SatCon Developing Next Generation Power Products
28 November 2000
SatCon Developing Next Generation Power Products Using Silicon Carbide Power Semiconductors
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Nov. 28, 2000--SatCon Technology Corporation (Nasdaq NM:SATC), a leader in power and energy management products targeting the distributed power generation and power quality markets, today announced that it has just been selected for a $75,000, first phase, contract award with the Department of the Army to develop a motor controller using silicon carbide power semiconductors, which will supplement SatCon's ongoing investment in high power conversion systems. The contract has a potential $750,000 follow-on phase. A new generation of power electronics products based on silicon carbide devices will allow power conversion systems to operate at higher temperatures and higher efficiencies. Smaller sized power electronics using these new silicon carbide devices will require less space, be lighter weight, more efficient, and less costly. The use of silicon carbide devices is being driven by the need for higher density power electronics in the next generation of telecom/datacom power supplies, next generation automotive power electronics, and next generation distributed power conversion electronics. SatCon has been active in ongoing and recent new development programs to build power circuits using silicon carbide power semiconductors and other high temperature circuit components, which could lead to the next generation of power electronics using more efficient, smaller and easier to cool power circuits."Being able to offer silicon carbide based power conversion products, we believe, could provide SatCon with significant competitive advantages as we look out to the near future when these products will need to be even smaller, more efficient, and lower cost than current products", said David Eisenhaure, SatCon president and chief executive officer. "We have been developing these high temperature electronics using silicon carbide under a previously awarded contract for Combat Hybrid Power Systems. We also developed high temperature components for the Department of Energy. Our new Department of the Army motor controller program helps to validate our power conversion technology and will enable us to build on the intellectual property that we have developed from our Automotive Integrated Power Module work with the Department of Energy and the PowerGate(TM) power converters that we are building for fuel cell and other alternative energy customers."