Public Funding for The Thinking Pod Innovations Ltd

The project "Pre-packaged Power Devices for PCB Embedded Power Electronics" (P3EP) develops a UK supply chain for PCB-embedded power systems with Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices. The P3EP supply chain will allow PEMD manufacturers to build converters with the highest power densities and it will allow UK power semiconductor companies to enter these markets. Wide bandgap power devices such as GaN offer extremely high switching speeds and the possibility to significantly reduce system size. But this can only be exploited with new packaging and module construction methods which increase thermal transfer and reduced parasitic effects. The emerging technology of embedding power devices into the PCB has proven to be the most advanced way to achieve this goal. P3EP develops the complete supply chain in the UK. The P3EP manufacturing chain is based on GaN pre-packages. Pre-packages have major advantages over bare dies because they allow production testing, characterisation, and reliability qualification. This improves yield, cost, and time-to-market for the PEMD system. Further, pre-packages use materials with optimised compatibility with the chip and enable much-simplified embedding into the system-PCB. The P3EP supply chain comprises: • GaN power semiconductor supplier and Cu chip metallisation • Production capability for GaN pre-packages. This includes pre-packages with single or multiple GaN devices as well as half-bridge arrangements with integrated driver. • Manufacturing of power-system PCBs by embedding tested GaN pre-packages followed by traditional assembly into a full converter. • Set up the digital toolchain for the customisation of pre-packages and embedded power sub-systems for a large variety of power electronic applications. • Set up the supply chain for characterisation of electrical, thermal and reliability performance of device, pre-package, and embedded subsystems. All these embedded manufacturing capabilities can be simply adapted to facilitate testing, characterisation and embedding of other power semiconductor technologies such as Silicon or Silicon Carbide. Power systems with embedded WBG devices based on the P3EP supply chain will deliver improvements in the weight, volume, efficiency, and power density of the converter. These aspects are particularly important for automotive and more-electric aerospace applications, the early adopters of the technology. While there are world-leading electronics manufacturing capabilities in the UK, there is currently no manufacturing line for assembling embedded power electronics. Project P3EP will close this cap enabling the UK PEMD industry to deliver smaller, lighter, more reliable solutions in power electronics for a wide range of markets.

"OCTOPUS builds on the success of previous Innovate UK project APEX. **Advanced Electric Motors Research** and **The Thinking Pod innovations** will focus optimising the integrated motor and power electronics 'drive' technology and further integrating with a new transmission and thermal management system to deliver the ultimate single unit e-axle solution designed specifically to meet **Bentley Motors** performance specifications. OCTOPUS will use the world class synchrotron and high performance computing systems available from the **Science & Technology Facilities Council** to build new multi-physics modelling solutions and expertise of the **University of Nottingham** to build power electronics modelling solutions and validate them with test data generated by 'looking through' the motor while its running at its maximum operating speed of 30,000rpm. The prototype e-axle, manufactured by **Advanced Electric Machines** at their expanded manufacturing facility in Washington Tyne & Wear, will be tested to OEM Design Verification (DV) standards using the latest testing solutions and test specifications developed using both **University of Bath** and Bentley Motors vast powertrain testing experience, ensuring that it comes out of the project ready to be considered for a vehicle programme. Looking beyond the next generation, OCTOPUS will develop a suite of technologies which target the 2035 Auto Council performance targets by integrating the latest thinking in Additive Manufacturing and nano-material technologies. **Hieta Technologies** will deliver beyond state of the art thermal management and lighweighting solutions in both the motor and transmission while **Talga Resources** UK will develop materials for high performance motor windings delivering an aluminium based solution which will aim to out perform copper. By working on these technologies alongside the core e-axle design, OCTOPUS will aim to accelerate and focus their development with a view to incorporating successful elements into the testing and prototype units, laying the foundations for future design verification programmes. At the end of OCTOPUS the project team will deliver: * **An e-axle prototype** incorporating the latest magnet free motor, wide band gap power electronics and lightweight transmission systems, tested to OEM DV standards using a new test protocol proven on next generation test facilities * **A new multi-physics simulation modelling toolkit** incorporating electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal and NVH solvers operating simultaneously, validated by a never before demonstrated x-ray analysis technique * **Next generation lightweight high performance component systems**, integrating the latest material and manufacturing techniques and tested at component, sub-system and system level and with an integration route into future e-axle designs"

"APEX brings leading edge UK research in power electronics together with ultra-high speed, switched reluctance electric machine design and novel thermal management solutions, to deliver a breakthrough in electric drive systems suitable for high performance vehicles. The drive will be designed to exceed latest permanent magnet motor performance while removing the need for both rare-earth magnets and copper windings -- delivering a package which is both cost effective and recyclable at its end of life and widely applicable across vehicle types and markets. Working closely with Bentley Motors and University of Newcastle, The Thinking Pod Innovations and Advanced Electric Machines Research will accelerate their technologies towards market readiness while ensuring they are focused on meeting all of the requirements of an automotive design verification plan from the earliest stage of design. Building on world class design capabilities and unsurpassed experience in high volume motor manufacturing, APEX will work with UK based suppliers to deliver cost effective prototypes and establish supply chains which can support volume production enabling a market opportunity worth over £525M a year by 2030\."

We will demonstrate a paradigm shift in the manufacture of electronic power conversion systems by achieving the true potential of wide band-gap switches in applications at power levels from 100s W to 100s kW. Power electronic converters are assembled using a mixture of surface mount technology for low-level electronics & hand/semi-automated assembly of through-hole & larger energy storage & filter components. The assembly processes are slow & the limited range of geometric forms of larger components limits adaption to restricted application geometries & achievable power density. We will create 3D assemblies of power components, sensors & control electronics by embedding these in a PCB laminate allowing power-dense, complete solutions, with complex, 3D internal routing using a single manufacturing process flow. Many individual converters can be made on a single card so the process is suitable for both large & small-volume production & can be reconfigured without re-tooling, so many different products can be accommodated on one production line. Huge reductions in cost over the current state-of-the-art can thus be expected.