the research consultancy for energy technologies
Nexwafe technology review. Nexwafe is developing a next-generation PV silicon technology called the EpiWafer process, growing standalone silicon wafers onto mono-crystalline seed wafers, with no need to slice ingots and…
Sila Nanotechnologies was founded in Silicon Valley in 2011, to develop smaller and denser batteries, using silicon-comprising nano-particles in the battery anodes. Thus it claims to have made “the biggest…
…complex, varying primarily as a function of doping concentration. Unlike metals, intrinsic semiconductors become more conductive at higher temperatures, because additional energy helps to promote valence band electrons into conduction…
Semiconductors underpin solar panels, electric vehicles and electronics. Hence this 20-page note aims to explain semiconductor physics from first principles: their conductivity and resistance, their use in devices, plus implications…
…chains that yield glass, solar panels and semiconductors. For the latter two applications, silica might be reduced into silicon ‘metal’ in an electric arc furnace. And overall, we think this…
Solar semiconductors have changed the world, converting light into clean electricity. Hence can thermoelectric semiconductors follow the same path, converting heat into electricity with no moving parts? This 14-page report…
…up to 13% higher range than today’s inverters, especially for use in EV powertrains; but also in wind, solar, batteries and fast-chargers. It is based on SiC semiconductors. This Hillcrest…
Silicon carbide power electronics will jolt the energy transition forwards, displacing silicon, and improving the efficiency of most new energies by 1-10 pp. Hence we wonder if this disruptor will…
…the underlying theory of semiconductors, you will find it deeply uncomfortable to bet against the long-run rise of semiconductors. https://thundersaidenergy.com/2023/10/19/semiconductor-physics-piece-de-resistance/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/downloads/mosfets-energy-use-and-power-loss-calculator/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/2021/09/16/power-grids-tenet/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/2022/05/05/power-transmission-raising-electrical-potential/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/2023/09/07/leds-seeing-the-light/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/2023/04/20/what-is-the-energy-consumption-of-the-internet/ https://thundersaidenergy.com/2023/06/29/omniscience-how-will-ai-reshape-the-energy-transition/ Electric motors are also…
The global market for vacuum pumps is worth $15bn per year, with growing importance for making semiconductors, solar panels and AI chips. This data-file reviews ten leading companies in vacuum…