Revolutionizing Power Electronics with Heterogeneous Integration

Traditional power electronic equipment has long relied on discrete active and passive components, with performance enhancements often requiring trade-offs. Despite technological advancements, manufacturing processes remain labor-intensive and largely unchanged for decades.

The advent of wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), has significantly reduced conduction and switching losses compared to silicon-based counterparts. However, current design methodologies primarily follow a ‘plug-and-play’ approach, yielding only incremental improvements in efficiency and power density without fully leveraging the transformative potential of these technologies.

This presentation explores the integration of matrix magnetics with WBG power devices to drive a fundamental shift in power electronics design and manufacturing through heterogeneous integration. This holistic approach enables simultaneous enhancements in efficiency, power density, cost, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance. Additionally, it streamlines traditionally labor-intensive manufacturing processes—particularly those involving magnetics and system assembly—through automation.

The discussion will feature multiple research examples demonstrating heterogeneous integration of matrix magnetics in power converters across diverse applications and power ranges. These include high-frequency power converters for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing systems, battery chargers for electric vehicles, and solid-state transformers for DC power distribution.