In this blog post, we examine the three major stages of this evolution – from ICE to mild hybrid (MHEV) to BEV – and explore the role of low voltage power distribution in shaping the automotive landscape.

GaN is a game changer for motor drive applications. For designers to take advantage of this technology, fast and reliable time-to-market is critical. Easy-to-use reference designs using state-of-the-art electronics and techniques provide a valuable tool to speed time to market. The EPC9173 tool allows designers of eBikes and drones to enhance motor system size, performance, range, precision, and torque, all while simplifying design for faster time-to-market.  

The EPC9173 integrates all the necessary circuits to operate a 3-phase BLDC motor with high performance, 48 V input, 1.5kW output, and three-phase inverter using six EPC23101  GaN ICs. Thanks to the high-power density and the high electrical conductivity of GaN ICs, the EPC9173 delivers up to 25 A_RMS on each leg and supports PWM switching frequencies up to 250 kHz under a natural convection passive heatsink. The resultant quality of the current output waveforms, lesser torque oscillations, and total system efficiency increase the performance of the motor-drive system. Further, the extremely small size of this inverter allows integration into the motor housing resulting in the lowest EMI, highest density, and lowest weight.

Environmental pressures are creating pressure to quickly adopt newer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation options.  In 2025, 1 in 10 vehicles sold are expected to be a more fuel efficient 48 V mild hybrid.  These systems will require a 48V – 12V bidirectional converter, with power ranging from 1.5 kW to 6 kW. The design priorities for these systems are size, cost, and high reliability. GaN power conversion solutions are perfect to support a 48 V to 12 V bidirectional converter used in these newer models.

A new reference design demo board, the EPC9165, is available to help jump start the design of a 2 kW bi-directional converter.  The EPC9165 is a synchronous buck/boost converter with other supporting circuitry including current sensors and temperature sensor.  The EPC9528 controller board ships with the EPC9165 to incorporate digital control and housekeeping power supply; this board uses the dsPIC33CK256MP503 digital controller from Microchip.

48V正越来越多地被用作计算数据中心和笔记本电脑等消费电子产品性能的新标准。全新USB PD3.1标准也正在进军笔记本电脑，部分原因是USB电压增加到48 V，在连接器和电缆的电流限制为5 A的情况下，总功率传输增加到240 W。使用USB PD新标准的兼容电源，也不断面临实现小尺寸的解决方案以满足对高功率密度的需求。GaN FET开关快和具有低导通电阻，解决了电源供电中含有多个电路所需的功率密度挑战。

对于从标准 48 V总线转换器取得更大电流的需求不断增长，以满足服务器应用对电力不断增长的需求。氮化镓功率器件让设计者能够实现理想的转换器：高效率、小尺寸和高电流处理、易用性和高可靠性。为了支持您的设计，EPC设计了1.2 kW的谐振转换器演示板（EPC9174），其尺寸为1/8砖型，可以实现优越的峰值效率高达97.3%。

APEC is The Premier Global Event in Applied Power Electronics

Preparations are well underway for EPC to head to Houston for the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC). The team is excited to be back, in-person exhibiting a large variety of demonstrations showcasing how the superior performance of GaN is transforming the delivery of power across many industries, including computing, communications, and e-mobility.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the key application areas we will be showcasing in Booth 1302 at APEC.

车用48 V/12 V评估电源模块（EPC9137、EPC9163、EPC9165等）采用两相同步降压/升压拓扑结构。边缘连接器和控制卡还设计为两个模块与控制器并联操作，有效地实现四相，从而使额定电流和功率翻倍。使用EPC9137模块的示例如图1所示。

48 V is being adopted in many applications, including AI systems, data centers, and mild hybrid electric vehicles. However, the conventional 12 V ecosystem is still dominant, so a high power density 12 V to 48 V boost converter is required. The fast-switching speed and low R_DS(on) of eGaN FETs can help address this challenge. In this post, the design of a 12 V to 48 V, 500 W DC-DC power module using eGaN^® FETs directly driven by eGaN FET compatible ISL81807 controller IC from Renesas in the simple and low-cost synchronous boost topology is evaluated.

Brick DC-DC converters are widely used in data center, telecommunication and automotive applications, converting a nominal 48 V bus to (or from) a nominal 12 V bus. Advances in GaN integrated circuit (IC) technology have enabled the integration of the half bridge and gate drivers, resulting in a single chip solution that simplifies layout, minimizes area, and reduces cost.

This application note discusses the design of a digitally controlled bi-directional 1/16th brick converter using the integrated GaN power stage for 48 V-to-12 V application, with up to 300 W output power, and peak efficiency of 95%.

The standard dimension of the 1/16th brick converter is 33 x 22.9 mm (1.3 x 0.9 inch). The height limit for this design is set to 10 mm (0.4 inch).

Dear Friends, colleagues and partners of EPC,

Happy New Year to you and your family from all of us at EPC!

2019 was a year to remember for EPC’s GaN innovations and the multiple use cases for GaN that have come to fruition. EPC’s latest generation of GaN products have enabled engineers to gain power stage advantages due to their low R_DS(on) characteristics, higher efficiency, enhanced thermal properties, small size and low cost. Now, more than ever, power system designers are switching from silicon devices to higher performance GaN components.