POWER SEMICONDUCTOR-DEVICES - CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT

After recalling the breakthroughs in the area of power semiconductor d evices which appeared during the 1980s and their impact on power elect ronics applications, the present status and future trends in the devel opment of power semiconductor devices are briefly reviewed, and the ed ucational needs for people engaged in this area are pointed out. The m otivation for the publication of this second special issue of the Micr oelectronics Journal on power microelectronics lies in the awareness t hat this rapidly growing area is playing an increasingly important rol e in today's global society, which is becoming move conscious of the n eed to reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution. We hope that the five feature articles, one review paper and eight research pa pers selected for this special issue will provide sufficient coverage of all important aspects of power semiconductor devices, including the educational ones, and that this special issue will be useful for all people from academic and industrial environments who actively work in this dyed.