The semiconductor roadmap for power management in the new millennium

Power management holds the key to over $400 billion annual savings in electrical energy and is relieving critical bottlenecks in the Internet backbone, Internet appliances and portable electronics. The latest analog integrated circuits and power semiconductors are enabling these improvements. This paper focuses on these leading-edge devices, used in conjunction with innovative architectures. The authors examine future trends in silicon-based power transistors and diodes and discuss how the changing requirements of end users are driving new analog ICs, as well as different power management architectures. Trends in architecture for DC-DC power conversion and motion control set the stage for improvements needed and planned in the power management products over the next several years. They examine various technologies for analog ICs and their interface with the digital world. They also compare the pros and cons of different techniques and levels of “power-plus-control integration”. The discussion on power MOSFETs (including IGBTs) focuses on performance and technology trends in DC-DC power conversion and motion control. State-of-the-art and future device topologies are presented. The future of diodes is also discussed. DC-DC conversion and motion control is the context. State of the art and future device topologies are presented. Less than 25% of all the world´s electricity is efficiently managed. Roadmaps must focus not only on making existing applications more efficient and cost-effective, but also on enabling the new applications that can address the remaining 75%