Airbus and STMicroelectronics team up to develop aircraft power electronics components

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is teaming up with semiconductor company STMicroelectronics to develop advanced power electronics for electric aircraft powertrains. The collaboration will focus on developing components for Airbus' hybrid and all-electric aircraft powertrains.

According to the aircraft maker's announcement, the parts will be made of silicon carbide and gallium nitride semiconductors. SiC semiconductors are already used in mass-produced electric vehicles because they are more efficient than semiconductors made of pure silicon. This can improve performance for the same weight, or it can make components lighter. Cooling systems can also be designed to be smaller and lighter due to greater efficiency and less waste heat.

GaN, at least in the mobile space, is not yet as ubiquitous, but it has these advantages. GaN transistors can be smaller and more efficient, so they should also be cheaper at the system level. When German chipmaker Infineon announced its acquisition of GaN Systems in March this year, higher power density, higher efficiency and smaller size "especially at higher switching frequencies" were also cited as advantages of the material. Advantage.

Airbus and STMicroelectronics have conducted an assessment in recent months "to explore the benefits of wide bandgap semiconductor materials for the electrification of aircraft". The new collaboration is now building on this initial work: the collaboration will focus on the development of SiC and GaN devices, packages and modules suitable for Airbus aerospace applications. "The two companies will evaluate these components through advanced research and testing of demonstrators such as motor control units, high and low voltage power converters and wireless power transfer systems," the statement said.

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