13 December 2007

Technology of big transistors

By Jim Pinto

In these days of skyrocketing oil prices, a completely electric car is still not practical (low range, and you cannot “re-fill” fast enough). But “hybrid” cars are already here, and they are sweeping across the market, not only because they are cleaner and more fuel efficient but also because they can radically improve almost every aspect of performance over conventional cars.

Since the internal combustion engine was first developed almost a century and a half ago, the mechanical power was used to turn wheels and pump fluids. With a hybrid, all the power from the engine (about 100 HP in a small car) generates electricity (about 70 kilowatts) to drive electric motors distributed throughout the vehicle. Technology converts the power from mechanical to electric, and electric provides the drive.

In a hybrid automobile, everything is super-efficient, and power is never wasted. The battery is automatically re-charged every time the car brakes, or goes downhill. In addition, the braking is electrical; brake pads and transmissions do not really wear out.

The key enabling technology for the hybrid revolution is digital power control, made possible by the power transistor, invented only about 30 years ago. Integrated circuits have millions of gates per chip. By contrast, power transistors are single chips that handle kilowatts of power. These transistors are big enough to control the propulsion of trucks, automobiles, and industrial machines. Sales of these big power switches are already more than a few billion annually, and will double every few years for decades as more and more applications (like the hybrid car) come on line.

Building a transistor switch that handles kilowatts generates an inflection point, which sets the stage for truly fundamental changes in the infrastructure of the new industrial economy.

We will soon start to see the escalation of this revolution in the auto industry. If you are not already driving a hybrid car, it is more than likely you will be within the next few years. Your old gas guzzler will be out of date.

Related links:

• Truck-Size Transistors:
  http://www.forbes.com/technology/free_forbes/2004/0726/099.html
• Energy Manager for Hybrid Electric Vehicles:
  http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v33_3_00/power.htm
• Looking Into the Future of Power Components
  http://powerelectronics.com/mag/power_looking_future_power/

Behind the byline

Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and founder of Action Instruments. You can e-mail him at jim@jimpinto.com or view his writings at www.JimPinto.com. Read the Table of Contents of his book, Pinto’s Points, at www.jimpinto.com/writings/points.html.