World-changing innovations such as the first video cassette recorder (VCR) in 1970 to the world’s first laptop that can charge wirelessly have been announced at CES, the worlds gathering place for innovation.

World-changing innovations and Gallium Nitride (GaN), a critical building-block component behind many of today’s new and exciting consumer technology innovations such as self-driving cars, robots, drones, wireless power solutions, world-class audio and cutting-edge automotive solutions go hand in hand.

eGaN FETs and ICs enable very high-density power converter design, owing to their compact size, ultra-fast switching, and low on-resistance. The limiting factor for output power in most high-density converters is junction temperature, which prompts the need for more effective thermal design. The chip-scale packaging of eGaN also offers six-sided cooling, with effective heat extraction from the bottom, top, and sides of the die. This application note presents a high-performance thermal solution to extend the output current capability of eGaN-based converters.

This post was originally published by Bill Kleyman on November 5, 2018 on the Data Center Frontier  web site. Learn more about eGaN technology and EPC GaN solutions for the Data Center.

The data center is an ever-changing entity and part of our technological landscape. But sometimes the biggest changes in the colocation industry happen at the core of what makes a data center tick, and may not be visible at first glance. In this instance, we’re talking about data center power, and the potential of creative solutions on the market, such as using Gallium nitride (GaN) in power conversion equipment.

This post, authored by Steve Taranovich, Editor-in-Chief, Planet Analog was originally published August 10, 2018 on the Planet Analog website. Learn more about eGaN technology and EPC GaN solutions for LiDAR.

I have a pathological interest in the promotion of electric vehicles; Formula E racing is one of the most exciting venues for techies like myself. See some of my articles on Formula E in the links at the end of this blog.

What caught my eye recently was a ROBORACE video at a Formula E race track in Rome, Italy:

Ask EPC's chief executive, Alex Lidow, what the future holds for his GaN power device business, and automotive certification features prominently.

Recently delivering AEC Q101-qualified 80 V discrete transistors for LiDAR, 48V power distribution systems and other applications, the company's latest enhancement-mode FETs deliver higher switching frequencies and efficiencies than silicon MOSFETs, in a smaller footprint. And this is just the beginning.

"We have more transistors as well as integrated circuits designed for LiDAR [sensors] and are proceeding with automotive certification here," highlights Lidow. "LiDAR is under intense cost and performance pressure so integrating components and improving performance while lowering the cost is a big deal."

Automotive technology has entered a renaissance with the emergence of autonomous cars and electric propulsion as the driving forces.  IHS Markit estimates that 12 million cars will be autonomous by 2035 and 32 million cars will have electric propulsion according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Marklines.  Both trends translate into a large growth in demand for power semiconductors.  This is also happening at a time when silicon is reaching its performance limits in the world of power conversion, thus opening a huge new market for power devices based on gallium nitride grown on a silicon substrate (GaN-on-Si). 

Come see the world’s smallest, most efficient, and lowest cost DC-DC converters!  eGaN technology makes this, and much more possible and will be on full display at this year’s American Power Engineering Conference, APEC, where power engineers from around the world gather to see and learn about the latest innovations and products available in the world of power electronics.

EPC GaN experts will be presenting a half-day educational seminar on the state of GaN technology and its application to leading-edge power electronics. In addition, EPC will deliver six technical sessions, as well as demonstrate eGaN applications in our booth and customer suite.

Did you see that car? The one with what looks like antlers on the top? Most people would be hard-pressed to miss a self-driving car navigating about public roads. Most autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars as they are also known, are outfitted with a myriad of sensors, cameras, and even lasers that serve a critical function – providing information about the vehicle’s surroundings. These sensors and cameras are one means of identifying pedestrians, bicycle riders, lane lines, street signs, lights, traffic cones, and other visual details that are important for safe driving.

Written by Michael de Rooij and Alana Nakata - Efficient Power Conversion

Published in: PCIM Europe 2017; International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management; Proceedings of

eGaN FETs, which are available in non-traditional chip scale packages (CSP) as land grid array (LGA) and/or ball grid array (BGA) formats, have repeatedly demonstrated higher power density and higher efficiency performance than equivalent MOSFETs across various applications ^{[1, 2]}. Those improvements are contingent upon proper layout practices documented extensively in ^{[1, 3]} that minimize unwanted parasitic elements. Over the seven years since eGaN FETs were first launched into the market there have been a total of 127 device failures out of a total of more than 17 billion hours in actual use in the field, 75 of which were a result of poor assembly technique or poor printed circuit board (PCB) design practices ^[4]. Designers are becoming more familiar with the PCB design rules that affect manufacturability and are less forgiving compared to MOSFETs due to their relatively smaller sizes. This paper will cover the various guidelines for PCB design that maximize the performance of eGaN FETs and reliability yet still rely on existing PCB manufacturing capabilities.

I have yet to meet someone who likes power cords.

Take for example Keith. In figure 1 is a photo of all the power-related accessories Keith lugs around in his backpack to make certain he will be able to run his phone, tablet, and computer wherever he goes. What Keith and others may not realize is that the technology is available that can eliminate every one of these cords – today! So, why is it taking so long for wireless power solutions to become a household technology?

Certainly, wireless charging is not a new topic having been talked about for quite a while. But now, with a recently developed innovative approach to the design of transmission and receiver antennae (coils), ubiquitous wireless power is ready to be incorporated into our daily lives throughout furniture, walls, and floors to efficiently and economically power all the gadgets we need for our electronic lives.