Power Devices
Power semiconductor (typically Si) devices used as switches or rectifiers in power electronic circuits. They are also called power ICs when used in integrated circuits. With the exponential growth in global demand for mobile phones and portable electronic devices, power management becomes critical for maximising battery life, as well as playing a part in n generating alternative energy, and usage for LED lighting.
Common power devices include Schotty or PIN diodes, thyristors, MOSFETs, and IGBTs.
The high breakdown voltage of wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC and GaN is a useful property in high power applications that require large electric fields. Due to higher raw materials and production costs, they have not displaced silicon from its leading place in the general power semiconductor market, but are being used in advanced space and military applications.