National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Unm Rainforest Innovations

Jack David Flicker

Robert Kaplar

Jason C Neely

Joshua Stewart

Jarod James Delhotal

Gregory W Pickrell

Andrew A Allerman

Eric Langlois

Jeffrey Steinfeldt

Todd Monson

Robert W Brocato

Andrew Armstrong

Jacob Mueller

Harold P Hjalmarson

Lee Joshua Rashkin

Olga Lavrova

Sigifredo Gonzalez

Jane Lehr

Luciano Andres Garcia Rodriguez

Lee Gill

Mary H Crawford

Andrew Binder

Luke Yates

James Richards

Brendan P Gunning

Michael L Smith

Vincent M Abate

Jeramy R Dickerson

Nicholas Sonny Gurule

Geoff L Brennecka

Emily Ann Schrock

A vertical gallium nitride (GaN) PN diode uses epitaxial growth of a thick drift region with a very low carrier concentration and a carefully designed multi-zone junction termination extension to achieve high voltage blocking and high-power efficiency. An exemplary large area (1 mm) diode had a forward pulsed current of 3.5 A, an 8.3 mΩ-cmspecific on-resistance, and a 5.3 kV reverse breakdown. A smaller area diode (0.063 mm) was capable of 6.4 kV breakdown with a specific on-resistance of 10.2 mΩ-cm, when accounting for current spreading through the drift region at a 45° angle.

High voltage gallium nitride vertical PN diode

A disclosed switching apparatus, such as a circuit breaker, includes a transistor switch circuit connected between a power input terminal and a load terminal, and, connected to the power input terminal and bypassing the transistor switch circuit, a switchable bypass leg that is optically switched by a series-connected photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS). The transistor switch circuit includes at least one cascade of three or more series-connected transistors, and at least one resistor network configured to divide a voltage from a voltage source across a cascade of series-connected transistors. Operating the switch apparatus includes detecting whether a sensed electric current is in a fault condition, opening the transistor switch circuit upon detecting a fault condition, and then closing the PCSS so that the electric current is diverted onto a switchable bypass path. The opening of the transistor switch circuit comprises turning OFF a normally-ON transistor switch circuit.

Optically switched circuit breaker with cascaded transistor topology

A method and system for determining the state of one or both of an electrical conductor or an associated system utilizing a non-invasive sensor and a magnetostrictive response from the current of the electrical conductor. The method includes providing a sensor assembly including a magnetostrictive resonator sensor and a signal detector. A state of one or both of the electrical conductor or the associated system is determined with the fault detector in response to a first frequency profile and a second frequency profile obtained with the magnetostrictive resonator sensor. A fault monitoring system utilizing a magnetostrictive resonator sensor is also disclosed.

Magnetostrictive current sensor method and system

A GaN diode EMP arrestor exhibits breakdown in &#x3c;10 ns at reverse-bias voltage &#x3e;20 kV. Additionally, the arrestor exhibits avalanche ruggedness at 1 kA/cmin a 1 mmdevice (i.e. 10 A absolute current) over a period of 500 ns following the onset of breakdown. Finally, the specific on-resistance in the forward direction is &#x3c;20 m&#x3a9; cm.

Gallium nitride electromagnetic pulse arrestor

A hybrid switched capacitor power converter for high-power applications is provided. The converter has a transistor-switched input-stage boost converter followed by a capacitor-and-diode ladder circuit. The converter is adapted to produce an output voltage of at least 5 kV at a power level of at least 0.5 kW. The ladder circuit includes one or more multi-stage rails.

Passive high-power-density grid interface device

A DC power bus having reduced parasitic inductance and higher tolerable operating temperature is disclosed. In example embodiments, a bus structure overlies a printed circuit board, and an array of capacitors is arranged on a surface of the printed circuit board distal the bus structure. The bus structure comprises an upper metal plate, a lower metal plate, and a dielectric film interposed between the upper and lower metal plates. The capacitors are connected in parallel between conductive planes of the printed circuit board. The upper and lower metal plates of the bus structure are connected to respective conductive planes of the printed circuit board.

Low-inductance direct current power bus

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Jack David Flicker