Impact Potential of New Power Electronic Technologies

New technological advances in the area of power electronics are having an increasing impact on the design of aerospace control systems. These next generation power components promise improved system performance through increased electronic efficiencies. Applying state-of-the-art packaging concepts as an integral part of the system design will allow these devices to be utilized in a space efficient and reliable manner. The first portion of this paper looks at two such next generation components. The first is a High Voltage Integrated Circuit (HVIC) that provides a bridge between the low voltage controller logic and the high voltage motor winding invertor. This device achieves size reduction and an increase in reliability through integration of low and high voltage logic networks on a single integrated circuit. The second is the Insulated Gate Transistor (IGT). This device provides a high voltage switch with MOS-like drive characteristics. The present and future expectations of these power devices are discussed. This paper then looks at new packaging techniques for power devices. The impact of parasitic circuit effects have significant impact on power circuit performance. Finally, this paper looks at an example control application. The design is that of a permanent magnet motor driven actuator. The drive motor uses 270 vdc for supply voltage. Within the intelligent system controller, is the capability to control the current demands of the motor. The new power electronics devices are making the design feasible in both thermal and volume efficiency. This topic includes projected controller sizing into the 1990s.