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In last month’s Safety & Compliance column in How2Power, “WBG Semiconductors Pose Safety And EMI Challenges In Motor Drive Applications,”[1]Kevin Parmenter made some assertions about the difficulties of using SiC, and to a lesser extent GaN, power semiconductors in large motor-drive applications. This commentary is a response to that article, showing that GaN can be a game changer in low-voltage integrated motors.
How2Power
February, 2021
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Gallium nitride (GaN) devices offer performance in a small form factor, increasing the efficiency, and reducing the system cost for 48 V power conversion applications. They have been adopted in high volumes in high density computing, as well as many new automotive power system designs.
Electronic Specifier
February, 2021
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The combination of the Renesas dual synchronous GaN buck controller and ultra-efficient eGaN® FETs from EPC (Efficient Power Conversion) enables high power density and efficiency with the same BOM size and cost as silicon.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— February, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9157, a 300 W DC-DC demo board in the tiny 1/16th brick size, measuring just 33 mm x 22.9 mm x 9mm (1.3 x 0.9 x 0.35 in). The EPC9157 demo board integrates the Renesas ISL81806 80 V dual synchronous buck controller with the latest-generation EPC2218 eGaN FETs from EPC to achieve greater than 95% efficiency for 48 V input to 12 V regulated output conversion at 25 A.
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In this episode, Alex Lidow and Marti McCurdy discusses EPC’s test-to-failure method in improving gallium nitride (GaN) devices. According to Alex, testing to failure has allowed EPC to tease out the exact stressors that cause failure and improve EPC’s GaN devices 10-100 times the reliability of commercial devices, and even 100 times reliability in space applications.
Alex and Marti discuss:
(1:30) Why test to fail
(4:14) Learning from failure data and stressors
(11:38) Safe Operating Area
(14:30) Mechanical stressors
(17:45) EPC Space
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This article discusses the challenges that thermal management raises due to increase power density, especially with chip-scale packaging (CSP). What is sometimes overlooked, however, is that CSP eGaN® power FETs and integrated circuits have excellent thermal performance when mounted on standard printed circuit board (PCBs) with simple methods for attaching heat sinks. Simulations, supported by experimental verification, examine the effect of various parameters and heat flow paths to provide guidance on designing for performance versus cost.
Bodo’s Power Systems
February, 2021
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This article discusses how GaN-based solutions coupled with digital control increase efficiency, shrink the size, and reduce system costs for high density computing applications like ultra-thin laptops and high-end gaming systems. As computers, displays, smartphones and other consumer electronics systems become thinner and more powerful over the past decade, there is increasing demand for addressing the challenge of thinner solutions while extracting more power out of limited space. To address this challenge, the comparative advantages of various non-isolated DC-DC step-down topologies for ultra-thin 48 V – 20 V power solutions that are designed to fit inside a notebook computer or an ultra-thin display are examined.
Power Electronics News
January, 2021
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) publishes Phase-12 Reliability Report adding to the extensive knowledge found in their first eleven reports. With this report, EPC demonstrates field experience of 226 billion eGaN ® device hours and a robustness capability unmatched by silicon power devices.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— January 2021 — EPC announces its Phase-12 Reliability Report, documenting the strategy used to achieve a remarkable field reliability record. eGaN devices have been in volume production for more than eleven years and have demonstrated very high reliability in over 226 billion hours of operation, most of which are in vehicles, LTE base stations, and satellites, to name just a few applications with rigorous operating conditions.
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The combination of MPS (Monolithic Power Systems) controllers with ultra-efficient eGaN® FETs from EPC (Efficient Power Conversion) enable best-in-class power density of 1700 W/in3 in high efficiency, low cost LLC DC-DC Conversion
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Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors have been in mass production for over 10 years. In their first few years of availability, the fast switching speed of the new devices – up to 10 times faster than the venerable Si MOSFET – was the main reason for designers to use GaN FETs. As the pricing of GaN devices normalized with the MOSFET, coupled with the expansion of a broad range of devices with different voltage ratings and power handling capabilities, much wider acceptance was realized in mainstream applications such as DC-DC converters for computers, motor drives for robots, and e-mobility bikes and scooters. The experience gained from the early adopters has led the way for later entrants into the GaN world get into production faster. This article is the first in a series of articles discussing three topics that can help power systems designers achieve the most out of their GaN-based designs at the lowest cost. The three topics are: (1) layout considerations; (2) thermal design for maximum power handling; and, (3) EMI reduction techniques for lowest cost.
Bodo’s Power Systems
January, 2021
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Standard qualification testing for semiconductors typically involves stressing devices at-or-near the limits specified in their data sheets for a prolonged period of time, or for a certain number of cycles. The goal of qualification testing is to have zero failures out of a large group of parts tested. By testing parts to the point of failure, an understanding of the amount of margin between the data sheet limits can be developed, but more importantly, an understanding of the intrinsic failure mechanisms of the semiconductor can be found.
IEEE Power Electronics Magazine
December, 2020
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An automotive application using GaN power devices in high volume is lidar(light detection and ranging) for autonomous vehicles. Lidar technology provides information about a vehicle’s surroundings, thus requiring high accuracy and reliability to ensure safety and performance. This article will discus a novel testing mechanism developed by EPC to test eGaN devices beyond the qualification requirements of the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) for the specific use case of lidar.
Power Systems Design
December, 2020
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EPC introduces the 40 V, 3 milliohm EPC2055 eGaN® FET, offering designers a device that is smaller, more efficient, and more reliable than currently available devices for high performance, space-constrained applications.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — December 2020 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power FETs and ICs, advances the performance capability of low voltage, off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors with the introduction of the EPC2055 (3 mΩ, 40 V) eGaN FET.
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — December 2020 — BrightLoop Converters has greatly reduced the size, cost and improved reliability of its latest BB SP DC-DC buck converters thanks to Efficient Power Conversion Corporation’s (EPC) EPC2029 enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN®) FET transistors. By switching from silicon (Si) transistors to gallium nitride (GaN), BrightLoop was able to increase the switching frequency of their design from 200 kHz to 600 kHz, while keeping the same efficiency. This design change increased the power density of the solution by a factor of approximately two and this resulted in lower cost by enabling the implementation of a smaller enclosure.
EPC’s EPC2029 is an 80 V, 48 A eGaN® FET featuring a 1 mm ball pitch. The wider pitch allows for placement of additional and larger vias under the device to enable high current carrying capability despite the extremely small 2.6 mm x 4.6 mm footprint.
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The EPC2152 ePower™ Stage enables higher performance and smaller solution size for high power density, low-cost DC-DC conversion demonstrated in the EPC9151 power module.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— December, 2020 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9151, a 300 W bidirectional DC-DC voltage regulator in the in the very small 16th brick format which is just 33 mm x 22.9 mm (1.3 x 0.9 in). The EPC9151 power module features Microchip’s dsPIC33CK digital signal controller (DSC) with the EPC2152 ePower™ Stage integrated circuit from EPC to achieve greater than 95% efficiency in a 300 W 48 V to/from 12 V converter design. Additional phases can be added to this scalable 2-phase design to further increase power.
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Gallium nitride power device technology enables a new generation of power converters in space operating at higher frequencies, higher efficiencies, and greater power densities than everachievable before. GaN power devices can also exhibit superior radiation tolerance compared with Silicon MOSFETs depending upon their device design.
Power Electronics Europe
December, 2020
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Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are the new frontline in power conversion, and that takes design engineers into a whole new frequency spectrum, as well as power density and form factor opportunities.
EDN Editorial Advisory Board
December, 2020
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Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN®) power FETs and ICs, has won the Contributor of the Year award of the prestigious World Electronics Achievement Awards (WEAA) 2020 for Dr. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion.
The WEAA scheme honors products, companies and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the innovation and development of the electronics industry worldwide. A committee comprising of ASPENCORE global senior industry analysts and online users from Asia, the US and Europe select the winners. ASPENCORE is the largest electronics industry media and SaaS group in the world featuring media titles including EE Times and EDN.
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EPC introduces 170 V, 6.8 milliohm EPC2059 eGaN® FET, offering designers a device that is smaller, more efficient, more reliable, and lower cost than currently available devices for high performance 48 V synchronous rectification.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — November 2019 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power FETs and ICs, advances the performance capability while lowering the cost of off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors with the introduction of the EPC2059 (6.8 mΩ, 170 V) eGaN FET. This device is the latest in a family of 100 V – 200 V solutions suitable for a wide-range of power levels and price points. They are designed to meet the increasing demands of 48 V – 56 V server and data center products as well as an array of consumer power supply applications for high end computing, including gaming PCs, LCD/LED TVs, and LED lighting.
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Stefan Werkstetter appointed as New Director of Sales for EMEA to focus on assisting customers in the adoption of eGaN® FETs and Integrated Circuits for applications including DC-DC, lidar, motor control, and other leading-edge power conversion systems
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — November 2020 — To support the continued adoption of gallium nitride (GaN) FETs and Integrated Circuits in the European market, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Stefan Werkstetter as Director, Sales EMEA.
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GaN technology has seen significant improvements and has reached an optimal cost for MOSFET replacement. Starting in 2017, the adoption rate of GaN in 48-Vin DC-DC converters began to take on important connotations in the market. Various topologies, such as multi-phase and multi-level bucks are offering new solutions with greater efficiency to cover the energy demands of the IT and automotive markets.
Power Electronics News
November, 2020
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