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

Award winning EPC9005 development board facilitates rapid design of high frequency switching power conversion systems based on the 40 V EPC2014 eGaN FET

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – November 2013 - Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com; www.epc-co.com.cn) announces that its EPC9005 development board has been recognized with two industry awards in China; namely, Optimized Development Award of the Top 10 Power Products Award 2013 presented by Electronics Product China and Leading Product Award of China Innovation Award 2013 presented by EDN China magazine.

EPC9106 Class D audio amplifier reference design, using high frequency switching gallium nitride power transistors, demonstrates efficiency enhancement, size reduction and eliminates need for a heat sink while delivering prosumer quality sound.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — November 2013 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) introduces the EPC9106, a reference design for a 150 W, 8 Ω Class D audio amplifier. This demonstration board uses a Bridge-Tied-Load (BTL) design, composed of four ground-referenced half-bridge output stages, which allows scalability and expandability of the design. All elements that can impact the sonic performance of Class D Audio systems are minimized or eliminated in an eGaN FET-based system.

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

EPC's David Reusch talks about enhancement mode GaN and the package-less package that helps reduce losses.

Electronic Products
October, 2013
Watch Interview

Commercial high-lead versions of EPC’s popular enhancement mode gallium nitride (eGaN) FETs, the EPC2801, EPC2815, and EPC2818, are now available.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — October 2013 — (www.epc-co.com) Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) introduces devices with a high-lead solder termination ideal for applications requiring higher temperature solder. The EPC2801, EPC2815, and EPC2818 feature high-lead content (95% lead, 5% tin) solder terminations.

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

Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced new inventory of Gallium Nitride (GaN) power management products, available for immediate shipment as part of an exclusive global distribution agreement with Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) http://www.digikey.com/us/en/press-release/epc-gan-global-distribution-agreement.html

Power systems and RF designers now have access to high performance GaN power transistors capable of amplification into the low GHz range, enabling innovative designs not achievable with silicon.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — September 2013 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN®) power FETs extends its family of high-speed, high performance transistors with the EPC8000 family of products.

Bandgap materials GaN and SiC are generating significant buzz globally. Demand for GaN devices used in power electronics applications expected to grow strongly

http://www.compoundsemiconductor.net/csc/news-details/id/19736817/name/GaN-in-power-electronics-application.html

EPC2018 gallium nitride power transistor delivers high frequency switching for exceptional performance in DC-DC power conversion and Class D Audio applications.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – September 2013 – Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com) introduces the EPC2018 as the newest member of EPC’s family of enhancement mode gallium nitride power transistors.

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

Read the article

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 ...

EPC9107 demonstrates size reduction and efficiency enhancement for power conversion achieved using high frequency switching eGaN power transistors

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—June, 2013 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) introduces the EPC9107, a fully functional buck power conversion demonstration circuit.  This board is a 9 V-28 V input to 3.3 V, 15 A maximum output current, 1MHz buck converter.  It uses the EPC2015< eGaN FET in conjunction with the LM5113 100V half-bridge gate driver from Texas Instruments. The EPC9107 demonstrates the reduced size and performance capabilities of high switching frequency eGaN FETs when coupled with this dedicated eGaN driver.

The EPC9107 demonstration board is 3” square and contains a fully closed-loop buck converter with optimized control loop. The complete power stage including eGaN FETs, driver, inductor and input/output caps is in an ultra compact 0.5” x 0.5” layout to showcase the performance that can be achieved using the eGaN FETs with the LM5113 eGaN driver.

Since gallium nitride (GaN) based power devices have a vast potential to grow in usage, this market opportunity continues to attract more new suppliers. As a result, the list of manufacturers of GaN technology based power devices is steadily expanding. How2Power June, 2013 More ...