Abstract: 
This seminar provides a historical overview of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices from the presenter's perspective. Having been involved with SiC since the mid 90s, the author shows how SiC has evolved from its early days when wafer diameters were small and defects were many to 6" wafers and many commercial o_erings. An overview of GE's SiC work from Schottky diodes, PiN diodes, GTOs, to Thyristors is presented. GE Global Research Center (GE-GRC) SiC MOSFET work and progress to date is shown with emphasis on the 1.2kV and 1.7kV devices. 2.5kV and 3.3kV SiC MOSFETs are also discussed. The use of SiC power devices in various GE applications is also shown. Finally, a peek into the charge balance or superjunction SiC power devices, that GE-GRC is currently working on, is provided.

Bio: 

Dr. Ahmed Elasser received his Engineering Degree (Ing_enieur D'Etat) from L'Ecole Mohammadia D'Ing_enieurs, Rabat, Morocco in 1985 in Electric Power and Power Electronics. He spent seven years in Morocco working for industry and academia as a maintenance and laboratory engineer. He joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1992 and completed his MS and PhD degrees in Electric Power and Power Electronics in 1993 and 1996 respectively. He joined GE Global Research Center in 1995 as a summer intern and is currently a Principal Systems Engineer in the areas of Electric Power, Power Electronics, and Power Semiconductor Devices. He worked on Silicon Power Devices such as IGBTs and IGCTs, Solar Energy, Silicon Carbide, Gallium Nitride, Power Conversion Systems Modeling and Simulation, and Innovation. He is currently leading the GE Renewable Reservoir Power Conversion components testing and quali_cation. He published over 40 papers and has 26 patents issued. Dr. Elasser is a Senior Member of IEEE and a regular reviewer for many IEEE journals and conferences in his area of expertise. Dr. Ahmed Elasser is the recipient of numerous GE Awards for his contributions and innovations over his 23 years GE career.