Remaining switched on to silicon-based electronics

It has been assumed that we are approaching the performance limits of silicon-based power electronics. Researchers have now challenged this belief by developing a miniaturized silicon insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) that overcame previous performance limits. Their miniaturized IGBT displayed stable switching at an operating voltage of just 5 V, and the power consumption of its drive circuits was only 10% of that of a traditional IGBT operating at 15 V.