater emphasis on accurate switching characterization. In these applications, switching performance is increasingly a system-level constraint. CSA Catapult’s DPT service supports accurate modelling of switching losses at scale, validation under high-current, high-voltage and thermally stressed conditions, and optimization of power electronics for efficiency, cooling and power density, where even incremental efficiency gains can have a material impact on energy consumption and operating costs.
“This capability is about translating advanced research into practical engineering value for industry. Whether customers are developing next-generation power devices or architecting AI and data-center power systems, the ability to rapidly understand real-time switching behaviour under realistic operating conditions is becoming a competitive advantage,” says Chris Davies, head of product marketing at CSA Catapult. “By combining automation, flexible test configuration and system-level insight, our high-fidelity DPT capability enables customers to generate high-quality, application-relevant data at speed which supports better modelling, faster device selection, design optimization and reduced technical risk,” he adds.
“We have engineered this capability to reflect real operating conditions, not idealized lab scenarios,” notes Ingo Ludtke, head of power electronics at CSA Catapult. “We enable accurate modelling and faster design cycles, which directly impacts time to market.”
The DPT service is immediately available for:
- up to 1.5kV and 1kA operation;
- 25°C to 150°C temperature range;
- automated testing across voltage, current, temperature and gate resistance matrices;
- testing of both discrete devices and multi-device power modules;
- compliance with BS IEC 60747 8 4 standards.
The DPT capability is under continuous development, with future enhancements targeting higher power levels, wider temperature ranges and next-generation device technologies, ensuring that it continues to meet the demands of rapidly evolving AI, data-center and power electronics architectures.
