Dr. Arnost Kopta has over 20 years of experience in the design and engineering of power semiconductor devices and modules. He holds a M.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Lund University (Sweden) and a PhD from the University of Bremen (Germany) covering the Short Circuit Ruggedness of IGBTs. He has a strong background in device design, reliability as well as power device application topics.

The main part of his carrier was devoted to the development of high voltage IGBTs and diodes at ABB Semiconductors (today Hitachi Energy) in Switzerland. After several positions, he was finally responsible for the IGBT and Module R&D department leading the development efforts mainly focused on devices for traction and grid application. After a short but insightful change to the application side being responsible for the electrical propulsion system at Stadler Rail in Switzerland, he returned to the field of power semiconductors as CTO and device development expert at SwissSEM. Beginning of 2023 he started his own company -- Power Device Technology -- a startup developing the next generation of power devices. 

Topic: Power Semiconductor Devices—State of the Art and Future Development Trends

Abstrac:This presentation will start with an overview of today’s power device technologies for medium to high power applications. The main focus in this part will be on the IGBT and the still existing challenges and development efforts in a technology that has already reached an age of close to 30 years in widespread applications. The presentation will focus on the topics which make the IGBT so tricky to master and what can still be done to improve it. In a second part, an outlook towards the future will also involve the SiC MOSFET and try to answer the question of how these two devices will develop and share the power device market: Will the Si IGBT remain competitive or will it due to its age and the increasing WBG competition soon enter into a mid-life crisis and be widely replaced?