NREL’s Ultra-Low Inductance Smart (ULIS) Silicon Carbide Power Module: Ultraefficient, Low-Cost, Compact, and Available to License

       The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced that they have developed and built a power module that is ultra-efficient and low-cost. It is a compact ‘ultra-low inductance smart’ (ULIS) power module that utilizes silicon carbide. It was designed for use in data centers, microreactors, and heavy-duty vehicles. It has five times the energy density of previous designs in a smaller package. The new design is expected to enable the development of more efficient, compact, and lighter technologies. It is a 1200-volt, 400-amp power module, suitable for use in power grids and heavy-duty vehicles, including next-generation aircraft and military vehicles.

     The ULIS power module features parasitic inductance, which refers to resistance to changes in electrical current, a major hurdle to any electrical conversion.

     According to Interesting Engineering:

“We consider ULIS to be a true breakthrough,” said Faisal Khan, NREL’s chief power electronics researcher and the principal investigator for the project. “It’s a future-proofed, ultrafast power module that will make the next generation of power converters more affordable, efficient, and compact.”

“It’s ultrafast, ultraefficient switching of electrical current into usable forms allows ULIS to “squeeze” more usable power out of the electricity supply. This makes it a compelling solution to the world’s energy demand problem.”

     The ULIS module has a new design configuration. Current commercial modules are designed with semiconductor devices installed in brick-like packages. The new layout is in the form of a small disk where the semiconductors wrap around a flat octagonal shape. This enables compactness as well as maximum magnetic flux cancellation. This minimizes power losses and makes the module ultra-efficient. Thus, one could say that the new design configuration is what enables the energy conversion optimization features. Making the module more 2D, rather than the 3D designs they had been working with, enabled the advances.   

“Our biggest concern was that the device switches off and on very quickly, and we needed a layout that wouldn’t create a chokepoint within the design,” said Shuofeng Zhao, an NREL power electronics researcher who designed ULIS’ flux cancellation architecture.”

“Scientists also revealed that a breakthrough allows ULIS to function wirelessly, as an isolated unit that can be controlled and monitored without external cables. That modular, Lego-like nature means it can slot into machines as different as data center servers, advanced aircraft, and military vehicles.”

“The patent for this low-latency wireless communication protocol, spearheaded by NREL power electronics Sarwar Islam, is pending.”    

     The NREL press release notes that the new module features “never-before-seen efficiency, power density, and low-cost manufacturability.”

     According to the NREL press release:

“Traditional designs call for power modules to conduct electricity and dissipate excess heat by bonding copper sheets directly to a ceramic base—an effective, but rigid, solution. ULIS bonds copper to a flexible polymer, called Temprion, to create a thinner, lighter, more configurable design.”

“Because the material bonds easily to copper using just pressure and heat, and because its parts can be machined using widely available equipment, ULIS can be fabricated quickly and inexpensively. Manufacturing costs total hundreds, rather than thousands, of dollars.”

“A third breakthrough allows ULIS to function wirelessly, as an isolated unit that can be controlled and monitored without external cables. That modular, Lego-like nature means it can slot into machines as different as data center servers, advanced aircraft, and military vehicles.”

“Finally, while the silicon carbide semiconductors powering ULIS represent the current state of the art, the ULIS research team has intentionally “future proofed” the design. ULIS can scale to accommodate advancements in semiconductor devices using silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and even gallium oxide, a promising avenue that has not yet been commercialized.”

     Some specs and metrics, especially for decreasing the parasitic inductance, are shown below.

     Conventional power converters include high-power traction inverters, grid-tied inverters, and DC-to-DC converters. They are often heavy, bulky, and costly to manufacture, install, and maintain. Below are some applications and benefits, followed by a list of industries where the modules could make an impact.

     According to NREL’s Lab Partnering Service:

“…researchers at NREL have developed a SiC half bridge module leveraging the mass deployment of smaller and lighter converters for electric vehicles and clean energy power conversion applications. This innovation involves utilizing organic direct bonded copper in a novel layout design to enable a high degree of magnetic flux cancellation, with preliminary results showing that it has approximately 7X-9X lower loop inductances and higher switching speeds at similar voltages/current levels. The low-cost ULIS also allows the converter to become easier to manufacture, addressing issues related to both bulkiness and costs.”

     The bottom line is that this looks like a very useful device that may revolutionize power conversion in many applications.

 

 

 

References:

 

Compact silicon carbide module that houses 5x more energy could power vehicles, grids, microreactors. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra. Interesting Engineering. September 12, 2025. Compact silicon carbide module that houses 5x more energy could power vehicles, grids, microreactors

NREL Researchers Build World’s Fastest, Low-Cost, Ultraefficient Silicon Carbide Power Module. The World Is Facing Rising Energy Demands. NREL’s ULIS Power Module May Be an Answer. Anna Squires. September 10, 2025. NREL Researchers Build World’s Fastest, Low-Cost, Ultraefficient Silicon Carbide Power Module | NREL

Ultra-Low Inductance Smart (ULIS), Fast Switching Packaging Design for Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Power Semiconductor Modules. Lab Partnering Service. The Office of Technology Commercialization in the U.S. Department of Energy. Ultra-Low Inductance Smart (ULIS), Fast Switching Packaging Design for Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Power Semiconductor Modules | LPS