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From the heart of Silicon Valley comes a new buzzword. Gallium nitride is the future of power technology. Tech blogs are touting gallium nitride as the silicon of the future, and you are savvy enough to get in on the ground floor. Knowing how important gallium nitride is makes you a smarter, better consumer. You are at the forefront of your peer group because you know of an up and coming technology, and this one goes by the name of gallium nitride.
HACKADAY
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EPC's chief executive, Alex Lidow, believes his GaN devices now beat silicon on performance and price, reports Rebecca Pool.
For EPC chief executive, Alex Lidow, this year's PCIM Europe 2019 has been all about applications. Presenting myriad enhanced-mode GaN FETs and ICs in end-products, the company is making a big play for 48 V DC-DC power conversion in advanced computing and automotives.
Compound Semiconductor
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This year’s PCIM Europe was attended by a record number of visitors, over 12,000. Over half (54%) were from outside Germany. They came to see over 500 exhibitors and while the subject matter was diverse and wide-ranging, there were some themes that emerged. GaN and SiC jostled for attention at this year’s PCIM Europe. Showing the potential that GaN has already realised, Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) had a stand that was well-stocked with examples of the eGaN FET technology that the company introduced in 2009.
Electronic Specifier
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) will exhibit live demonstrations at PCIM Europe 2019 showing how GaN technology’s superior performance is transforming power delivery for entire industries including computing, communications, and transportation.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— April 2019 — The EPC team will be delivering seven technical presentations on gallium nitride (GaN) technology and applications at PCIM Europe 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany from May 7th through the 9th. In addition, in Hall 7, Stand 335, the company will exhibit its latest eGaN® FETs and ICs in customers’ end products that are rapidly adopting eGaN technology.
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) expands AEC Q101 product family with the addition of the EPC2214, 80 V gallium nitride transistor optimized for high resolution lidar systems.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— April 2019 — EPC announces successful AEC Q101 qualification of the 80 V EPC2214 designed for lidar systems in the automotive industry and other harsh environments.
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) has recently introduced two new, 100V, GaN devices that are able to handle 48V server and automotive needs. I will be examining the 48V server power solutions to the processor as well as in automotive and energy storage systems (See my article Bi-directional DC/DC power supplies: Which way do we go?) bi-directional supplies, in an EDN exclusive article coming up in the near future. GaN power transistors MUST be a part of these kinds of architectures; from my point-of-view there is no better alternative.
Planet Analog
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Efficient Power Conversion, is at the forefront of GaN-based device development. In this video, EPC CEO Alex Lidow talks with Alix Paultre about the various design-ins at the show that underscore the advantages GaN-based devices can provide.
Embedded Computer Design
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The Trilogy of Wireless Power Transfer consists of three parts: Basics Principles of Wireless Power Transmission, Wireless Power Transfer Systems and Applications. The first part of the book explains the basic physical principles and the different methods of contactless power transmission. Furthermore, the leading standards are presented in this part. The second part describes wireless power transfer systems, the different topologies of wireless power transmission, the right selection of transmitter and receiver coils required to increase efficiency, and the selection of transistors, for instance. The third part is dedicated to practical applications. This includes applications within the scope of the Qi standard, as well as examples of proprietary solutions. An overview of EMI-relevant topics for closely and loosely coupled systems, as well as an example of a multimode wireless power transmission system round out the practical part. The authors of the "Trilogy of Wireless Power Transfer" are Cem Som, Division Manager Wireless Power Transfer at Würth Elektronik eiSos; and Dr. Michael de Rooij, Vice President Applications Engineering at Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, Inc. The book costs 19 euros and can be ordered from Würth Elektronik eiSos or through bookstores.
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EPC CEO & Co-Founder, Alex Lidow delivers a presentation entitled, Silicon is Dead in the Ridley Engineering booth at APEC 2019.
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In this episode of PSDtv Alex Lidow, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is at APEC 2019 in Anaheim and discusses why their GaN on Silicon devices make Silicon now dead.
PSDtv
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EPC introduces 100 V, 3.8 milliohm EPC2053 eGaN® FET, joining the EPC2045, EPC2052, and EPC2051 to offer a comprehensive 100 V family of GaN transistors that are more efficient, smaller, and lower cost for high performance 48 V DC-DC conversion.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — April 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 EPC2053 (3.8 mΩ, 100 V) eGaN FET.
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The EPC2052 offers power systems designers a 100 V, 13.5 mΩ, power transistor capable of 74 A pulsed in an extremely small chip-scale package. In a 48 V – 12 V DC-DC Power Converters these new generation eGaN FETs achieved greater than 97% efficiency at 500 kHz and greater than 96% Efficiency at 1 MHz
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — March 2019 — Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announces the EPC2052, a 100 V GaN transistor with a maximum RDS(on) of 13.5mΩ and a 74 A pulsed output current for high efficiency power conversion in a tiny 2.25mm2 footprint.
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When the issue invariably turns to the packaging of the power semiconductor – transistor, diode, or integrated circuit – the requests for improvement fall into six categories:
1. Can you make the package smaller?
2. Can you reduce the package inductance?
3. Can you make the product with lower conduction losses?
4. Can you make the package more thermally efficient?
5. Can you sell the product at a lower price?
6. Can you make the package more reliable?
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New converter topologies and power transistors promise to reduce the size and boost the efficiency of supplies that will run next-generation Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms. In all the topologies with 48 VIN, the highest efficiency comes with using GaN devices. This is due to their lower capacitance and smaller size. With recent pricing declines in GaN power transistors, the cost comparison with silicon-based converters now strongly favors GaN in all the leading-edge solutions.
Power Electronic Tips
March, 2019
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EPC will exhibit live demonstrations showing how GaN technology’s superior performance is transforming power delivery for entire industries including computing, communications, and automotive.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — March 2019 — The EPC team will be delivering eleven technical presentations on gallium nitride (GaN) technology and applications at APEC 2019 in Anaheim, California from March 17th through the 21st. In addition, the company will demonstrate its latest eGaN FETs and ICs in customers’ end products that are enabled by eGaN technology.
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In the final installment of this series, how GaN has met the requirements to displace silicon is explored. As the adoption rate of GaN explodes, it is important to remember that, while GaN has made many advancements in just a few short years, it is still far from its theoretical performance limitations and thus there are profound improvements that can continue to be achieved. In time, the performance and cost advantages of GaN-on-silicon will result in a majority of applications currently using silicon-based devices converting to the smaller, faster, cheaper, and more reliable GaN technology.
Power Systems Design
February, 2019
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EPC’s Phase Ten Reliability Report adds to the growing knowledge base published in the first nine reports. With this report, EPC has stress-tested over 30,000 parts for a total of over 18 million hours without failure. There have been no field failures in over two years despite shipping millions of parts.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— February 2019 — EPC announces its Phase Ten Reliability Report, documenting the test results leading to the successful completion of automotive AEC-Q101 qualification. AEC-Q101 demands the highest level of reliability standards for power FETs, requiring not only zero datasheet failures, but also low parametric drift during stress testing. Of note is that EPC’s WLCS packaging passed all the same testing standards created for conventional packaged parts, demonstrating that the superior performance of chip-scale packaging does not compromise ruggedness or reliability.
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In this conference GaN market and technology status will be addressed and its future evolution will be debated by mixing visions from designers, manufacturers, and end users.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — January 2019 — Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is joining forces with Yole Développement (Yole) and SEMI to sponsor the first ever ‘GaN Con,’ an industry networking event covering the entire power GaN industry from manufacturers to end users. The theme of GaN Con is “Power GaN: From promises to possible market explosion” and is focused on the emerging GaN market and the state-of-the-art for its underlying technology.
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As an example of the contribution to performance GaN devices can make to one of these mainstream applications, a traditional silicon application, the 12 V – 1 V point-of-load (POL) DC/DC converter will be examined. An eGaN IC based 12 V to 1 V, 12 A load converter yielding a peak efficiency of 78% at 5 MHz with a power density of at least 1000 W/in3, all with a cost below $0.20 per watt will be shown
Power Systems Design
January, 2019
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GaN technology has matured to a point where it can challenge traditional silicon technology. Gallium nitride(GaN)-on-silicon low voltage power devices have enabled many new applications since commercial availability began in 2010. New markets, such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), envelope tracking, and wireless power, emerged due to the superior switching speed of GaN. These new applications have helped develop a strong supply chain, low production costs, and an enviable reliability record. All of this provides adequate incentive for the more conservative design engineers in applications, such as DC/DC converters, AC/DC converters, and automotive to start their evaluation process. In this article, the factors leading to the rapid acceleration of the adoption rate are explored.
Electronics Weekly
January 2019
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