RFI Ultra-Fast-Triggered Semiconductor Devices for Enhanced System Resiliency

Description

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance. The purpose of this RFI is solely to solicit input for ARPA-E consideration to inform the possible formulation of future programs. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input for a potential future ARPA-E research and development program focused on development of materials and device technologies to support advances in grid resiliency and reliability. ARPA-E seeks input from power electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and other related communities regarding the development and demonstration of next-generation ultra-fast semiconductor devices (potentially light controlled/triggered) for enhanced resiliency and reliability of power electronics systems ranging from kilowatts to gigawatts of power. Consistent with the agency’s mission, ARPA-E is seeking clearly disruptive, novel technologies, early in the R&D cycle, and not integration strategies for existing technologies. Power electronic conversion systems are capable of decoupling dynamics between system sources, distribution, and loads, while improving system controllability, reliability, resilience, and efficiency. These benefits are already being realized in a variety of applications, such as electric cars, ships, and airplanes, where power electronics replace traditional thermal, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems. To realize these benefits in grid applications and to enable widespread integration while maintaining and improving grid resiliency and reliability, new approaches are needed to overcome several technical challenges, including: • Device operation at voltages and currents more compatible with H/MV grid requirements (15 kV-110kV+) • Electromagnetic Interference issues and losses being driven by increased switching speed • Ultra-fast switching required to protect against faults and power surges (avoiding thermal overload) Despite great strides made, today’s semiconductor power electronics suffer from performance limitations. They still cannot reach current and voltage levels required by high and medium voltage (H/MV) grid applications, requiring series and/or parallel stacking of multiple devices in multi-level modules to meet current and voltages requirements. This poses challenges to reliability and introduces additional complexity and cost due to increased part count. Theoretical limitations of performance of a single device are related to fundamental material properties, such as critical field. While wide band gap (WBG) materials are pushing device performance to higher voltage and current levels, relative to Si, ultra-wide band gap (UWBG) materials are even more attractive with their superior properties. However, they suffer from significant challenges, for example difficulty with doping and material quality. Optically stimulated ionization of deep dopants may offer a solution to this problem, along with other novel options. The trend of increased switching speed of power electronic conversion, driven by reduction of size, weight and power (SWaP) and switching losses, is driving the electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues, which must be managed at an increased system complexity and cost. Elimination of electrical connections to the gate, such as that offered by optical interconnects, offers a potential solution to mitigating this problem. A related benefit may include advances in device/module stacking and control. Although power electronics are more capable than traditional solutions, they do need to be protected at lower power levels because they are smaller and cannot handle the thermal loads. Thus they may need to be switched off faster to be protected against faults. Additionally, some grid threats (typically associated with space weather or certain categories of man-made threats) are expected to create fault conditions at much faster speeds than current protection systems can address. Improving the temporal response of grid protection devices is needed. The growing penetration of power electronics as grid interfaces will also require the development of new control architectures, algorithms, and systems, capable of regulating power electronic interfaces on a sub-microsecond scale, rather than current high inertia, slow mechanical interfaces. Consequently, small perturbances can cause instabilities in frequency and line voltage, which can lead to further outages. To address this problem, the development of power electronic devices with improved performance (i.e., operation at voltages and currents more compatible with H/MV grid requirements) and faster operation (to enable more sophisticated grid control methods) is needed. ARPA-E seeks solutions to development of power electronics capable of overcoming these challenges through a variety of approaches, such as (but not limited to) development and demonstration of devices based on UWBG materials, utilization of optical stimuli to modulate conductivity, application of optical gate control to improve switching performance, EMI immunity, efficiency, and reliability. ARPA-E is most interested in learning about potential solutions at material/device/module level rather than circuit or system topology development and integration, although would want to understand how demonstration of specific device performance will impact and/or enable potential future control approaches. To view the RFI in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

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