everything PE recently interviewed Benjamin Quinones, CEO and Co-founder at Pakal Technologies. Pakal Technologies is a fabless semiconductor company that specializes in next-generation high-voltage silicon power semiconductors.
Q. Can you give us a brief history of Pakal Technologies? When was the company founded, and what was the goal?
Benjamin Quinones: We founded Pakal in 2017 with the goal of accelerating the global “electrification of everything” with a revolutionary high-voltage power semiconductor in simple, cost-effective, and globally scalable silicon. Our IGTO(t) is the first new silicon power semiconductor since the IGBT was developed almost 50 years ago.
Q. Can you tell us more about your product portfolio?
Benjamin Quinones: We make the IGTO(t) a silicon high-voltage (>400 Volt) power switch which promises to replace every silicon IGBT in less than ten years. It is a direct drop-in upgrade. Today, we have 650 V, 1200 V, and 1700 V devices available for purchase or sampling.
Q. Which market segments do you cater to?
Benjamin Quinones: We go everywhere the IGBT can go – and beyond. Today, IGBTs are used in a myriad of industrial and consumer applications, from induction stove tops to welders, to solar inverters, to robotics, AI, and cloud data centers, to EVs and EV chargers. In short: everywhere. We can also replace a large segment of the Thyristor market for very high voltage energy transmission and grid modernization applications.
Q. Can you tell us about Pakal's IGTO(t) power switch? How is it different from traditional IGBTs?
Benjamin Quinones: The power semiconductor market is characterized by a lack of fundamental innovation. There are only three main devices in the entire industry today: the Thyristor (80 years old), the MOSFET (over 60 years old), and the IGBT (45 years old). That’s it. Until now. The IGTO(t) is the first scalable power semiconductor since the IGBT was introduced. The Pakal technical team has threaded quite a remarkable needle: Our IGTO(t) utilizes the identical elegant gate-voltage driven switching mechanism of every IGBT, which is why it is a direct drop-in replacement for the IGBT and the IGTO(t) includes a thyristor element which gives the IGTO(t) superior efficiency compared to any IGBT, as well as the ability to handle much higher voltages and currents than a standard IGBT.
Q. How does the IGTO(t) technology compare to Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices?
Benjamin Quinones: Both represent advances compared to the silicon IGBT. And both will fill important roles in the electric power conversion opportunity. As we electrify everything globally and modernize grids, and expand generation capacity to accommodate vast AI and other data center infrastructure, the market for high voltage switches will triple in the next 7 years. The market will then double again from that massive base. There is room for – and a need for – many winners in what will be >$70 billion annual market in 2040, including the IGTO(t), SiC MOSFETs, and GaN devices.
SiC as a material has some fundamental advantages, but also some fundamental disadvantages compared to silicon. First, it is capable of much higher switching frequencies. When properly grown and processed, SiC can also be a very rugged material. However, SiC is also a notoriously difficult material to grow and process. As such, it will always be at least 2X the cost of the corresponding silicon. It is also a “young” material. Silicon has been processed for almost a century. The intricacies of silicon and its failure modes in various situations are well known. This is NOT the case for SiC, where unexplained field failures still occur. In terms of maturity, SiC is at least 50 years behind silicon. In that regard, particularly for long-lived and important infrastructure type uses, SiC is also a risky material.
SiC switches today are all MOSFETS, and so, as with all MOSFETS, the on-state losses increase linearly with current density. So, for “light load” use cases (imagine a car already going 60 mph down the freeway), a MOSFET is a great device. But for “heavy load” use cases (imagine a delivery vehicle full of packages starting and stopping frequently), a MOSFET is a terrible device.
Q. How does the IGTO(t) technology improve efficiency in electric vehicles?
Benjamin Quinones: We improve EV efficiency in a number of ways. First, vs an IGBT, our 30% lower losses will probably reduce the losses in the EV inverter by 1-2%. Though this sounds like a small number, it moves markets. And recall VERY inverter MUST have power semiconductors. So, why not use the semiconductor (at essentially the same cost) that instantly extends your range?
Second, there is an emerging ANPC (3-level topology) that promises to improve not only inverter efficiency but also the efficiency of the motor itself that actually drives the vehicle. In this topology, there are six switches, two of which must switch very rapidly, and these will surely be SiC. The remaining four switches switch very slowly, and the core requirement is lower conduction losses. This is where the IGTO(t) excels and ought to show 20-30% lower conduction losses than the best IGBTs. This improvement will have a significant impact on every EV, inverter, and motor.
Q. Can you elaborate on how the recent $25 million Series B funding will impact Pakal Technologies' growth strategy and product development?
Benjamin Quinones: The hard work of proving the novel core cell of the IGTO(t) is done. With that remarkable breakthrough completed, the Series B Financing – and our upcoming Series C - will enable Pakal to continue our rapid development of next generations, which will further extend our performance advantage over any silicon IGBT. Additionally, these resources will be utilized to pursue advanced, differentiated modules enabled by our superior die. Next, we will pursue automotive-grade qualification of our devices. Last, we will develop significantly higher voltage families of our breakthrough device for grid modernization applications.
Q. How does Pakal Technologies plan to contribute to sustainability and energy efficiency in the semiconductor industry?
Benjamin Quinones: Electric power conversion is mandatory throughout our modern industrial society. Replacing the IGBT globally with 30% lower loss (on average) IGTO(s) promises to save up to 1% of global electricity use, every day.
Q. What are the key goals Pakal Technologies has set for 2025? Is there an expansion in the company's product lineup?
Benjamin Quinones: We will continue our sales ramp and pursue an ambitious product development roadmap per above.
About Ben Quinones
Ben Quinones, Pakal Technologies CEO & Co-founder, has thirty years of experience in startup formation, venture investing, strategic guidance, and business growth. Ben’s expertise includes fifteen years in power semiconductors with a focus on company building, strategic opportunities, business operations and commercialization of deep technology innovation. He has extensive international business experience in Europe and Asia.
