Researchers from Korea, Japan, and Japan have put their heads together to develop diamond power semiconductors that can operate in extreme environments such as aerospace.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and Gyeongnam Province will embark on international joint research on ‘diamond power semiconductors’ for aerospace use with Orbray, a Japanese precision parts manufacturing company.

Power semiconductors are essential industrial components that are used wherever electricity is needed, and they play a role similar to muscles in the human body, such as controlling the direction of current and power conversion.

Silicon (Si) is the most widely used power semiconductor material, but next-generation SiC (silicon carbide) or GaN (gallium nitride) power semiconductors with superior performance are attracting great attention. And here, the material that goes one step further is diamond.

Diamond is a so-called 'ultimate' power semiconductor material that can be used in electrical and electronic devices that operate in extreme environments such as aerospace due to its excellent electrical properties.

On the other hand, there are many technical difficulties, such as high manufacturing costs and limitations in mass production, so much effort is needed to reach the commercialization stage, and there is an urgent need to establish a research and development response strategy that transcends the nation from a long-term perspective.

With the recent opening of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, the need to secure technology for diamond power semiconductors has once again come to the fore, and KERI, Gyeongnam Province, and Japan's Obray have agreed to form a consultative body to promote international joint research.

KERI is in charge of power semiconductor technology, and Obray is in charge of diamond wafer materials, and Gyeongnam Province is actively providing various administrative support to promote international cooperation.

As part of these activities, the 'International Joint Research and Development Conference on Diamond Power Semiconductors for Aerospace' was held at the KERI Changwon headquarters on the afternoon of the 10th.

This event was attended by KERI Power Semiconductor Research Group Director Bang Wook, Gyeongnam Province Future Industry Division Director Gu Byeong-yeol, and Obray Research Institute Director Kim Seong-woo, who discussed the following: △Technical information exchange and research cooperation in the aerospace industry power semiconductor sector, △Support for international joint technology development projects, △Performing research and development projects for local community development and building infrastructure (core process equipment and dedicated fabs).

KERI President Kim Nam-gyun said, “We are striving to become an ‘anchor organization’ that invigorates the local economy by promoting the establishment of the ‘Gimhae City Next-Generation Power Semiconductor Total Solution Center’ with Gyeongnam Province to foster the next-generation high-efficiency power semiconductor industry, which is the core of the electrification era.”uo; As Gyeongnam Province has become a hub for aerospace, we will create successful examples of international cooperation, such as quickly leading the commercialization of diamond power semiconductors,” he said.

In the future, KERI, Gyeongnam Province, and Obrey plan to expand technological exchanges through continuous networking and engage in specific activities such as signing MOUs.

Meanwhile, KERI is a government-funded research institute under the National Research Council of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Science and ICT.