Pakal Technologies Announces Commercial Shipments of Breakthrough Gen 2 650V IGTO(t) Power Semiconductor

ATLANTA, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Pakal Technologies, a leading next generation silicon power semiconductor company announces the commercial launch of its breakthrough 650V IGTO(t) power semiconductor at APEC, the Applied Power Electronics Conference in Atlanta. The launch marks a significant advance in silicon power semiconductor technology.

The first shipments are Gen 2 650V, 40A devices in a TO-247 package with a co-packed diode.

Pakal's IGTO(t) is the first new silicon high-voltage (>600 V) power switch since the IGBT was released 50 years ago. The IGTO(t) addresses a critical need for high-performance, cost-effective silicon power switches. By 2032, the market for high voltage power switches is estimated to be >$36 billion. Within this overall market there is a multi-billion-dollar annual solution gap between emerging more expensive Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices and the incumbent silicon IGBT. The IGTO(t) can fill this gap.

"Our Gen 2 device shows early noteworthy performance, and we have a potent innovation roadmap. Our next generations will extend our silicon performance advantage dramatically from 650 all the way to 6500 Volts,” said Pakal co-founder, Dr. Richard Blanchard.

The IGTO(t) utilizes the same switching mechanism as an IGBT and thus is a direct drop in replacement for the IGBT. In addition, due to its proprietary and superior operational physics, the Gen 2 IGTO(t) also delivers a substantial 25% reduction in conduction losses compared to leading IGBTs - at real-world operating temperatures and while maintaining comparable switching losses. This innovation enables greater energy efficiency and improved performance for many applications where an IGBT presently is in use.