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Sustainability assessment of wide bandgap semiconductors in power electronics
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School of Electrical Engineering |
Master's thesis
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en
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87
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Power electronics are central to the green transition toward sustainable electrical and electronic systems, relying on power semiconductors. As silicon devices face performance constraints, wide bandgap (WBG) technologies like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are gaining traction. Given their resource and energy-intensive manufacturing, this study evaluates the environmental benefits of WBG semiconductors through a broad analysis and a case study. The broader perspective examines how WBG performance characteristics translate into environmental benefits, such as chip miniaturization, resource savings from smaller passives and heat sink, and improved system efficiency across diverse applications.
For the case study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed on a power module for an industry-based DC EV charging station, comparing Si, SiC, and GaN-based designs. The system-level model, developed in GaBi software, covers manufacturing, assembly, transportation, and use phases. Model development relied on a bill of materials from the DC charger manufacturer, supplemented with environmental profiles, datasheets, literature, and GaBi’s database.
Two impact indicators were assessed: Global Warming Potential over a 100-year time horizon (GWP(100)) and Abiotic Depletion Potential for elements (ADP(elements)). Results show that WBG technologies significantly reduce impacts for both manufacturing and use phases at the system level, with minor reductions in assembly and transport phases. At the semiconductor level, GaN yields the lowest GWP(100), while SiC achieves the lowest ADP(elements).
This work was carried out at the Electronics Integration and Reliability (EILB) research group at Aalto University in collaboration with Kempower Oyj. This study demonstrates the potential of WBG technologies to lower the carbon and resource footprint of power electronics. In future, the model can be expanded to include end‑of‑life and circular economy approaches, solid‑state transformers, complete DC charger systems and updated with SiC and GaN primary manufacturing data to improve accuracy.