A research team from the University of Hong Kong and the Center for Advanced Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits has built the world’s first ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor module to reach 1 megawatt of peak power.

In lab tests, the six-chip gallium oxide module switched 1,000 volts and 1,000 amperes at a rate of 1,000 times per second.

Working with researchers at Virginia Tech and Nanjing University, the team moved the cooling path closer to the part of each chip where heat builds up and redesigned the insulation to handle high voltages.

The findings could help engineers build smaller power systems that deliver short, intense bursts of electricity for fusion experiments, particle accelerators, and advanced medical equipment.

Power semiconductors act as switches that control the flow of electricity in everything from electric vehicles to power grids. Gallium oxide can withstand strong electric fields, making it a candidate for high-voltage switches.

But the material conducts heat poorly, and combining several chips in one package makes it harder to manage both heat and electrical stress.

The researchers moved the heat-generating junction closer to the cooling path so heat could escape more readily. They also added an insulating layer with high permittivity to redistribute the electric field around the device and improve its ability to handle high voltage.

“Our work shows that the thermal limitations of gallium oxide do not necessarily prevent it from reaching very high-power levels,” said Professor Zhang.

“Instead of treating the semiconductor device and its package separately, we designed them together as a single system.

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