Littelfuse Marks Five Years of Power Electronics Research by Dr. Martin Schulz

Littelfuse is recognizing five consecutive years of original research presented by Dr. Martin Schulz, its global principal application engineer, at PCIM, a leading power electronics conference. Schulz's work has repeatedly pushed back on long-standing assumptions in power semiconductor design, and his latest project is a new direct liquid cooling technology for power modules, developed and validated together with Daimler Truck AG, that removes the ceramic isolation layer that has traditionally been considered a fixed part of how power modules are built. A ceramic isolation layer normally separates the electrically active parts of a power module from its outer casing to prevent electrical leakage, so removing it and finding another way to maintain that isolation is a significant design shift.

 

In recognition of five straight years of peer-reviewed research at the conference, PCIM presented Schulz with a certificate of appreciation. Over that span, his research has covered a range of topics, including reviving older thyristor and gate-turn-off (GTO) technology for use in megawatt-scale charging infrastructure, examining whether silicon carbide is or isn't the right material choice for certain applications, and this year's work on direct liquid cooling.

 

The new cooling technology, developed and validated with Daimler Tr...