The popularity of wireless energy transfer has increased over the last few years and in particular for applications targeting portable device charging. In this article, EPC will focus on loosely coupled coils, highly-resonant wireless solutions suitable for the A4WP standard operating at either 6.78 MHz or 13.56 MHz unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands.

Bodo’s Power Systems
By Alex Lidow, Ph.D. and Michael De Rooij, Ph.D
May, 2014

This column evaluated the ability to parallel eGaN^® FETs for higher output current applications by addressing the challenges facing paralleling high speed, low parasitic devices, and demonstrated an improved paralleling technique. For experimental verification of this design method, four parallel half bridges in an optimized layout were operated as a 48 V to 12 V, 480 W, 300 kHz, 40 A buck converter, and achieved efficiencies above 96.5%, from 35% to 100% load. The design method achieved superior electrical and thermal performance compared to conventional paralleling methods and demonstrated that high speed GaN devices can be effectively paralleled for higher current operation.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
April, 2014

APEC 2014 is over. Held this year in Fort Worth, Texas, the annual IEEE power electronics conference left a number of impressions. For one, gallium-nitride (GaN) power transistors are evolving in interesting ways…

Electronic Design
March, 2014
http://electronicdesign.com/blog/pmbus-gan-and-more-dominate-apec-2014

EPC's Michael de Rooij presenting the Wireless Power Transfer demonstration for Alix Paultre, editor, Power Systems Design magazine.

Power Systems Design
March, 2014
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Since the Robotics and Mechatronics Institute is highly interested in the improvement of sensor and power electronics, we used the opportunity of this new robot development to evaluate the new enhancement mode Gallium Nitride FET technology from EPC and compare it with our up to this time best inverter design.

Bodo’s Power Systems
By Robin Gruber, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
March, 2014

The quality of sound reproduced by an audio amplifier, measured by critical performance parameters such as THD (Total Harmonic Distortion), damping factor (DF), and T-IMD (Inter-modulation Distortion), is influenced by the characteristics of the switching transistors used. Class-D audio amplifiers typically use power MOSFETs, however, lower conduction losses, faster switching speed, and zero reverse recovery losses provided by enhancement-mode GaN (eGaN) FETs enable a significant increase in the sonic quality, and higher efficiency that can eliminate heatsinks. The result is a system with better sound quality in a smaller form factor that can be built at a lower cost.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
February, 2014

Enhancement-mode gallium nitride transistors have been commercially available for over four years and have infiltrated many applications previously monopolized by the aging silicon power MOSFET. There are many benefits derived from the latest generation eGaN® FETs in new emerging applications such as highly resonant wireless power transfer, RF envelope tracking, and class-D audio. This article will examine the rapidly evolving trend of conversion from power MOSFETs to gallium nitride transistors in these new applications.

Power Pulse
By: Alex Lidow
February, 2014

A highly resonant, loosely coupled, 6.78 MHz ISM band wireless power transfer will be presented that show how eGaN FETs are enabling this technology. This column will show efficient wireless energy transfer using current eGaN FETs, and present examples of a voltage mode class D and class E approach.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
January, 2014

Examining new products released by: Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Linear Technology, Maxim-Integrated, Intersil, Fairchild, EPC, and IR, Don Tuite finds a common thread: the companies’ products are doing the heavy lifting for their customers.

Electronic Design
Don Tuite
January 6, 2014

In this installment a return to hard-switching converters is made, but with a push to higher frequencies – beyond the practical limits of silicon technology.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
December, 2013

Power conversion at switching frequencies of 10 MHz and above requires both high-speed transistors and high frequency capable packaging. eGaN FETs have demonstrated their ability to improve high frequency power conversion compared with the aging power MOSFET by providing unmatched device performance as well as packaging.

Bodo’s Power Systems
Guest Editorial: Alex Lidow
November, 2013

Enhancement mode gallium nitride transistors have been commercially available for over four years and have infiltrated many applications previously monopolized by the aging silicon power MOSFET.

Power Pulse
By: Alex Lidow
October, 2013

With the introduction of this family of eGaN® FETs, power systems and RF designers now have access to high performance gallium nitride power transistors enabling innovative designs not achievable with silicon.

October, 2013
Bodo's Power Systems

In this installment more complex hard switching converters used for isolated DC to DC power conversion will be discussed.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
October, 2013

In this EDN article Steve Taranovich explores the envelope tracking system as a potential solution to the notoriously inefficient wideband power amplifiers (PAs) used I wireless telecom and other base station transmitters. An ET solution implementing high speed eGaN FETs in a multi-phase buck converter is explored.
http://www.edn.com/design/power-management/4422469/Enhancing-the-inefficiency-of-an-RF-power-amp--The-envelope-tracking--ET--system

In this installment the optimum layout will be implemented in a high frequency buck converter yielding greater than 96% efficiency switching at 1 MHz.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
September, 2013

The previous columns in this series discussed the benefits of eGaN(r) FETs and their potential to achieve higher efficiencies and higher switching speeds than possible with silicon MOSFETs. This installment will discuss driver and layout considerations to improve the performance achievable with eGaN FETs.

EEWeb
By: Alex Lidow
August, 2013

When a new technology is introduced, it is not reasonable to think that engineers will intuitively know how to effectively and efficiently take advantage of the performance enhancements that the new technology offers – there is always a learning curve. This is being borne out in the case of the rapidly emerging technology of high performance gallium nitride transistors.

GaN FET technology was made available to the general power conversion engineering community in mid-2010 when Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) introduced the industry’s first commercially available GaN transistor. Since that time, EPC has continued on two parallel paths – one to expand their portfolio of products and the other to share what it learns about the use of the technology with power conversion systems design engineers. One of these educational efforts has been to work with the editors of Power Electronics magazine and publish a bi-monthly series of articles on the characteristics of GaN technology and its applications.

This series is entitled eGaN FET -- Power Silicon Shoot Out. Articles in the series took on both basic issues and specific applications using gallium nitride components. It is timely to make a quick review of the sixteen articles to make certain that we have accomplished the goal of assisting engineers in climbing the learning curve. This retrospective look will give us insight into what further topics and studies are needed to advance the adoption of GaN technology, the need to learn is never finished.

By: JOHAN STRYDOM, Ph. D., Vice President, Applications, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
MICHAEL DE ROOIJ, Ph.D., Executive Director of Applications Engineering, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
DAVID REUSCH, PH.D., Director, Applications, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation

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For a power system designer who has worked with a power MOSFET, upgrading to an enhancement mode GaN transistor is straightforward. The basic operating characteristics are quite similar and yet there are a few characteristics that need to be considered in an efficient design in order to extract the maximum benefit from this new generation device. EEWeb By: Alex Lidow July, 2013 More ...

Packaging has its downsides: It increases the footprint and the price of a power MOSFET, while degrading its performance through unwanted increases in resistance and inductance. The best solution is to ditch the package, a step that allows GaN HEMTs to be cost-competitive with silicon incumbents, argues Alex Lidow from Efficient Power Conversion Corporation.

Compound Semiconductor
June, 2013