Date: April 28, 2014

Time: 4:30 pm -

Location: Computer Science 104

David Perreault Slide Presentation

Professor David Perreault, of MIT, presents “Powerful Circuits: Developments in High Frequency Power Electronics” as part of the Andlinger Center’s 2013-2014 Highlight Seminar Series.

ABSTRACT
Electrical energy is the cornerstone of our technological infrastructure, and its use pervades our society. Energy-processing circuits – or power electronics – are central to our ability to efficiently create, manipulate, and utilize electrical energy. Advances in this area are becoming vital, both for addressing the growing energy challenges we face and for extending our control over the world around us. A challenge of particular importance is the miniaturization of power circuits. Likewise, advances in the performance of power electronics – including efficiency, control bandwidth, and operating range – are essential to reducing energy consumption and increasing functionality in myriad applications.

This talk describes ongoing research at MIT that seeks to address the twin challenges of miniaturization and performance of power electronics. New system architectures and circuit designs are introduced that enable dramatic increases in switching frequencies (e.g., into the 3-300 MHz range). Higher frequencies are desirable because they reduce energy storage requirements, but necessitate circuit designs that either compensate for or utilize device parasitics. Furthermore, design approaches for integrated power devices and magnetics are introduced that scale well to small sizes and high frequencies and enable improved integration. Experimental results from power converters operating at frequencies to beyond 100 MHz are presented to illustrate these emerging technologies.

BIO
David Perreault received the B.S. degree from Boston University and the S.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all in Electrical Engineering.  He is presently Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  His research interests include design, manufacturing, and control techniques for power electronic systems and components, and in their use in a wide range of applications.  Dr. Perreault is a Fellow of the IEEE.  He received the Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award from the IEEE Power Electronics Society, the ONR Young Investigator Award, and the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, and has co-authored six IEEE prize papers in the area of power electronics.  He is also co-founder of Eta Devices, Inc., a startup company focusing on high-efficiency rf power amplifiers for communications.