For over four decades, Dr Mietek Bakowski has worked with research and development in semiconductor materials for high-voltage environments, making him an international authority in Power Electronics - a field that has slowly made its way into powertrains for electric cars, boats, and aircraft. The field is based on the need for tougher materials to withstand the high voltages required as our world becomes increasingly electrified.
Look at the total energy savings and lifetime, not cost of components!
Mietek believes that every day is fun, every moment is interesting - there are no quick wins to be made, but what's required is a scientific approach and work that leads to us being able to take care of the opportunities that exist with SiC.
– It's obvious! What drives me is being curious about technology and research, about science, and being able to benefit the world by creating systems that use less electrical energy!
At the same time, Mietek argues that the field is constantly developing because the processes and materials are so complicated:
– Many believe that the field is finished, but that's not yet true even though we are now starting to see applications in reality - what's still missing is reliability, and there we are still at the beginning. The basic development is not yet complete, and we will see problems emerge around materials, construction, processing in the coming years where we need to go deeper. IGBT transistors (not SiC, or silicon carbide) are clearly cheaper today and many still choose silicon as a base due to price differences with SiC, but that's wrong thinking - they don't consider lifespan and savings.
Mietek is one of the world's most renowned researchers in the field and came to Chalmers University in Gothenburg as early as 1969 as a student from Poland, where student actions and unrest made life uncertain. He quickly became a doctor of physics focusing on radiation and transistors to be used in space, and researched high-voltage silicon-based circuits. Mietek has also done a postdoc at NASA's jet propulsion lab but returned to Sweden and has worked in the high-voltage field since then - first at ABB (formerly ASEA) with responsibility for Gate Turn Transistors, then at the Institute for Microelectronics which now belongs to RISE.
Mietek likes to stay close to technology development and knowledge generation and emphasizes the importance of being able to talk with industrial partners about what they need while also having a strong connection to basic research. Mietek has a strong aversion to bureaucracy, management layers, and emphasizes the importance of doing something every day that drives development forward:
– Not all roles create value! At ABB, they even had different sized chairs, not just 'my desk is bigger than yours'. I see the core of the business as research, an open way of working and utilizing each other's competence is what generates knowledge. (not the size of the chairs)
The twists and turns around silicon carbide have been many, in Sweden and the rest of the world, and have at times led a languishing existence. Mietek emphasizes that there is still an incredibly strong collective expertise around the Electrum laboratory in Stockholm, which serves as a hub for both academic research and applied development.
What exists in Kista around the Electrum laboratory is unique in the world, a combination of parties that have been collaborating for more than 25 years - an entire Silicon Carbide community with an incredibly vast collective knowledge.
Networks, research and conferences where Dr Bakowski is involved
- SCAPE är en internationell workshop för tillämpningar inom wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics.
- The WBG Power Centre shall promote the adoption of power electronics based on silicon carbide and gallium nitride in applications where high energy efficiency, compactness, and high-frequency operation provide important system advantages, with the aim of achieving energy savings and increasing the competitiveness of the Swedish electronics industry.
- SCAPE is an international workshop for applications in wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics.
Our research and the science behind
From "tech push" to growing demand
On a global level, silicon-based electronics have a total market that is far larger than more exotic materials, but in power electronics, development is rapidly moving towards new component designs (transistor architecture, processes) with materials such as silicon carbide and eventually perhaps Gallium Nitride (GaN) for use in key systems such as inverters. In the field, next-generation materials such as GaS and even diamond as base substrates are already being discussed. The major advantage of power electronics using tougher materials is reduced energy losses, which makes energy consumption in, for example, an electric truck significantly lower.
Is it happening now?
– Yes, perhaps - we see how larger international customers are turning to RISE to take advantage of our expertise and lab equipment, and there is consensus that components in power conversion must use other material systems.
