The Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Laboratory has unique capabilities in power semiconductor device testing and characterization, power module and inverter packaging, converter and inverter topology development, power converter modeling, control and simulation, and rapid prototype fabrication and evaluation. PEEM has dramatically advanced the technology of advanced soft-switched inverters, multilevel inverters, current-source inverters, dc-to-dc converters, battery chargers, motor control techniques, and efficient, compact electric machines. Additionally, the laboratory is involved with high-temperature device development, innovative packaging technologies for high temperatures, and electromagnetic interference minimization, as well as the advancement and characterization of a wide variety of power semiconductor devices including silicon, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride devices.
Researchers at the NTRC leverage world-leading capabilities across ORNL including high-performance computing and materials characterization to examine materials at the atomic level, to create predictive models that accelerate the design of new components, and to predict reliability under field conditions and improve lifetime and reliability of new technologies. Capabilities include semiconductor-based device fabrication facilities that support a wide variety of thin-film and solid-state electronics R&D. Experts in the laboratory work closely with researchers at the adjacent Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, which provides access to unique additive and roll-to-roll manufacturing capabilities to accelerate the product-to-market cycle.
The PEEM Laboratory provides approximately 835 m2 (9,000 ft2) of space, including areas specifically designed for proprietary research.