Spring 1998

Dr. B. Jayant Baliga: An Inventor Saving Energy in the Power Industry

Dr. Baliga

Have you turned on your computer today? Maybe turned on your air conditioning or started your car? If you have done any of these, then you have probably used a power switch invented by Dr. B. Jayant Baliga, Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and director of the Power Semiconductor Research Center at North Carolina State University.

His invention is the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), a device that saves energy and controls power flow in commercial and industrial power systems. It is used in everything electronic, including Japan's Bullet train, air conditioners, electric cars, lighting systems and many industrial and household appliances. The device increases efficiency resulting in the reduction of fossil fuel use and environmental pollution. Recently, this device has been used to make compact, portable defibrillators for saving the lives of cardiac arrest victims. The American Medical Association projects that this development will save 100,000 lives yearly in the United States alone.

A member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, Baliga was recently named one of the "new candidates for hero status" by Glenn Zorpette in a special issue of Scientific American magazine entitled "The Solid State Century," commemorating the invention of the transistor. In his article, "Fifty Years of Heroes and Epiphanies," Zorpette discussed the "legends, heroes and epiphanies" from the history of solid-state electronics. In his history, he specifically mentioned the IGBT as a device that has revolutionized the entire field of power electronics. Zorpette wrote that Baliga is among the rare few who are destined for hero status, joining legends in the field of solid-state electronics.

This spring, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors selected Baliga to receive the system's highest faculty honor, the O. Max Gardner Award. Named in honor of North Carolina's former governor, the award is given to a faculty member selected from among the faculties of the 16 constituent institutions in the University of North Carolina system who has "made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race."

One of the leading researchers on power semiconductors and high-voltage integrated circuits, Baliga is a prolific inventor--he holds 97 patents with 5 currently pending. In addition to his patents, he has written 8 books and published nearly 500 scientific publications. His inventions are known around the world in the power industry. He has invented ways to control power flow and ways to make that control more energy efficient. As a professor, Baliga passes his knowledge and love of invention to his students.

Baliga's prolific patent applications and the uniqueness of the technologies he conceives have created a situation in the patent office in which most of the prior art citations against his applications are his own prior patents or publications. "Some of his patent applications are accepted on the first request--a feat in and of itself--since most patent applications are refused at first and only after much revision and resubmission are they accepted," says Mark Crowell, associate vice chancellor for technology transfer and industry research at NC State.

One of Baliga's most recent research projects led to the invention of the Trench MOS Barrier Schottky Rectifier (TMBS), a new semiconductor component that will greatly reduce power losses in computers, telecommunications and other appliances. He is also working on smart switches for the automobile industry. His goal is to reduce the amount of wiring necessary to operate the various electrical components of an automobile, such as headlights and turn signals.

Baliga joined the College of Engineering faculty in 1988. He is the founding director of the Power Semiconductor Research Center (PSRC), an international, industry-supported center established at NC State in 1991 for research in the area of power semiconductor devices and high voltage integrated circuits. The PSRC is the only university center of its kind in the world, providing a unique learning environment for students and state-of-the-art research and development in the area of power semiconductors.

Baliga worked for 14 years as a researcher, project leader and manager at the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, N.Y., before coming to NC State. He received his master's and doctoral degrees in 1971 and 1974, respectively, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his bachelor's degree in 1969 from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India.

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