Sign up today to get the latest news and updates from EPC on new product announcements, applications work, and much more. Sign up for EPC email updates.
Long talked about, wide bandgap gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) transistors are now commercially available. They are being touted for replacing silicon-based MOSFETs, which are turning out to be inefficient for many high-performance power supply designs. Recently, several suppliers of GaN-on-Si-based HEMTs and FETs have emerged in the marketplace, among them Efficient Power Conversion (EPC). To expedite the evaluation of eGAN FETs for power supply designs transitioning from silicon MOSFETs to eGaN FETs, EPC has released several development boards in the last few years.
By Ashok Bindra
Digi-Key Article Library
July 15, 2014
Read the article
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
EPC experts will be making technical presentations on GaN FET technology at three industry-leading conferences in Asia – Electronica China, IIC China Power Management and Semiconductor and International Workshop on Wide Band Gap Power Electronics 2014 in Taiwan
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — March, 2014 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN®) power transistors will be making presentations at three industry-leading power conferences in Asia.
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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.
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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.
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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.
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read 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
Read more
In a featured interview with EEWeb Pulse EPC’s CEO, Alex Lidow, discusses what steps need to be taken to help with wide adoption of GaN devices.
EEWeb Pulse
June, 2013
Read more
The first installment in a new monthly column by Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC, introduces the concept that GaN-on-silicon power devices could be a superior replacement for the aging power MOSFET.
EEWeb.com
By: Alex Lidow
June, 2013
Read more