Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) ETH Zurich
Seminar Description: 2026 will be a landmark year in the history of solid-state power electronics when commercial monolithic bidirectional (BD) switch devices become available from several power semiconductor manufacturers, offering opportunities to revolutionize several major classes of power converters. The purpose of this seminar is to introduce intermediate/advanced power electronics engineers who are new to BD switch devices to their basic operating principles and electrical characteristics as well as their use in real-world power converter applications.
The seminar will begin by reviewing the semiconductor technology of bidirectional switches in both lateral and vertical device topologies, including their impact on the device performance characteristics. Next, attention will be turned to the application of BD switch devices in a variety of power converter topologies that are most likely to benefit from their availability ranging from matrix converters to T-type 3-level inverters. Prospects for applying BD switches in future machine drives using current-source inverters will also be explored.
Finally, practical information about implementing BD switches in real circuits including their 4 switching states and gate drive implementations will be presented. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn the basics of BD switch devices from the experts in preparation for applying them in your products!
