News: Microelectronics
16 February 2022
Wolfspeed’s John Palmour elected to US National Academy of Engineering
Wolfspeed Inc (formerly Cree Inc) of Durham, NC, USA – which makes silicon carbide materials as well as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power-switching & RF semiconductor devices – says that the US National Academy of Engineering has elected its co-founder & chief technology officer Dr John Palmour into its 2022 class for the development of SiC-based advanced electronic devices.
Membership in the National Academy of Engineering honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research and practice, including pioneering of new and developing fields of technology and making major advancements in engineering.
This year, 111 new members and 22 international members were elected. Their formal induction will take place on 2 October at the National Academy of Engineering’s Annual Meeting.
Palmour was one of the graduate students from North Carolina State University who founded the company (then Cree) in 1987. Now, over 30 years later, the business has grown into the pure-play power semiconductor firm Wolfspeed, focused on the industry transition from silicon to silicon carbide.
“His passion and expertise with this transformational technology has led our team to groundbreaking innovation over the years and today is enabling us to help our customers reach new levels of energy efficiency,” comments CEO Gregg Lowe.
Silicon carbide is currently utilized in technologies from electric vehicles (EVs) to gaming systems to industrial motors, renewable energy and energy storage. Palmour has championed and innovated silicon carbide for power and GaN-on-SiC for RF for over 30 years, enabling faster, more energy-efficient technologies that are said to be foundational for many industries as they prepare and adapt for a more sustainable future.
Palmour has authored a total of 386 scientific publications and holds 81 US patents in the areas of processing and device designs for silicon carbide and gallium nitride electronic devices.
