RF-silent Voltage Regulators for Extreme Environments using AlInGaP Optocouplers

DC voltage regulators are essential components in a wide variety of defense electronics on the ground, in the air and in space. These devices typically have very demanding performance requirements, including extremely low-EMI operation, minimal size and weight, high efficiency and resilience to extreme environments. Polaris Semiconductor is developing the first ever DC voltage regulators able to efficiently raise & lower voltage without using switching, based on a unique, patented approach. This technology provides our devices unique advantages over incumbent regulators, offering zero generated electromagnetic interference (EMI), typically 15-90% rel. higher efficiency than linear regulators, unbeatable SWaP, and voltage boost capability. Our technology is based upon a novel linear voltage regulator architecture including a unique monolithic optocoupler (MLOC) component, which converts voltage using photons. This allows our device to break the fundamental performance limits for a linear voltage regulator, achieving functionality presently only available using switching approaches. This project will reimagine our key enabling MLOC technology using wide-bandgap AlInGaP alloys. This will yield 2X improvements in radiation tolerance and improved high temperature performance over our present GaAs prototypes, and unlock optocoupler efficiency improvements of up to 20% rel. In Phase I, our team will use a combination of modeling, epitaxial growth, photoluminescence spectroscopy and electrical characterization to address the key technical challenges associated with adapting our proprietary optocoupler technology to wide bandgap semiconductors. Using detailed in-house modeling tools, combined with literature data for temperature and radiation dependent effects, and experimental data from this project, we shall design high efficiency optocoupler devices with extremely high radiation tolerance and broad temperature operation ranges. We will also develop voltage regulator designs that incorporate radiation-hard Si-based ICs with rad-hard optocouplers to address technologically important input and output voltage specifications, paving the way for groundbreaking demonstrations of unique DC voltage regulators for extreme environments in Phase II. We will also connect with Air Force stakeholders and end-users to identify the core device specifications and requirements that maximize the impact of our prototype development on state-of-the-art defense electronics systems. Our research will combine the design, modeling, and circuit-level expertise of Polaris Semiconductor with the world-class semiconductor research facilities of OSU, building on a successful existing collaboration to develop Polaris Semiconductor technology.