Awards go to students from electrical engineering, nano technologies, material science and material engineering

SEMIKRON, a leading global manufacturer of power semiconductors, has awarded the 20 top undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering, nano technologies, material science and material engineering at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg. The winners are awarded 500 Euro each, a voucher for an internship and an exclusive tour of SEMIKRON headquarters in Nuremberg, followed by an official dinner.  

The ten top scorers in the GOP exam in electrical engineering were: Ferdinand Walter, Maximilian Gaukler, Diren Toprak, Max Köppel, Erik Sippel, Jonathan Binder, Stephan Seitz, Tobias Heininger, Manuela Baron, Sandra Gussner. “We want to support students in their academic career as well as encourage and motivate potential degree holders to undertake studies in the respective fields,“ says Carmen Sievert, Academic Marketing Manager at SEMIKRON, during the award ceremony at Friedrich-Alexander University. “We are delighted to win qualified degree holders to join our company via our academic marketing.“

“The cooperation with the colleges provides important impulses for research and development at SEMIKRON,“ explains Reinhard Helldörfer, Head of Engineering, Business Line Systems of SEMIKRON, who awarded the prizes to the students of electrical engineering on behalf of the company. “We are involved in several research projects. This close cooperation enables us to create commitment for SEMIKRON among highly qualified students.”

The following students were awarded the prize in the fields of nano technologies, material science and material engineering: Manuel Leimberger (nano), Florian Högl (Nano), Philipp Köder (nano), Elias Palpanes (nano), Larissa Wahl (nano), Sarah Diener (material science), Daniel Schumacher (ms), Michael Strebl (ms), Nils Hock (ms), Patrick Feldner (ms).

“The future is wide open to students of these disciplines,“ said Dr. Uwe Scheuermann, responsible head of department for component reliability at SEMIKRON, who presented the awards to the students. “The close contact with the universities also gives us the opportunity to foster teaching about power units and to deepen the knowledge.” Dr. Scheuermann has been a lecturer in the field of structural and connection technology at Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg since 2006.      

About SEMIKRON’s academic marketing program:

In 2011, 120 students worked for SEMIKRON. This figure impressively underlines the importance of the company’s academic marketing program in the search for qualified staff. In the scope of their academic marketing program, SEMIKRON foundation - which was founded in 2011 and which bundles the charitable activities of the group - awards the “SEMIKRON innovation award“ and the „SEMIKRON young talent award“ to young researchers during the PCIM power unit exhibition. In addition, SEMIKRON is a supporter of the “Deutschlandstipendium”, a federal scholarship. Another project of the academic marketing program is the SEMIKRON award, which goes to 30 students at Georg-Simon-Ohm-Hochschule in Nuremberg and Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg.

About SEMIKRON:

SEMIKRON is a global manufacturer of electronic power unit components and systems, primarily in the medium performance range (approx. 2kW to 10MW). Applications include speed-controlled industrial drive units, automation technology, welding equipment and elevators. Other applications include uninterrupted power supply, renewable energies (wind, solar) as well as electric and hybrid vehicles (commercial cars, conveyances, sports cars, passenger cars).  

The product portfolio ranges from chips, semiconductor discretes, IGBT, diode and thyristor modules, customized solutions and integrated electronic power unit systems. With a market share of 30%, SEMIKRON is the leader in diode and thyristor semiconductor modules. (Source: IMS Research, The World Market for Power Semiconductor Discretes & Modules – 2011 Edition). By purchasing the Finnish manufacturer of quality filters, Nidecon, the company further extended its comprehensive competence in power electronics. Nidecon filters are 35% to 50% smaller than standard filters and enable an ever higher integration of SEMIKRON’s systems with power semiconductors, cooling, DC-link capacitors as well as protection and driver electronics.  

The company recently presented an innovative structure and connection technology for semiconductors which can do completely without wire bonds, solder connections and thermal paste. The new SKiN- technology replaces wire bonds with a flexible foil, and uses sintered connections instead of soldered connections and thermal paste. This allows higher maximum current capability and higher power-cycling capability. This technology helps reduce an inverter’s volume by 35%.  

The family business is a leading global manufacturer of power semiconductors with headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany. It was founded in 1951, and employs more than 3,000 people worldwide. An international network of 37 companies and production plants in Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Korea, Slovakia, South Africa and the USA ensures rapid and comprehensive services for local customers. With the foundation of its subsidiary, SindoPower, in 2009, SEMIKRON also extended its distribution channels. SindoPower, an e-commerce company, sells power electronic products online, and offers competent technical consulting to small and medium businesses.