Power electronics

Power electronics is the conversion and control of electrical power using semiconductor devices and circuits. It enables efficient changes in voltage, current, frequency, and power flow.

Power semiconductor device: A semiconductor component designed to control or convert electrical power at significant voltage or current. These devices switch or rectify the energy handled by power-electronic circuits.
Power MOSFET: A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor designed to switch or amplify substantial electrical power. Power MOSFETs are common fast switches in low- and medium-voltage converters.
Electric vehicle: A vehicle propelled partly or wholly by electric motors powered from batteries or another electrical source. Traction inverters and onboard converters control motor power and manage battery charging.
Linear regulator: A circuit that regulates voltage by operating a pass element in its linear region. Unlike switching converters, it trades excess voltage directly for heat to obtain simple, low-noise regulation.
Power quality: The degree to which voltage, frequency, and waveform characteristics remain within required limits in an electrical system. Converters can improve supply control but also introduce harmonics and switching disturbances.
Power converter: An electronic circuit that changes electrical power from one form or level to another. Converters are the circuit structures through which power-electronic systems perform their transformations.
Insulated-gate bipolar transistor: A power transistor combining a MOS gate with bipolar conduction for high-voltage switching. IGBTs suit converters where high blocking voltage matters more than extreme switching speed.
Variable-frequency drive: An electronic system that controls an AC motor's speed by varying the frequency and voltage supplied. Drives use power conversion to regulate motor speed in pumps, fans, and industrial machinery.
Rectifier: A circuit that converts alternating current into unidirectional current. Rectification is one conversion function; power electronics also controls voltage, frequency, and power flow.
Harmonic distortion: Departure of an electrical waveform from a pure sinusoid caused by frequency components at integer multiples of the fundamental. Switching and nonlinear converter currents can distort grid waveforms.

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