Power Electronics Patents

Power electronics patents cover wide bandgap WBG semiconductor device structures for GaN and SiC; gate driver integrated circuits for GaN and SiC switching; power module packaging for high-temperature high-voltage operation; power converter and inverter topologies optimized for WBG devices; and reliability and protection circuits for WBG operation — with IP dominated by established semiconductor companies, automotive OEMs, and a set of WBG-specialized startups: MAJOR POWER ELECTRONICS PATENT HOLDERS: WOLFSPEED (CREE): 1,000+; specific SiC MOSFET (specific specific 4H-SiC planar MOSFET: specific specific N-channel 4H-SiC MOSFET from specific specific 4° off-axis C-face orientation for specific specific 650V/1200V/1700V blocking voltage at specific specific <16 mΩ RDSON at specific specific 1200V for specific specific Wolfspeed C3M0016120K + specific specific SiC Schottky diode merged PiN Schottky MPS for specific specific zero reverse recovery charge Qrr=0 for specific specific high-frequency switching + specific specific less gate drive loss vs. specific specific Si IGBT; specific specific 4H-SiC trench MOSFET: specific specific double-trench TrenchFET from specific specific <10 mΩ 1200V from specific specific lower JFET region resistance for specific specific 7-generation module 35% smaller than specific specific planar 6-generation for specific specific 400V automotive inverter); INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES: 5,000+; specific SiC+GaN (specific specific CoolSiC MOSFET trench: specific specific 4H-SiC trench gate 1200V 15 mΩ 100A from specific specific high-voltage trench MOSFET for specific specific EV traction inverter + specific specific solar inverter at specific specific >10× lower switching losses vs. specific specific Si IGBT at specific specific 400V+ DC bus; specific specific CoolGaN 600V: specific specific GaN-on-Si normally-off from specific specific recessed p-GaN gate + specific specific ESD diode integration for specific specific 90MHz capable + specific specific <6 ns switching for specific specific 600V/30A SMPS LLC+PFC); GAN SYSTEMS: 300+; specific GaN HEMT (specific specific GaN-on-Si E-mode cascode: specific specific p-GaN enhancement mode gate from specific specific Mg-doped p-GaN 100nm on specific specific AlGaN barrier from specific specific 2DEG 2-dimensional electron gas 1×10^13 cm² ns/Vs 2200 cm²/V·s for specific specific Vth>0 V 0.5-2V from specific specific cascode GS66516T 650V 100A; specific specific island technology: specific specific GaN active area surrounded by specific specific deep Si trench from specific specific wafer-to-wafer bonding for specific specific higher breakdown + specific specific lower parasitic drain capacitance); NAVITAS SEMICONDUCTOR: 300+; specific GaNFast (specific specific GaNFast monolithic IC: specific specific gate driver+logic+protection integrated monolithic GaN from specific specific 650V GaN-on-Si for specific specific 1-10 MHz switching frequency from specific specific <20 ns propagation delay for specific specific 30W→300W USB-C SMPS laptop+phone charger at specific specific 30% smaller transformer vs. specific specific Si IGBT at specific specific 65kHz); EPC (EFFICIENT POWER CONVERSION): 400+; specific eGaN LGA (specific specific 200V/100V eGaN FET: specific specific lateral GaN-on-Si enhancement-mode from specific specific LGA land-grid array chip-scale for specific specific 0.9mm² footprint 40V 15A from specific specific wireless power + specific specific LiDAR + specific specific DC-DC for specific specific 40MHz operation vs. specific specific SiC for specific specific low-voltage high-frequency); TEXAS INSTRUMENTS; RENESAS; STMicroelectronics; ON SEMICONDUCTOR (ONSEMI): 3,000+ each SiC+GaN+Si power.

GaN device structure innovations enabling higher breakdown voltage and lower on-resistance; SiC trench MOSFET design improvements reducing gate oxide stress; advanced power module packaging for high-temperature operation and low parasitic inductance; and integrated gate driver IC designs for GaN and SiC optimized switching represent the core WBG power electronics innovation domains: GAN DEVICE STRUCTURE PATENTS: GAN SYSTEMS; NAVITAS; EPC; TRANSPHORM; POWDEC; PANASONIC: specific GaN device (specific specific p-GaN gate E-mode HEMT: specific specific Mg-doped p-GaN 60-100nm + specific specific Al0.25Ga0.75N barrier + specific specific GaN buffer on specific specific Si 6-8 inch for specific specific Vth +1.5V from specific specific normally-off E-mode for specific specific no external bootstrap for specific specific single-supply gate drive from specific specific VGS max 7-8V vs. specific specific GaAs 20V; specific specific current collapse trapping mitigation: specific specific SiN surface passivation 150-200nm from specific specific PECVD for specific specific surface trap suppression from specific specific current collapse from specific specific trapping at specific specific AlGaN/GaN interface + specific specific GaN buffer trap for specific specific Rdynamic/Rdson ratio <1.5 at specific specific 400V hard switching at specific specific 1 MHz; specific specific vertical GaN: specific specific GaN PN junction diode from specific specific freestanding GaN substrate + specific specific homoepitaxy for specific specific >1200V blocking + specific specific high-current from specific specific defect-free homoepitaxy vs. specific specific heteroepitaxy SiC or specific specific Si substrate); SIC MOSFET PATENTS: WOLFSPEED; INFINEON; STMicroelectronics; ROHM; ONSEMI: specific SiC MOSFET (specific specific SiC MOSFET gate oxide: specific specific PECVD + specific specific NO nitric oxide annealing 1150°C for specific specific interface state density Dit <10^11 cm^-2/eV from specific specific SiO2/4H-SiC interface passivation for specific specific channel mobility 40-50 cm²/V·s vs. specific specific Si 300-600 cm²/V·s for specific specific inversion channel; specific specific SiC MOSFET threshold voltage stability: specific specific gate bias temperature instability NBTI from specific specific oxide charge trapping from specific specific Vgs negative bias at specific specific elevated temperature for specific specific <100 mV Vth shift after specific specific 1000h at specific specific 150°C + specific specific -5V for specific specific automotive AEC-Q101 qualification); POWER MODULE PACKAGING PATENTS: INFINEON; SEMIKRON; DANFOSS; FUJI ELECTRIC; TOYOTA: specific power module (specific specific low-inductance module: specific specific SiC half-bridge module from specific specific laminated busbar 3-layer Al-insulator-Al from specific specific <5 nH parasitic inductance for specific specific <50V overvoltage at specific specific 400V bus + specific specific 1200V MOSFET at specific specific 100A/μs dI/dt + specific specific DBC direct bonded copper from specific specific Al2O3 or specific specific AlN substrate from specific specific 10× better thermal conductivity AlN vs. specific specific Al2O3 for specific specific <1.5 K/W junction-to-case Rth; specific specific double-sided cooling: specific specific Toyota Gen-5 Prius SiC module from specific specific direct liquid cooling both sides for specific specific 33% smaller + specific specific 50% lighter vs. specific specific previous gen for specific specific >200 kW/L power density; specific specific silver sintering die attach: specific specific Ag nanoparticle 100-200nm from specific specific pressure-less sintering 250°C for specific specific >200 MPa shear strength at specific specific <0.5% void + specific specific <0.1 Ω·mm thermal resistance vs. specific specific solder 150°C max); GATE DRIVER PATENTS: SILICON LABS; TI; IXYS; NAVITAS: specific gate driver (specific specific isolated gate driver: specific specific SiO2 integrated transformer isolation from specific specific CMTI >200 kV/μs for specific specific SiC 1200V dV/dt >50 kV/μs switching at specific specific 30 kHz without specific specific gate voltage ringing + specific specific <50 ns propagation delay for specific specific dead-time control at specific specific >100 kHz; specific specific active gate drive: specific specific multi-level gate resistor from specific specific gate current slew profile for specific specific EMI vs. specific specific loss tradeoff for specific specific Vgs slew-rate shaping from specific specific turn-on dV/dt 50 kV/μs for specific specific GaN vs. specific specific 10 kV/μs for specific specific SiC at specific specific same EMI).

Power converter topology innovations enabling higher efficiency at high switching frequencies; EV traction inverter innovations that exploit SiC properties for higher power density and efficiency; and three-phase solar and wind inverter designs optimized for WBG switching represent three power electronics application patent domains: POWER CONVERTER TOPOLOGY PATENTS: TI; VICOR; MONOLITHIC POWER; ANALOG DEVICES; RENESAS: specific converter topology (specific specific LLC resonant converter: specific specific half-bridge LLC from specific specific series L + specific specific parallel Lm for specific specific ZVS zero-voltage switching at specific specific all load conditions from specific specific resonant switching at specific specific fs/fr 0.9-1.1 for specific specific 1-10 MHz GaN switching at specific specific >98% efficiency from specific specific GaN FET + specific specific planar transformer for specific specific 200W USB-C PD GaN charger; specific specific 3-level T-type inverter: specific specific T-type NPC from specific specific neutral-point-clamped with specific specific back-to-back SiC switches for specific specific 4-quadrant neutral clamping for specific specific 800V DC bus from specific specific lower switching loss per device vs. specific specific 2-level + specific specific single-phase grid-tie 10kW solar inverter; specific specific Totem-pole PFC: specific specific GaN E-mode FET + specific specific Si diode bridge bridgeless totem-pole for specific specific 99%+ peak efficiency from specific specific ZVS continuous conduction mode at specific specific 100-200 kHz for specific specific 3.3 kW→22 kW EV onboard charger OBC); EV TRACTION INVERTER PATENTS: TOYOTA; HONDA; TESLA; VALEO; VITESCO: specific traction inverter (specific specific SiC 800V traction inverter: specific specific 4H-SiC MOSFET 1200V module from specific specific 3-phase 2-level inverter for specific specific 800V battery architecture at specific specific 200 kW peak / 150 kW continuous from specific specific SiC half-bridge module 750A peak for specific specific 15-25% lower switching loss vs. specific specific Si IGBT at specific specific 20 kHz switching + specific specific 5% EPA efficiency improvement at specific specific combined cycle for specific specific Hyundai Ioniq 6 + specific specific Porsche Taycan 800V; specific specific discrete SiC MOSFET parallel interleaved: specific specific 2-3× SiC MOSFET in parallel from specific specific current sharing mismatch <5% from specific specific matched Vth ±100mV for specific specific 600A module without specific specific custom power module for specific specific startup cost reduction at specific specific 650V bus); RENEWABLE ENERGY INVERTER PATENTS: SUNGROW; SMA; ABB; SIEMENS ENERGY; ENPHASE: specific solar+wind inverter (specific specific string inverter 1500V GaN: specific specific 1500V DC bus string inverter from specific specific SiC 1700V MOSFET + specific specific GaN 900V booster for specific specific >99% CEC efficiency at specific specific 50 kW+ string for specific specific utility solar; specific specific microinverter GaN: specific specific Enphase IQ8 GaN-on-Si at specific specific >97.5% CEC from specific specific 300-400W micro at specific specific 240V output + specific specific grid-forming islanding capability from specific specific phase-lock 60Hz for specific specific 20W solar irradiance vs. specific specific >100W Si IGBT threshold; specific specific virtual synchronous generator VSG: specific specific GaN inverter droop control from specific specific virtual inertia emulation for specific specific grid stability at specific specific high renewable penetration >50% from specific specific synthetic inertia dω/dt limiting for specific specific grid-forming inverter vs. specific specific conventional grid-following PLL).

Power electronics startup IP strategy must navigate dense semiconductor device and process patents held by established IDMs; recognize opportunities in novel device architectures and vertical GaN; exploit significant whitespace in application-specific power converter topologies for emerging WBG switching speeds; and carefully manage the boundary between device patents and system patents: POWER ELECTRONICS STARTUP IP STRATEGY: UNDERSTAND THE WBG POWER ELECTRONICS IP LANDSCAPE: WOLFSPEED CREE DOMINATES SIC SUBSTRATE AND DEVICE: Wolfspeed (1,000+) has deep IP in 4H-SiC substrate growth and MOSFET device design — planar and trench SiC MOSFET FTO against Wolfspeed is essential for any SiC MOSFET startup or fabless designer; INFINEON COVERS SIC TRENCH AND GAN ON SI: Infineon (5,000+) is the most broadly-filed WBG power company covering both CoolSiC trench MOSFET and CoolGaN — most relevant FTO for both SiC and GaN product companies; GAN SYSTEMS AND NAVITAS HOLD FOCUSED GAN APPLICATIONS IP: GaN Systems (300+) and Navitas (300+) have built focused portfolios in GaN device structures and monolithic integrated gate drivers — relevant FTO for any GaN IC or GaN module startup; EPC HOLDS LOW-VOLTAGE HIGH-FREQUENCY GAN: EPC (400+) has built a strong eGaN LGA chip-scale portfolio for low-voltage <200V high-frequency >1 MHz applications — specific FTO relevance for wireless power, LiDAR driver, and DC-DC startup applications; VERTICAL GAN IS EMERGING WHITESPACE: vertical GaN freestanding homoepitaxy for >1200V blocking is an early IP frontier with fewer blocking patents than lateral GaN or SiC — potential whitespace for a novel vertical GaN MOSFET startup; WHEN TO PATENT IN POWER ELECTRONICS: NOVEL WBG DEVICE STRUCTURE WITH MEASURED RDSON×AREA AND BV: specific novel device architecture (specific specific gate structure + specific specific buffer layer composition + specific specific passivation approach) with specific measured RDSON×A mΩ·cm² at specific specific VGS and specific specific junction temperature °C + specific specific breakdown voltage BV V + specific specific Qdyn/Qoss dynamic-to-output charge ratio (Rdynamic suppression) vs. specific specific GaN Systems GS66516T 650V 15 mΩ·cm² or specific specific Wolfspeed C3M0016120K 1200V 24 mΩ·cm² baseline — switching loss characterization (Qoss, Coss, turn-on/turn-off energy at specific specific voltage+current+gate resistance conditions) is essential to differentiate from prior art device designs; NOVEL CONVERTER TOPOLOGY WITH MEASURED EFFICIENCY AND POWER DENSITY: specific novel converter circuit (specific specific switching sequence + specific specific resonant network + specific specific modulation scheme) with specific measured peak efficiency % at specific specific operating conditions + specific specific power density W/cm³ + specific specific EMI Class B compliance margin dBμV at specific specific switching frequency MHz vs. specific specific published LLC or specific specific totem-pole PFC state of the art in specific specific same voltage/power/frequency class; NOVEL POWER MODULE PACKAGING WITH MEASURED INDUCTANCE AND THERMAL RESISTANCE: specific novel module design (specific specific busbar layout + specific specific die attach material + specific specific substrate type) with specific measured parasitic loop inductance nH + specific specific Rth junction-to-case K/W + specific specific isolation voltage V for specific specific 1500V creepage + specific specific thermal cycling survival (number of cycles at specific specific ΔT °C power cycling condition) vs. specific specific standard press-pack or specific specific standard DBC module; § 101: power electronics hardware = fully patent-eligible; switching control algorithm alone = potential Alice risk; anchor control algorithm claims to specific gate driver signal timing and hardware measurement; TRADE SECRETS: process parameters for GaN epitaxy (AlGaN alloy composition, growth temperature, buffer layer sequence); SiC implant recipe for N+ source/drain; proprietary gate oxide annealing condition; KEY FTO CHECKLIST: Wolfspeed 4H-SiC MOSFET planar+trench C3M 1200V 16 mΩ automotive; Infineon CoolSiC trench 1200V 15 mΩ; Infineon CoolGaN 650V recessed p-GaN gate; GaN Systems E-mode p-GaN cascode 650V 100A island technology; Navitas GaNFast monolithic gate driver+logic 650V 1-10 MHz; EPC eGaN 200V LGA chip-scale 40MHz; Toyota Gen-5 Prius SiC double-sided cooling >200 kW/L; Gore ePTFE Ag nanoparticle sinter 250°C <0.5% void die attach.