TPEC - A new research complex for the open innovation of sic power electronics in Japan

The environment surrounding power electronics has been undergoing tremendous changes due to the rapid expansion of demand for highly efficient utilization of energy, as can be seen in the increased global efforts toward creation of a low-carbon society and the shift toward utilization of renewable energy. The Tsukuba Power Electronics Constellations (TPEC) was started on April 2012, with celebrating the 4th anniversary on FY2016. More than a hundred researchers have joined together from 30 industrial companies, 8 universities, and 4 public research institutions. Research and development of the next-generation Wide Band Gap (WBG) semiconductor materials for power electronics with an emphasis on silicon carbide (SiC) is being conducted here. AIST has been the world leader in research and development of SiC for over 30 years. The TPEC is a perfect example of our challenge toward a radical innovation for power electronics based on Japan's advanced WBG semiconductor technologies.