Every day, we hear about “semiconductors” in the economic news. Among the various types of semiconductors, “power semiconductors,” which are said to be the trump card for decarbonization, are attracting attention. As semiconductors are indispensable for xEVs (general term for “electrified vehicles”) and efficient power consumption, the technological development of new materials is also accelerating.

Through discussions with Akira Minamikawa, a top analyst in the electronics industry, and Naoko Abe, who handles cutting-edge materials for semiconductors as General Manager of the Corporate Communications & Advertising Department of TANAKA Precious Metals, we unraveled the mechanisms, industry trends, and technological development trends behind this.

Major roles of power semiconductors: power supply control and motor control

Right: Akira Minamikawa/ Senior Counseling Director, Informa Intelligence; left: Naoko Abe/General Manager, Corporate Communications & Advertising Department, TANAKA Precious Metals

Naoko Abe (Abe): Nowadays, the semiconductor industry is really booming, with market size and technological development making great strides. Today, I would like to talk intensively about power semiconductors, which have been attracting a lot of attention.
Firstly, please give us an overview of power semiconductors.

Akira Minamikawa (Minamikawa): Power semiconductors are one of the types of semiconductors, and their primary role is to handle and control power.

Other typical semiconductors include microprocessors (CPUs), which have arithmetic functions and are equivalent to the human brain, memory, which stores information, and other types such as sensors, whereas power semiconductors are for “controlling power.”
They are used in various electronic devices and motor controls.

All electronic devices, such as PCs and smartphones, have power supplies, and the role of power semiconductors is to control them.

Since power supplies come in various power sizes, there are a wide range of power semiconductor types.

There are two major roles among power semiconductors. One is to control power supply, specifically voltage regulation and DC-AC conversion.

The other role is motor control. Motors are found in all kinds of products in the world, and power semiconductors are responsible for changing the rotating speed of these motors.

The speed of a car is changed by changing the rotating speed of the motor.

Power semiconductors are responsible for inverter and car motor control. Power supply control and motor control are the two main roles of power semiconductors.

next page Power semiconductors reduce power…

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