They consume extremely little power and behave similarly to brain cells: so-called memristors. Researchers from Jülich, led by Ilia Valov, have now introduced novel memristive components in Nature Communications that offer significant advantages over previous versions: they are more robust, function across a wider voltage range, and can operate in both analog and digital modes.

Power electronics must achieve higher power in smaller housings, boosting efficiency and reducing costs. SiC-MOSFETs can replace IGBTs but are pricier. Press pack-device approaches and active heat sinks can enhance IGBT designs, improving performance.

Imec, a research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, demonstrates that, despite their positive bias instability GaN MISHEMTs maintain consistent performance when operating within a well-defined range. These findings support the design of reliable GaN-based power amplifiers to avoid positive bias instability and thus enable handset applications for 6G communication.

Toshiba Corporation has launched a new SCiB module, a lithium-ion battery designed for use in EV buses, electric ships, and stationary applications. The new product features an aluminum baseplate that dissipates approximately twice the heat of current modules. It will be available from mid-April 2025, in Japan and internationally.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has announced that it will begin shipping samples of its new XB Series high-voltage insulated-gate bipolar transistor module, a 3.3k-volt, 1500A high-capacity power semiconductor for large industrial equipment such as railway vehicles, on May 1.

Vishay Intertechnology has introduced a new Gen 4.5 650 V E Series power MOSFET that delivers high efficiency and power density for telecom, industrial, and computing applications. Compared to previous-generation devices, the Vishay Siliconix n-channel SiHK050N65E slashes on-resistance by 48.2 %, while offering a 65.4 % lower resistance times gate charge, a key figure of merit (FOM) for 650 V MOSFETs used in power conversion applications.

New analog products from TI accurately measure currents and voltages with the highest resolution, enabling robots to perform detailed and complex tasks. This enhanced capability allows robotics engineers to innovate and push the boundaries of robotic intelligence, facilitating the creation of machines that can mimic human precision and efficiency in intricate operations.

The Optoelectronics group of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. has introduced the industry’s first AEC-Q100 qualified RGBIR color sensor. The Vishay Semiconductors VEML6046X00 features a highly sensitive photodiode, low noise amplifier, and 16-bit ADC in a miniature, opaque 2.67 mm by 2.45 mm surface-mount package with a low 0.6 mm profile.

Silicon-controlled rectifier “SCR” is more of a thyristor than a rectifier. Invented in 1956, SCRs are appropriate power-switching options in addition to MOSFETs. The article explains SCRs through their structure, operation, advantages, and drawbacks.

Power inverters are the beating heart in the drive train of modern electric cars. They turn the electrical energy from the batteries into something that engines can actually use. Fraunhofer IZM has now redefined what this key component is possible of doing: Using the newest developments in power electronics, the „Dauerpower“ inverter was born that can handle enormous amounts of power with low inductance and in a tiny body - with peak efficiency measured at 98.7 %.