GreenDiamond: Green Electronics with Diamond Power Devices

Description of the Project

The “GreenDiamond” Project consists in the development of a power mosfet device based in the artificial crystal growing of diamond dust substrate.

This project will be developed in consortium joined by 14 entities. This consortium is built by Universities, technological centers and companies. It pretends to develop this technology of diamond crystal growing and associated doping technologies to get a new mosfet die based in this new technology.

In a first step, it will be developed several batches of dies in order to validate different development and manufacturing processes and to select the best technics. In parallel to this activity, in the project it will be also developed a new component encapsulation with target to allocate one or several diamond mosfet dies. This new packaging shall be capable to withstand the new characteristics and demands of these new dies, as electrical isolation against high voltage (1-10kV) and high joint temperatures (200-300ºC) in the die.

Finally, the selected dies will be mounted inside of that packaging, developed inside of this project. And when encapsulation and device testing done, these diamond mosfets samples will be delivered to Indra for their integration in two power converters developed also for that propose. Both converters will allow to validate the behaviour of these new devices against a real environment inside of both converters.

Both converters (or applications) will allow to analyse working behaviour and characteristic of the diamond device (conduction and commutation losses, voltage drop, integration and behaviour under frequency with a mosfet driver also developed for that propose, rise-down times, on-off times,…). But also, it will allow matching the characteristic of this diamond mosfet technology with the traditional technology of Silicon (Si) and present technology of Silicon Carbide (SiC).

These prototypes will have a technological readiness level target of TRL3.

Indra paper

Indra will take part of this project/consortium as final user of the diamond mosfet devices that will be developed in this project. So, Indra will develop and manufacturer two power converter prototypes which will integrate those diamond mosfet modules that will be manufactured and encapsulated at the final phase of the project.

With these two prototypes, in one hand it is pretended to apply this new technology of diamond power mosfet over new real applications in the frame of power electronics and in another hand Indra want to match the behaviour and characteristic of these new diamond devices with traditional technologies of semi-conductors for high voltage (Si), or some other new ones already existing, as it is the case of Silicon Carbide (SiC).

Moreover, thinking in the encapsulation and industrialization of this diamond device in order to be able to extract from it all its benefits liked to thermal aspects, Indra will also participate in the specification and developing of a new packaging targeted to work at high temperatures (200-300ºC) in order to exploit at maximum the good characteristic of the diamond substrate.

Of course, Indra will also work with the rest of partners in the following activities and dissemination of the results and technology.

Univesities and technologies centers

Technologies used

As commented in advance previously, technologies to be used or developed in this Project are:

• Diamond dust/substrate technology with controlled crystal growing and controlled doping for manufacturing of a diamond power mosfet die with characteristic of high voltage (1k-10kV).
• High Temperature & High Voltage Packaging technology capable to withstand the behaviour and characteristic of the new diamond mosfet die. This packaging to be developed will use new ceramic materials.
• Finally thinking in INDRA scope, this project will allow to develop new power converters with higher efficiency based in the capability to work at higher voltages and temperatures.

More Information

This project, under reference nº H2020-640947, has been granted by the European Commission through the R&D Framework Programme “HORIZON 2020” (H2020).

Indra´s incorporation to the project: September 15^th, 2017

Currently it has been requested an amendment for extension of the Project in 12 additional months, up to April 30th, 2020.

Linking the project with the Sustainable Development Goals of the ONU (ODS)

The main Objectives for a Sustainable Development (SDOs) related to this project are:

• SDO7. Feasible energy and non-polluting.

Project partially subsidized by the European Commission throught the Framework Program "Horizon2020" (or H2020)