ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING WITH PROFESSOR PETER GAMMON - PowerPoint Presentation

1. ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGWITH PROFESSOR PETER GAMMON

2. MEET PETERProfessor Peter Gammon, from the University of Warwick in the UK, conducts research in the fields of electronics engineering, electrical engineering and materials science. He is designing transistors from silicon carbide to improve electrical efficiency.Let’s learn more about his research…

3. IMPROVING ELECTRICAL EFFICIENCYIncreasing our production of renewable energy will help to reduce our carbon emissions. Yet up to 10% of all renewable energy generated is wasted before it even reaches your phone, laptop or lightbulbs. At each stage of transporting this electricity, from wind farm to National Grid to your house to your phone, a small amount of electricity is wasted as it heats up the transistors it travels through. If we could make these transistors more efficient, less energy would be wasted. This is what Peter is trying to achieve, by designing transistors from silicon carbide.Peter creates transistors on dark green wafers of silicon carbide.

4. TRANSISTORSTransistors are electrical switches, turning on and off thousands of times per second to convert electricity between its two fundamental forms – alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). They are found in nearly all electrical devices.Transistors are traditionally made from silicon, a cheap but not very efficient semiconductor. As electricity passes through a silicon transistor, some of the power is converted to heat, and is therefore wasted. “The heat you feel from your phone charger when it is plugged in is the wasted power that is not going to your phone,” explains Peter. Electronics engineers produce microchips containing transistors.

5. THE DAM ANALOGYPeter uses the analogy of a dam across a river to describe how a transistor functions.A silicon carbide transistor can withstand the same voltage as a silicon transistor but using ten times less semiconductor. This means the transistor has lower electrical resistance, and so less energy is wasted as heat.Silicon carbide transistors are, therefore, more efficient. “A dam turns the flow of water downstream from a reservoir on and off. A transistor turns the flow of electrical current downstream from a battery on and off. The voltage of the battery corresponds to the water pressure behind the dam.Building a transistor out of silicon carbide rather than silicon is like building a dam out of reinforced concrete rather than regular concrete. The reinforced concrete can hold back the same pressure of water with a thinner dam.”

6. MAKING TRANSISTORSTo make silicon carbide transistors, Peter begins with a very thin circular wafer of silicon carbide that is 100 mm in diameter and less than half a millimetre thick. “Making the transistors on top of this wafer is a process involving up to 20 individual steps,” he says, “each of which changes the way that current flows through the material.” These steps include growing more silicon carbide on the surface of the wafer, oxidising these surfaces, depositing metals on them and etching trenches in them. This vacuum chamber is used to deposit metal layers on the silicon carbide wafer.

7. MAKING TRANSISTORSWorking in a cleanroom to ensure the electronics remain spotless, Peter and his team can produce hundreds of transistor chips on a single silicon carbide wafer. These are then cut up and individually packaged, ready to sell to manufacturers for use in electronic devices. “It can take the team a year or more to design, develop and test a single new transistor,” explains Peter. “So, it is important to have goals and milestones along the way. There is satisfaction and pride to be had in each step of the process and celebrating reaching a milestone is as important as getting to the end.”The final product – transistors packaged and ready to sell to manufacturers.

8. ELECTRIC VEHICLESElectric vehicles contain transistors in their power converters. They transform the DC electricity stored in the vehicle’s battery to AC electricity which is needed by the vehicle’s motor. Some companies are already replacing these silicon transistors with silicon carbide transistors, increasing the efficiency of electric vehicles. By wasting less energy, the vehicle can travel further before it needs to be recharged, or the number of heavy, expensive batteries required can be reduced.

9. What is a transistor?Explain Peter’s dam analogy. In what way is a transistor made from silicon carbide like a dam made from reinforced concrete?How does Peter create silicon carbide transistors?Why do you think it is important to celebrate milestones, as well as end goals? How could you break projects in your life or studies into smaller milestones?Why is it important to improve efficiency in all electric systems?Talking points

10. ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGElectronics engineers design, develop and test the small-scale circuitry within individual electronic devices. In comparison, electrical engineers are concerned with how electricity is moved over larger distances, such as in power systems or motors. “In our research group we use techniques from electronics engineering and materials science to solve electrical engineering problems,” explains Peter. “I believe that today’s interconnectedness of our lives with technology makes this kind of interdisciplinarity essential.” With features 75x smaller than the width of a human hair, transistors must be examined with a microscope.

11. CAREERS IN ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGIn the coming decades, electronics engineers will be responsible for the electrification of systems that currently require fossil fuels to be burnt (e.g., transportation). The field will be at the forefront of designing the technology for the green transition. As an electronics engineer, you could develop solar cells, wind farms or nuclear fusion reactors. Or you could find yourself designing an iPhone, the next Tesla or even an electric aeroplane!The opportunities for electronics engineers are endless! Working in cleanrooms ensures electronic devices remain spotless. Here a wafer is being cleaned.

12. PATHWAY FROM SCHOOL TO ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGA strong background in the sciences, maths and computing is useful in electronics engineering. Maths, physics, computer science and chemistry are good options to study at A-level. Peter also recommends that good English language skills are essential for communicating about your work and writing scientific reports. “And don’t rule out doing that ‘extra’ subject in something different to keep your options open,” he advises. Over 1000 transistors could be made on a wafer of shiny reflective silicon this size.

13. PATHWAY FROM SCHOOL TO ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGMany universities offer degrees in electronics engineering, but other courses may also cover aspects of electronics, including aerospace engineering, physics, nanotechnology and computer science.College and university are not the only routes to becoming an electronics engineer. “Apprenticeships may offer you a good alternative route if you want a more hands-on experience than college will offer you,” says Peter. He left school at 16 to do an apprenticeship in industry, learning electronics engineering straight from school. This vacuum chamber is used to deposit metal layers on the silicon carbide wafer.

14. EXPLORE A CAREER IN ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) are dedicated to electronics engineering and the wider field of technology. The IET has a section of its website dedicated to careers in engineering and technology, as well as information for students and advice about apprenticeships. The National Careers Service has information about how to become an electronics engineer and what the job may involve. The final product – transistors packaged and ready to sell to manufacturers.

15. HOW DID PETER BECOME AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER? I am addicted to my phone as much as any teenager and I love the latest laptops and TVs! As an advocate for electric vehicles in my professional capacity, that is the next ‘toy’ I am saving up for!When I was younger, I loved computer programming and making games out of simple coding languages. If I were a teenager today, I can imagine nothing better than getting a Raspberry Pi, learning the programming language Python (there are many brilliant tutorials online) then making games, robots, music and loads more. In fact, perhaps a Raspberry Pi is another ‘toy’ that I should treat myself to!

16. PETER’S TOP TIPSWhen you don’t know the answer to a question, ask! Learn to be resilient. You will have knocks along the way but always get back up, refocus and go again. Don’t be afraid to change your career path if your passions have changed. Take time off to see the world before life becomes full of commitments! I spent time in Australia and New Zealand aged 22 and it was one of the best times of my life. You can start your 45-year-long career later. Peter in the electronics cleanroom.

17. Apart from improving the efficiency of transistors, how else do you think electronics engineers are assisting with the electrification of transport systems?If you were an electronics engineer, how would you contribute to the green transition?What advantages do you think an apprenticeship would provide for someone wanting to become an electronics engineer?Do you have computer coding skills? How could you begin to learn coding, or how could you develop your existing skills?Talking points

18. Dig deeper into Peter’s research. Read his article.Download Peter’s activity sheet.

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