Keynote presentations will be approximately 50 minutes, including Q&A

Reliability Needs:
Is it a Semiconductor Product or a Power Supply?

Abstract
Historically, reliability procedures for power supplies (systems) were developed separately from procedures for silicon integrated circuits (components). As the decades passed, integrated circuits evolved into power supply system in package (pSiP) while power supplies morphed into modules based upon bare semiconductor dies. At the same time, power semiconductor discretes became a major force in the market, and they also created unique reliability procedures. These three products now have significant overlap in application, yet data sheets to standards to production practices have not converged. This keynote will review and analyze the history and current status of reliability practices and standards, and associated data sheets and product supply chains for these three related, but disjoint, product types. In addition, key needs and future opportunities will be proposed.

Biography
Dr. Stephanie Watts Butler, P.E. is the president of WattsButler LLC, an innovation services company focused on the power semiconductor industry. As a technology innovation architect with over 35 years of experience in silicon and wide bandgap technology and product development, Dr. Butler enables clients to innovate more efficiently, effectively, and profitably by bringing structure to nebulous situations to solve complex problems. During her previous career at Texas Instruments, she produced innovations in the areas of power and CMOS process and package technology, materials, reliability, R&D management, manufacturing science, control, fault detection, metrology, and new product development generating 17 U.S. patents.  She is co-founder and past-chair of JEDEC’s JC-70 wide bandgap standards committee and co-convenor of IEC’ s TC47/WG8. She is the Industry Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Power Electronics Magazine, a PELS Member-at-Large (ADCOM), WIE Committee member. Dr. Butler also serves as a Menttium mentor, on the TxGCP Champion Board and the PSMA Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of AVS.

“Thermal Management for Next-Generation Power and Energy Devices and Modules”

Abstract
As power devices evolve to handle higher voltages and currents, and power density increases, thermal management becomes increasingly critical to performance and reliability. This keynote will explore cutting-edge thermal solutions for power devices and modules, focusing on innovations that enhance heat dissipation, minimize thermal resistance, and ensure long-term stability under high-stress conditions. Topics will cover advanced materials and design strategies. Special attention will be given to solutions addressing compact and high-power-density applications, including wide-bandgap devices. Attendees will gain insights into current trends, challenges, and practical techniques to improve thermal performance, fostering reliability and efficiency in modern power systems.

Biography
As Principal Engineer for Advanced Materials, Dr. Mackie focuses on identifying the intersection of novel materials, emerging technologies, and their potential business impact. His professional experience covers all aspects of materials and processes for electronics manufacturing from wafer fabrication to semiconductor assembly and packaging and SMT/electronics assembly. Dr. Mackie holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a Master’s of Science (MSc) in physical chemistry and surface science from the University of Bristol, UK. Dr. Mackie is an invited international keynote speaker. He holds patents in novel polymers, heterogeneous catalysis, and solder paste formulation. He is an alumnus of the UC Berkeley Product Management program (2015) and the RIT Kate Gleason College of Engineering Short Course in IC Processing (2003).

Current Industry Involvement (2024):
– Board of Directors of iNEMI
– Technical Advisory Board of IEEC/S3IP
– Technical council of Automotive Electronics Council (AEC)
– Lead of iMAPS Heterogeneous Integration Terminology Team (HITT)
– Power Semiconductor Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Packaging Committee
– IEEE EPS Thermomechanical Technical Committee
– Founding member of SEMI Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration (APHI) standards committee
– SEMI North East USA Regional Committee
– Member of IEEE: PELS, PES, TEMS, Photonics Societies

Industry Awards:
– IMAPS Fellow (2014)
– IMAPS William D. Ashman Achievement Award (2014) for leadership and technical contributions to the semiconductor packaging industry
– IPC President’s Award (2001) for leadership in the Solder Paste Task Group, and the Assembly and Joining Materials sub-committee

“An Industrial Perspective on Medium-Voltage Multi-Chip Power Module Packaging”

Abstract
TBC

Biography
Kraig J. Olejniczak earned his B.S.E.E. degree from Valparaiso University in 1987. His M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees were granted by Purdue University in 1988 and 1991, respectively. He joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR) as an assistant professor in August 1991. Dr. Olejniczak was named associate professor in 1995 and professor of electrical engineering in 2000. He conceptualized and led the university’s High Density Electronics Center’s effort in the power electronic miniaturization and packaging thrust area.

Dr. Olejniczak has been awarded the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Industry Applications Society’s Power Electronics Devices and Components Committee Prize Paper Award in 1998 for his work on the use of diamond in multichip power module-based induction motor drives, and the IEEE Power Engineering Society’s Power Engineering Education Committee’s Prize Paper Award in 2001 for his work in collaborative distance learning in power engineering. In addition, Dr. Olejniczak has been the recipient of: the National Science Foundation’s Research Initiation Award (1994), the Department of Electrical Engineering’s Halliburton Outstanding Researcher Award (1994), the Arkansas Academy of Electrical Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award (1995 and 1999), the College of Engineering’s Phillips Petroleum Outstanding Faculty Award (1996), and the Department of Electrical Engineering’s Texas Instruments Outstanding Researcher Award (1997). In 1998, he received the IEEE Power Engineering Society’s Walter Fee Outstanding Young Engineer Award for the outstanding power engineer in the society under the age of 35.

After serving on the University of Arkansas faculty for the previous 11 years, in August 2002, he assumed leadership of Valparaiso University’s College of Engineering. As dean, he fundraised over $15M to build the Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center, a United States Green Building Council LEED Platinum engineering laboratory. He raised another $1.5M to construct the first high-temperature solar chemistry laboratory and first ARPA-E award at a primarily-undergraduate institution. In 2009, Dr. Olejniczak received the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers “Engineer of the Year Award.” In his final year, he led the college to a U.S. News and World Report ranking of 17th out of 194 non-doctoral engineering programs. After serving his alma mater for 11 years, Dr. Olejniczak resigned his tenure as a professor of electrical and computer engineering to join his colleagues at APEI in Fayetteville, AR. Dr. Olejniczak served as co-founder, chairman of the board, and held senior manager for motor drives and electric utility applications and Director of Development Engineering, Power Applications, Electric Drives and Utilities positions until July 9, 2015 when APEI was acquired by Cree Inc. (See http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2015/July/Cree-Acquires-APEI ) He now serves as a Research Scientist within the Medium- and High-Voltage Power Products Group within the Power Modules Business Unit.

He is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu. He is a senior member of IEEE and a licensed professional engineer in the State of Arkansas.

“High Voltage Polymer Aluminium Electrolytic Capacitors – a New Gamechanger in Power Electronics”

Abstract
In power electronic circuits especially in the DC-Link of Automotive applications, Polymer Aluminium electrolytic capacitors are widely used. Right now, the commercially available capacitors are typically quite small, offering maximal several hundred mF capacitance at a rated voltage of up to 100 V DC. They are coming often as so-called hybrid Polymer Aluminium electrolytic capacitors, containing also additional liquid electrolyte as additive to the conducting polymer electrolyte in SMD, radial or axial constructions. The advantages of that technology are high ripple current capability, high temperature stability and very long lifetimes compared to traditional liquid electrolyte Aluminium electrolytic capacitors.

Recently new conducting polymer (PEDOT:PSS) formulations are available, promising much higher operational voltages. It has been demonstrated that bigger, flat and stacked capacitors with 70 µF could be constructed and operated a 450 V rated voltage providing 10 times lower ESR values than traditional Aluminium electrolytic capacitors allowing therefore a very high ripple current capability over a long frequency range up to 100 MHz. The coolabilty of this technology also opens new packaging strategies for the DC-link. A comparative life cycle assessment with metallized film capacitors looks also promising.

This keynote will introduce into this new technology giving also an outlook to which voltage limits it could be developed. The author of this keynote is convinced that this technology will become a gamechanger in power electronics.

Biography
Thomas Ebel (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Dipl.-Chem. degree (M.Sc. equivalent) in Chemistry from Münster University, Münster, Germany, in 1992, and the Ph.D. degree (Dr. rer. nat.), from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Münster University, in 1995.,In 1995, he spent three months as a Guest Researcher at the CNRS, Institute des Matériaux de Nantes, Nantes, France, with Prof. J. Rouxel. From August 1995 to September 2001, he was a Research and Development Engineer and later the Research and Development Director at Siemens Matsushita Components, Siemens AG PR, since October 1999 EPCOS AG, since October 2008 TDK, in the Business unit of Aluminum- Electrolytic- Capacitors, Heidenheim, Germany. From October 2001 to July 2008, he was the Research and Development Director, later the Technical Director (CTO), the Member of the Board of Directors at Becromal Norway (Becromal S.p.A, since October 2008 Epcos, now TDK foil), Milano, Italy. From September 2008 to July 2018, he was the Managing Director and Shareholder at FTCAP GmbH, Husum Manufacturer of Aluminum Electrolytic and Film-Capacitors, Heidenheim. Since August 2018, he has been the Head with the Section Electrical Engineering and Centre for Industrial Electronics (CIE), Odense, Denmark and University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Sønderborg, Denmark. He has a rank of a Full Professor.

“How Life Cycle Assessment Contributes to Sustainable Power Electronics?”

Abstract
Power electronics are key enablers of the evolution towards a more electrified and less fossil-dependent society, in fields as diverse as transportation, industrial machinery, home appliances, energy transformation and distribution.

The environmental costs of such evolution have often been minored or underestimated, when not simply disregarded. The global mindset on this topic is however rapidly evolving, and the need for the industry to provide accurate, consolidated data on the environmental impacts of the technologies it manufactures is getting sharper, under pressure from both the inside (internal corporate dynamic) and the outside (customers, competitors, evolving states legislation).

In this context, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is a powerful tool to investigate and quantify the environmental impacts of power electronics devices and systems, thus providing a clear view of the ecological costs of a technology. By this mean, LCA can also be used as an aid to decision-making for power electronics designers and end-users to mitigate environmental impacts of a given power device or application.
This keynote will first remind the main drivers behind the need for LCA of power electronics, followed be a view of the current state of the art on the topic. Then, results of life cycle inventory (LCI) and LCA carried out on different power devices, at both die-level and module-level, will be shared. Finally, the discussion will be opened on the potential frameworks for more efficient sharing of knowledge and expertise between the different players of the power electronics industry to strengthen the validity and technical robustness of LCA as a tool of progress towards more sustainable power electronics.

Biography
Thomas obtained his PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013, and worked 10 years in different companies of the semiconductor and microelectronics packaging industry, focusing particularly on SiC-based power transistors and power electronic modules. He recently joined Mitsubishi Electric R&D in France, and his main research interest is the life cycle assessment (LCA) of power electronics and how it can help achieving more sustainable devices and systems.

“Integration of 7-Level ‘Multi-Cell’ 13.8 kV AC, 22 kV dc, 1 MW Three-Phase AC-to-AC Power Converter for Grid-Interface Applications”

Abstract
The advent of 10 kV SiC MOSFET devices has enabled the development of direct-to-line medium voltage (MV) power converters operating in distribution grids without the need of galvanic insulation. Although modular multilevel converter (MMC) type solutions have proliferated due to their inherent modularity and scalability advantages, the use of ‘switching-type’ topologies offers key benefits in terms of power density and cost, since their optimized circuit configuration has the potential to reduce the number of components used significantly. The ‘multi-cell’ topology, aka ‘flying capacitor’ converter, is one of such solutions that can bring forth these benefits. This presentation will discuss the challenges in adopting such circuit topology in medium voltage applications based on 10 kV SiC MOSFETs, addressing the insulation system design, energy storage needs, challenges in 10 kV SiC MOSFET modules, protection schemes, cooling system, the auxiliary circuitry, and its enabling digital control system technology. Lessons learned, and the prospects and future challenges foreseen for this class of wide-bandgap power converters will be presented and discussed in detail.

Biography
Rolando Burgos (S’96 – M’03) was born in Concepcion, Chile, where he attended the University of Concepcion, earning his B.S. in Electronics Engineering in 1995 and a Professional Engineering degree in Electronics Engineering in 1997, graduating with honors. At the same institution he later earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1999 and 2002 respectively. In 2002 he joined the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), in Blacksburg, VA, as Postdoctoral Fellow, where he became Research Scientist in 2003, and Research Assistant Professor in 2005. During this period he was primarily involved in the development and synthesis of high power density power electronics converters and distribution systems, co-advising several Ph.D. and Master students at CPES. In 2009 he became a Scientist with ABB Corporate Research, in Raleigh, NC, becoming Principal Scientist in 2010. This same year he was appointed Adjunct Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at North Carolina State University (NCSU). While at ABB, he was involved in the development of multi-level converter platforms for medium voltage industrial and grid applications. In 2012 Dr. Burgos returned to Virginia Tech as Associate Professor and CPES faculty in The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He earned an early-decision tenure in June 2017, and was promoted to Professor in June 2019. In 2017 he became a member of the CPES Executive Board, and since 2021 he has been the CPES Director. His research interests include multi-phase multi-level modular power conversion, grid power electronics applications, high power density power converters, the stability of ac and dc electronic power systems, hierarchical modeling, and control theory and applications. He has co-directed and participated in more than 110 sponsored research projects in this area, and coauthored over 650 peer-reviewed technical publications, including more than 160 journal articles; he has received 17 prize paper awards. He has advised to completion 21 Ph.D. and 34 M.S. students, and he has been in the Advisory Committee of 31 additional Ph.D. students. Dr. Burgos is the General Chair of the IEEE Energy Conversion Conference and Expo (ECCE) 2024, and past Chair of the Technical Committee on “Power and Control Core Technologies” of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, and former associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, and the IEEE Power Electronics Letters. He is a Member of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, Industry Applications Society, Industrial Electronics Society and the Power and Energy Society.