Free Download | Power Electronics Handbook

The first electronics revolution began in 1948 with the invention of the silicon transistor at Bell Telephone Laboratories by Bardeen, Bratain, and Schockley. Most of today’s advanced electronic technologies are traceable to that invention, and modern microelectronics has evolved over the years from these silicon semiconductors. The second electronics revolution began with the development of a commercial thyristor by the General Electric Company in 1958. That was the beginning of a new era of power electronics. Since then, many different types of power semiconductor devices and conversion techniques have been introduced. The demand for energy, particularly in electrical forms, is ever-increasing in order to improve the standard of living. Power electronics helps with the efficient use of electricity, thereby reducing power consumption. Semiconductor devices are used as switches for power conversion or processing, as are solid state electronics for efficient control of the amount of power and energy flow. Higher efficiency and lower losses are sought for devices for a range of applications, from microwave ovens to high-voltage dc transmission. New devices and power electronic systems are now evolving for even more effective control of power and energy. Power electronics has already found an important place in modern technology and has revolutionized control of power and energy. As the voltage and current ratings and switching characteristics of power semiconductor devices keep improving, the range of applications continues to expand in areas such as lamp controls, power supplies to motion control, factory automation, transportation, energy storage, multi-megawatt industrial drives, and electric power transmission and distribution.