Infineon CoolMOS team honored with European SEMI Award 2012

The Infineon CoolMOS™ team consisting of Dr. Franz Auerbach, Dr. Gerald Deboy, Dr. Hans Weber and Dr. Reinhard Ploss, is the recipient of the European SEMI Award 2012. CoolMOS™ technology is capable of blocking voltages of several hundred volts, while at the same time switching currents up to a hundred amperes. It is used, for instance in power supplies, enabling efficient energy usage for a wide range of applications. The award was presented during the SEMICON Europa Executive Summit in Dresden.

CoolMOS™ is a component capable of blocking voltages of several hundred volts and at the same time switching currents up to a hundred amperes. It is used, for instance, in switched-mode power supply, as employed in servers, in telecommunications, in notebook adapters or in electronic lamp ballasts. The market for potential applications is growing vast and a key enabler for strategic semiconductor and system technology.

The basic principle was described at the end of the eighties by Jenö Tihanyi, one of Infineon’s first fellows. The idea was brilliant but also challenging, realization was very difficult at the outset. But belief in the product was stronger than any resistance. In March 1997 we demonstrated that the idea could be implemented in silicon, at the end of 1998 Infineon achieved a breakthrough in the yieldToday the CoolMOS™ is one of Infineon’s most successful products as well as in volume for power applications and in revenue.

The European SEMI Award was established more than two decades ago to recognize individuals and teams who made a significant contribution to the European semiconductor and related industries.