Future trends in high power devices

Power devices for MW and GW power electronics are discussed. The most important device concepts of today are Phase Controlled Thyristor (PCT), Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (IGCT), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), and PIN diode. In spite of long-term intensive research of compound semiconductor materials and related devices, the world of high-power devices is dominated by silicon. In the light of this reality, the major trends in high-power electronics are discussed using some representative examples of state-of-the-art devices and showing their outlook.