Our Research Center

"Pioneering a sustainable future through innovations in power conversion technology."

In an era where the efficient use of energy is more critical than ever, power electronics serves as the heart of all modern industries.

At the center of this paradigm shift, the Konkuk Power Electronics Laboratory (KOPEL) at Konkuk University is dedicated to contributing to society through leading-edge research in next-generation power conversion and control technologies.

We move beyond purely theoretical exploration, focusing on creating practical solutions to real-world problems through a hands-on process of designing, implementing, and validating our ideas.

Through relentless challenges and passionate collaboration, KOPEL aspires to grow into a world-class research group.

Our Vision

Global Leadership: To become a leading laboratory in the global power electronics field through original and impactful research.
Practical Innovation: To develop technologies that create tangible value by closely collaborating with industry.
Nurturing Future Talents: To cultivate the next generation of leaders equipped with deep expertise and creative problem-solving skills.

Key Research Areas

1. Converter Core Technologies

We focus on research that pushes the efficiency and power density of converters—the fundamental core of power conversion—to their absolute limits. We have strong expertise in soft-switching topologies and resonant converters, designed to optimally leverage the characteristics of next-generation power semiconductors (SiC, GaN).

Design of high-efficiency, high-power-density DC-DC converters based on next-gen semiconductors (SiC, GaN).
LLC resonant converter and Phase-Shifted Full-Bridge (PSFB) converter technologies for Electric Vehicle (EV) On-Board Chargers (OBCs) and power supplies for servers/telecom systems.
Optimal design of magnetic components (inductors, transformers) and advanced digital control techniques.

2. Inverter Core Technologies

Inverters, which convert DC to AC power, are crucial for renewable energy systems and motor drives. We research advanced control and hardware design technologies for stable grid integration and precise motor operation.

Design and control of grid-tied inverters for solar photovoltaics (PV) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS).
Research on advanced Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques and multilevel inverter topologies.
Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) algorithms and harmonic reduction techniques to ensure grid stability and power quality.

3. Motor Control

We develop control algorithms to drive motors—the heart of EVs, robotics, and industrial automation—with high precision and efficiency. We implement modern control theories based on mathematical motor modeling onto real hardware to achieve maximum performance.

Development of Field-Oriented Control (FOC) and Direct Torque Control (DTC) algorithms for high-performance driving of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM).
Sensorless control techniques to estimate motor speed and position without mechanical sensors.
Design of controllers for EV traction motors and high-precision industrial servo systems.