The IGBT: A rugged device for a sustainable energy infrastructure - From semiconductor technology to application

• Christian Sandow (Infineon Technologies AG)

Christian Sandow studied Physics at Uni Bonn. He did his diploma thesis on linear DEPFET charge collection efficiency. From 2006-2009 he did PhD at RWTH Aachen / FZ Jülich on Fabrication, Characterization, Simulation of Silicon Nanowire Tunnel FETs. In period 2010-2012 he worked at PNSensor on Simulation, Layout of non-linear DEPFETs for XFEL. Since 2012 he is at Infineon working till 2016 on TCAD Simulation, Calibration and Design of IGBT and Power Diodes and since 2016 he is Manager of TCAD Team and Technical Expert for the Automotive Drive Drain Application. Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) are the working-horse of the transition towards green energy supply, transmission and consumption. Such high-power switches are in use in wind and solar power plants and HVDC grids. They enable high efficiency in electric buses, consumer cars, air conditioning, washing machines and induction stoves. After an introduction to the device concept and its applications, this presentation will focus on selected technological building blocks and introduce a new IGBT generation which facilities improved performance in combination with a superior long-term switching stability.

Being a Patent Examiner at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA)

• Felix Müller (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt)

Felix Mueller worked within the DEPFET collaboration for the Belle II Pixel Vertex Detector (PXD) between 2011 and 2019. He left science by the end of 2019 and he started as a patent examiner in the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), which is the center of expertise in the field of intellectual property (IP) protection in Germany and the largest national IP office in Europe. The DPMA is the federal authority responsible for the protection of innovations in Germany. Its key duties include the examination of innovations, granting patents, registration of trade marks, utility models and designs, administration of IP rights and providing IP information to the public. The work, tasks and daily life of a patent examiner within the federal authority will be reported with some examples of patent(s) (applications) from the domain of particle physics. Furthermore, the DPMA as employer with a better work-life balance and a family-friendly working environment will be introduced and the career (prospects as patent examiner) will be highlighted.