EPC’s Phase Eleven Reliability Report adds to the knowledge base published in the first ten reports. With this report, EPC demonstrates field experience of 123 billion device hours and a robustness capability unmatched by silicon power devices.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— April 2020 — EPC announces its Phase Eleven Reliability Report, documenting the strategy used to achieve a remarkable field reliability record. This strategy relied upon tests forcing devices to fail under a variety of conditions to create stronger products to serve demanding applications such as lidar for autonomous vehicles, LTE base stations, vehicle headlamps, and satellites to name just a few. 

Based on the third edition textbook, GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion, EPC has posted the first half of a 14-part educational video podcast series on the theory, design basics and applications, such as lidar, DC-DC conversion, and wireless power using gallium nitride FETs and ICs

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – March 2020 – Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Corporation has posted an update to its popular “How to GaN” video podcast series, These updated videos are based on the recently published third edition textbook, GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion. This 14-part educational video podcast series is designed to provide power system design engineers a technical foundation and application-focused toolset on how to design more efficient power conversion systems using gallium nitride-based transistors and integrated circuits.

An integrated circuit made using GaN-on-Si substrates has been in production for over five years. The ultimate goal is to achieve a single component IC that merely requires a simple digital input from a microcontroller and produces a power output that drives a load efficiently, reliably under all conditions, in the smallest space possible, and economically. Discrete power transistors, whether silicon-based or GaN-on-Si, are entering their final chapter. Integrated GaN-on-Si can offer higher performance in a smaller footprint with significantly reduced engineering required.

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine
March 2020
Read article

Silicon power MOSFETs have not kept pace with the evolutionary changes in the power electronics industry where factors such as efficiency, power density, and smaller form factors are the main demands of the community. The power electronics industry has seen the theoretical limit of silicon MOSFETs reached and now needs to move to a new element. Gallium Nitride or GaN is a highly mobile semiconductor electron semiconductor (HEMT) that is proving to be a real added value in meeting new applications.

Power Electronics News
March 25, 2020
Read article

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) introduces the first of a new integrated circuit (IC) product family offering higher performance and smaller solution size for high power density applications including DC-DC conversion, motor drive, and Class-D audio.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March 2020 — EPC announces the introduction of an 80 V, 12.5 A power stage integrated circuit designed for 48 V DC-DC conversion used in high-density computing applications and in motor drives for e-mobility.

A recent design for an ultra-high speed, low-impedance pulse generator to evaluate oscilloscope probe performance and for determining the feasibility of an in-socket load for ASIC emulation using EPC eGaN™ FET, EPC2037 reveals just how fast these power devices are.

Signal Integrity
March 12, 2020
Read article

Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices have been in volume production since March 2010 with remarkable field reliability. This article details how 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 can be found. By knowing the intrinsic failure mechanisms, the root cause of failure, and the device’s behavior over time, temperature, electrical or mechanical stress, the safe operating life of a product can be determined over a more general set of operating conditions.

Power Systems Design
March 3, 2020
Read article

Alex Lidow is the CEO of Efficient Power Conversion, probably the most prominent advocate for gallium nitride, delivering the first GaN transistor in 2009. After a decade of selling products, DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK editor Ralf Higgelke met him to discuss some of the latest advances in that area.

DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK
February 20, 2020
Read article

Ultra-fast transition eGaN^® FETs from Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) on the EPC9144 drive high current pulses up to 28 A with pulse widths as low as 1.2 ns, enhancing the accuracy, precision, and processing speed of ToF and flash lidar systems.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— January, 2020 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9144, a 15 V, 28 A high current pulsed laser diode driver demonstration board.

With silicon near its theoretical limits new designs heavily favor the continued adoption of GaN devices. GaN devices are early in their evolution, with advances in performance and integration and more products coming.

Electronics Weekly
December, 2019
Read article

Within the EPC hospitality suite at the Venetian hotel, world-changing innovations and gallium nitride (GaN) will go hand in hand. A variety of demonstrations will showcase GaN’s higher efficiency, smaller size, and lower cost solutions.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — December 2019 — Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announced that it will be demonstrating the power of eGaN^® technology to enhance game-changing consumer applications including self-driving cars, robots, drones, wireless power, world-class audio and cutting-edge automotive solutions – at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 7^th through the 10^th.

Smaller, faster, lower cost, and more integrated, GaN-on-Silicon devices have the confidence of designers across a spectrum of power conversion applications. In this article, Alex Lidow explains why it’s getting harder to avoid using GaN power transistors and ICs.

Electronic Specifier
Read article

In this webinar, Alex Lidow, CEO of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, discussed how GaN technology significantly improves system efficiency, size, and cost, thus accelerating the adoption of magnetic resonance and AirFuel Resonant technology.

View the Webinar

It’s getting harder to avoid using GaN power transistors and ICs, says Alex Lidow. There are many reasons to use GaN-on-Si power transistors such as eGaN FETs, in telecoms, vehicles, healthcare and computing. Smaller, faster, lower cost, and more integrated, GaN-on-Si devices have spent a decade gaining the confidence and trust of designers across the spectrum of power conversion applications.

Electronic Specifier
November 20, 2019
Read article

It’s okay to start using gallium-nitride (GaN) devices in your new designs. GaN transistors have become extremely popular in recent years. These wide-bandgap devices have been replacing LDMOS transistors in many power applications. For example, GaN devices are broadly being adopted for new RF power amplifiers used in cellular base stations, radar, satellites, and other high-frequency applications. In general, their ability to endure higher voltages and operate at frequencies well into the millimeter-wave (mmWave) range have them replacing traditional RF power transistors in most amplifier configurations.

Electronic Design
November, 2019
Read article

This article discussed an oft forgotten or little-noticed part of the spacecraft enabling travel into outer space---power management in the space vehicle. Wide bandgap semiconductors like gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), as well as diamond, are looking to be the most promising materials for future electronic components since the discovery of silicon. These technologies, depending upon their design, offer huge advantages in terms of power capability (DC and microwave), radiation insensitivity, high temperature and high frequency operation, optical properties and even low noise capability. Therefore, wide bandgap components are strategically important for the development of next generation space-borne systems. eGaN devices are quickly gaining momentum in the space industry and we will see many more applications for them by NASA and commercial contractors in future programs like Artemis and other programs in countries around the globe pursuing efforts into Space.

Power Systems Design
November, 2019
Read article

Ahead of December’s Power Conference in Munich, Bodo Arlt took the opportunity to get an insight into Alex Lidow’s thoughts on where the GaN market is now and where he sees the potential applications for the future. Dr. Lidow is the CEO and Co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC).

Bodo’s Power Systems
November, 2019
Read article

In support of a widening customer base in Europe, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation has expanded its technical leadership team to assist customers in the adoption of eGaN^® FETs and Integrated circuits for applications including DC-DC, Lidar, motor control, and beyond.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — October, 2019 — To support its accelerating design activity, and to provide local technical support to EPC’s customers in Europe, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) is proud to announce that Marco Palma, a seasoned expert, has joined the EPC technical leadership team as Senior FAE Manager for Europe. 

GaN and SiC are becoming much more attractive as prices drop. Several vendors are rolling out the next wave of power semiconductors based on gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), setting the stage for a showdown against traditional silicon-based devices in the market.

Semiconductor Engineering
October, 2019
Read article

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) expands AEC Q101 product family with the addition of the EPC2216, 15 V gallium nitride transistor optimized for affordable, high performance lidar systems.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— October 2019 — EPC announces successful AEC Q101 qualification of the 15 V EPC2216 designed for lidar applications where increased accuracy is vital such as in self-driving cars and other time-of-flight (TOF) applications including facial recognition, warehouse automation, drones and mapping.