A megawatt ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor module for pulsed power electronics

Abstract

Abstract Ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors exhibit advantageous electronic properties that make them promising for high-voltage, high-power electronics applications. Building on over a decade of progress in material growth and device fabrication, discrete ultra-wide bandgap devices with power-switching capacities up to the kilowatt level have been recently demonstrated. However, a packaged, multi-die ultra-wide bandgap power module – essential for further power scaling toward industrial, biomedical, grid, and aerospace applications – has yet to be realized. Here, we present a flip-chip packaged gallium oxide power module capable of 1000 A, 1000 V pulsed power switching with fast speed and minimal reverse recovery, advancing the power capacity of ultra-wide bandgap electronics by over two orders of magnitude. To address challenges posed by high electric fields and transient power surges, we employ a high-permittivity interface design enabling device-package electrothermal co-optimization. This optimization maximizes the module’s transient thermal performance and enables full exploitation of the high volumetric heat capacity of gallium oxide—a largely untapped advantage in prior device development—alongside its high-temperature stability. The optimized ultra-wide bandgap module achieves over 1.8 MW/cm 2 pulsed power capacity density, outperforming silicon and wide-bandgap semiconductor counterparts and suggesting the promise of ultra-wide bandgap electronics in next-generation high-power systems.