Berthold Duecker, v-p European sales at International Rectifier tells Electronics Weekly why he believes new semiconductor technologies like gallium nitride can create opportunities for European firms in energy efficient systems design.
What does the UK/Europe need to do to ensure it retains a leading position in the global market?
Berthold Duecker: The mainstay of success for the UK and Europe will be to remain competitive and continue to develop innovative technologies and products through advanced manufacturing.
However, although delivering the technologies that design engineers need to achieve ongoing energy savings is essential, it is not sufficient in itself.
As the associated design processes become increasingly complex, technology suppliers must also form true partnerships with their customers, providing the support, advice, guidance and tools that they need.
Ongoing investment in R&D is also fundamental to customer success; not only to advance the performance, functionality and integration of silicon, but also to extend product roadmaps beyond silicon boundaries.
Research into gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon epitaxial technology, for example, has resulted in the introduction of a GaN-based power device technology platform which can improve key application-specific figures of merit by a factor of ten compared to silicon-based alternatives.
This technology can dramatically increase performance and cut energy consumption in end applications throughout a range of market segments.
What is the biggest opportunity in terms of technology and/or markets?
Berthold Duecker: Popular attention has become focused on energy efficiency, influenced by concerns such as climate change, energy security, global economic development and population increase, and the growing scarcity and cost of fossil fuels.
For engineers who, ultimately, are expected to deliver the technological advances necessary to maintain standards of living despite such pressures – power management has become an important discipline that warrants consideration from the beginning of almost every new design project. Accordingly, a number of efficient power management products and system solutions are emerging. In many cases, these are highly optimised for sectors such as automotive systems, home appliances, power supplies, lighting and renewable energy.
What challenges in global markets are keeping you busy at the moment?
Berthold Duecker: Achieving greater energy savings remains a key focus and an engineering challenge, not least in the automotive segment. As consumer markets transition to hybrid-electric and ultimately full-electric vehicles, semiconductors will continue to play a key role in the development of ever-more efficient vehicles, for example, by allowing heavy mechanical systems to be replaced with lighter, better-performing alternatives; electronic power steering systems to name just one example.
If you had to name one design technology with the largest commercial potential this year, what would it be?
Berthold Duecker: Increasingly sophisticated electronic system designs are penetrating markets for domestic and commercial appliances.
Influenced by regulations, labeling programmes and demands for increased performance are driving manufacturers to replace electro-mechanically actuated systems using AC-induction or brushed-DC motors with permanent magnet variable-speed drives that can save up to 60% of electricity in many applications.