New nanotransistors keep their cool at high voltages

The transistor developed by EPFL researchers can transistor can substantially reduce the resistance and cut the amount of heat dissipation in high-power systems © 2021 EPFL - Power converters play an essential role in electric vehicles and solar panels, for example, but tend to lose a lot of power in the form of heat in the electricity conversion process. Thanks to a new type of transistor developed at EPFL, these converters can perform at substantially improved efficiencies, especially in high-power applications. Power converters are the little-known systems that make electricity so magical. They are what allow us to plug in our computers, lamps and televisions and turn them on in a snap. Converters transform the alternating current (AC) that comes out of wall sockets into the exact level of direct current (DC) that our electronics need. But they also tend to lose, in average, up to 20% of their energy in the process. Power converters work by using power transistors - tiny semiconductor components designed to switch on and off and withstand high voltages.