Professor Bantval Jayant Baliga, a Progress Energy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor at North Carolina State University, NC, USA, has been recognized for his leadership in the invention, development, and commercialization of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) (Figure 1). For that, he has been awarded the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize valued at €1 million (US$1.107 million). Since its release in the early 1980s, silicon IGBT has been a popular power semiconductor device for efficient power conversion and motor control in consumer and industrial applications. As a result, the efficiency improvements and reductions of fossil fuels consumption and cost, achieved by the IGBTs, revolutionized the power industry. Thus, according to the press release, the technology has reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatons (180 trillion pounds) in the past 30 years, a monumental achievement in the fight against climate change.
First demonstrated in early 1980s by GE, it has grown substantially in the last 40+ years [1]. With advances in design, packaging, and thermal management, the silicon based IGBT has advanced both in high current and high voltage with high reliability. While breakdown voltage has been scaled from 600 V to 6500 V, current handling has improved from 10 A to over 2000 A. Today, IGBT is an essential power transistor in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid-electric cars, as well as in most other electric motors used in consumer and industrial applications. It is everywhere around us all over the world, reducing energy consumption and making electricity use reliable in medical diagnostic equipment like X-Ray machines, CAT scanners and MRI units deployed in hospitals; in microwave ovens and induction stoves in our kitchens; in air-conditioning and refrigeration for homes and buildings; in portable defibrillators, which were made possible by the IGBTs and are now saving countless lives around the world every year. The performance capacities of modern IGBT have expanded to the point that today IGBT-based power converters and inverters dominate nearly every major application with a power rating between 1kW and 10 MW.
Per market analyst Verified Market Research, the IGBTs market size was valued at US$8.3 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$ 16.84 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 9.25% from 2024 to 2031. Key factors driving this market include increasing adoption of renewable energy sources, growth of EVs and electrification of transportation, advancements in industrial automation and variable frequency drives, and smart grids and advanced power management systems.
In a statement, Professor Baliga said, “It is very exciting to have been selected for this great honor. I am particularly happy that the Millennium Technology Prize will bring attention to my innovation, as the IGBT is an embedded technology that is hidden from the eyes of society. It has enabled a vast array of products that have improved the comfort, convenience, and health of billions of people around the world while reducing carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate global warming. Informing the public of this impactful innovation will illustrate the betterment of humanity by modern technology.”
Forbes Magazine named Professor Baliga the man with the world’s largest negative carbon footprint when he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2016.
Prof. Baliga and his team are currently working on two new inventions for further improvement of the efficiencies in the fields of solar power generation, EVs, and power delivery for AI servers. Prof. Baliga stated, “My first recent invention, the Baliga Short-circuit Improvement Concept (BaSIC), is designed to eliminate the roadblock of poor short-circuit withstand time for Silicon Carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs used in motor drives for industrial and EV applications. My second new invention, a Bidirectional Field-Effect Transistor (BiDFET), enables the matrix converter for power electronic applications [2]. Matrix converters offer unprecedented improvements in size, efficiency, and reliability when compared with existing voltage source inverters. This will have a revolutionary impact on power delivery and management according to power electronics experts.”
Professor Minna Palmroth, Chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, the foundation awarding the prize, said, “The IGBT has already had and continues to have a major impact on supporting sustainability with improved living standards world-wide, while mitigating environmental impact. The main solution to tackle global warming is electrification and moving to renewable energy. The IGBT is the key enabling technology in addressing these issues.” “I am particularly happy that the prize illuminates an innovation that is at the same time absolutely critical, has an enormous impact, but is not known to the vast majority of people. I think it is a great way to emphasize the power of science and innovation,” added Palmroth.
Likewise, Professor Päivi Törmä, Chair of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, noted, “Two thirds of the electricity in the world is used to run motors in consumer and industrial applications. Professor Baliga’s innovation has allowed us to develop societies with electricity efficiently, while dramatically reducing energy consumption.” Power electronics is a key enabling technology of any modern society in which automation of processes and energy systems plays an ever-increasing role. For the last 40 years, and still today, the IGBT is the most important power semiconductor device.”
The Millennium Technology Prize will be presented to Professor Baliga in Finland on 30 October in an Award Ceremony that also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Prize. The Millennium Technology Prize will be presented by its patron, the President of Finland. The Prize Ceremony will be globally streamed by the Finnish national broadcast company.
References
[1] Jayant Baliga, “IGBT: The GE Story,” A Look Back, IEEE Power Electronics Magazine, June 2015, Pages 16-23
[2] B.Jayant Baliga, Douglas Hopkins, Subhashish Bhattacharya, Aditi Agarwal, Tzu-Hsuan Cheng, Ramandeep Narwal, Ajit Kanale, Suyash Sushilkumar Shah, and Kijeong Han, “The BiDFET Device and Its Impact on Converters,” March 2023, IEEE Power Electronics Magazine, Pages 20-27.
