| Project Detail |
SixPoint Materials and Texas Tech University will develop a photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) that will enable low-cost, fast-acting, high-efficiency, high-voltage HVDC circuit breakers. SixPoint will develop the key material, bulk crystals of semi-insulating gallium nitride (GaN), and Texas Tech will design the device structure and fabricate a 100 kV PCSS. Combining the GaN PCSS with a conventional mechanical switch will create a hybrid HVDC circuit breaker suitable for a multi-terminal HVDC grid. One 100 kV GaN PCSS could potentially replace 56 semiconductor switches made of conventional silicon technology.
Potential Impact:
The advancement of HVDC circuit breaker technology will accelerate the development of multi-point HVDC systems required for offshore wind and solar power plants. If successful, this project will : |
