The combination of the Renesas two-phase synchronous GaN boost controller with ultra-efficient eGaN^® FETs from EPC (Efficient Power Conversion) enables high power density and low-cost DC-DC conversion.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—  January, 2022 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9166, a 500 W DC-DC demo board that converts a 12 V input to 48 V output. The EPC9166 demo board demonstrates the Renesas ISL81807 80 V two-phase synchronous boost controller with the latest generation EPC2218 eGaN FETs from EPC to achieve greater than 96.5% efficiency in a 12 V input to 48 V regulated output conversion with 500 kHz switching frequency.  The output voltage can be configured to 36 V, 48 V, and 60 V. The board can deliver 480 W power without a heatsink.

The EPC9163 is a two-phase, 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converter that delivers 2 kW with 96.5% efficiency in small solution size for mild-hybrid cars and battery power backup units.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— November, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9163, a 2 kW, two-phase 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converter that operates with 96.5 % efficiency in a very small footprint. The design of this demonstration board is scalable; that is, two converters can be paralleled to achieve 4 kW or three converters can be paralleled to achieve 6 kW. The board features eight EPC2218 100 V eGaN^® FETs and is controlled by a module that includes the Microchip dsPIC33CK256MP503 16-bit digital controller.

GaN devices and applications, such as lidar, DC-DC conversion, motor drive, and low-cost satellites using gallium nitride FETs and ICs, form the focus of this book, GaN Power Devices and Applications.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — October 2021 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power FETs and ICs, announces the publication of a valuable learning resource for professional engineers, systems designers, and electrical engineering students seeking the latest information on gallium nitride technology and applications. 

With the growing adoption of and increasing applications for GaN, Bodo Arlt has taken the opportunity to talk to EPC’s CEO and Co-Founder, Alex Lidow to discuss what he believes is the next big market for this evolving technology

Bodo’s Power Systems
September, 2021
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Gallium nitride and silicon carbide are designated wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors based on the energy required to shift electrons in these materials from the valence to the conduction band — about 3.2 eV for SiC and 3.4 eV for GaN, compared with just 1.1 eV for silicon. The WBG properties lead to a higher applicable breakdown voltage, which can reach up to 1,700 V in some applications. At this year’s digital only PCIM Europe, held in May, several companies showed their latest innovations in GaN and SiC and offered insights on where WBG technology is headed.

EE Times – Europe
July, 2021
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) will showcase the company’s latest enhancement-mode gallium nitride-based FETs and ICs demonstrating how GaN technology’s superior performance is transforming power delivery for high power density computing, automotive, eMobility, and robotics.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— June 2021 — The EPC team will be delivering multiple technical presentations, an educational tutorial, and an exhibitor webinar on gallium nitride (GaN) technology and applications at the upcoming Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) Virtual Conference + Exposition, June 14-17. In addition, the company will participate in the event’s virtual exhibition, showing its latest eGaN^® FETs and ICs in customers’ end products that are rapidly adopting eGaN technology.

The EPC9137 is a two-phase 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converter that delivers 1.5 kW with 97% efficiency in small solution size for mild-hybrid cars and battery power backup units.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— May, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9137, a 1.5 kW, two-phase 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converter that operates with 97 % efficiency in a very small footprint. The design of this demonstration board is scalable; that is, two converters can be paralleled to achieve 3 kW or three converters can be paralleled to achieve 4.5 kW. The board features four EPC2206 100 V eGaN^® FETs and is controlled by a module that includes the Microchip dsPIC33CK256MP503 16-bit digital controller.

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) will showcase the company’s latest enhancement-mode gallium nitride-based FETs and ICs demonstrating how GaN technology’s superior performance is transforming power delivery for automotive, computing, and robotics at the PCIM Europe 2021 Digital Days.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— April 2021 — The EPC team will be delivering two technical presentations, an educational tutorial, an exhibitor webinar, and participating in panel discussions on gallium nitride (GaN) technology and applications at the upcoming PCIM Europe 2021 Digital Days, May 3 – 7. In addition, the company will participate in the event’s virtual exhibition, showing its latest eGaN FETs and ICs in customers’ end products that are rapidly adopting eGaN^® technology.

The ultra-fast transition EPC2034C eGaN^® FETs used on the EPC9150 enables high current pulses up to 220 A and pulse widths under 3 ns, thus allowing a lidar system to see farther, faster, and better.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March 2021 — Efficient Power Conversion  (EPC) announces the availability of the EPC9150, a 200 V, high current, pulsed-laser diode driver demonstration board. In a lidar system, used to create 3-D maps for autonomous vehicle applications, speed and accuracy of object detection is critical. As demonstrated by this board, the rapid transition capability of the EPC2034C eGaN FETs provide power pulses to drive the laser diodes, VCSELs or LEDs up to ten times faster than an equivalent MOSFET and in a small fraction of the area, energy, and cost. Thus, enhancing the overall performance, including accuracy, precision, and processing speed as well as the price of a lidar system.

In last month’s Safety & Compliance column in How2Power, “WBG Semiconductors Pose Safety And EMI Challenges In Motor Drive Applications,”[1]Kevin Parmenter made some assertions about the difficulties of using SiC, and to a lesser extent GaN, power semiconductors in large motor-drive applications. This commentary is a response to that article, showing that GaN can be a game changer in low-voltage integrated motors.

How2Power
February, 2021
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Gallium nitride (GaN) devices offer performance in a small form factor, increasing the efficiency, and reducing the system cost for 48 V power conversion applications. They have been adopted in high volumes in high density computing, as well as many new automotive power system designs.

Electronic Specifier
February, 2021
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The combination of the Renesas dual synchronous GaN buck controller and ultra-efficient eGaN^® FETs from EPC (Efficient Power Conversion) enables high power density and efficiency with the same BOM size and cost as silicon.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—  February, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9157, a 300 W DC-DC demo board in the tiny 1/16^th brick size, measuring just 33 mm x 22.9 mm x 9mm (1.3 x 0.9 x 0.35 in). The EPC9157 demo board integrates the Renesas ISL81806 80 V dual synchronous buck controller with the latest-generation EPC2218 eGaN FETs from EPC to achieve greater than 95% efficiency for 48 V input to 12 V regulated output conversion at 25 A.  

An automotive application using GaN power devices in high volume is lidar(light detection and ranging) for autonomous vehicles. Lidar technology provides information about a vehicle’s surroundings, thus requiring high accuracy and reliability to ensure safety and performance. This article will discus a novel testing mechanism developed by EPC to test eGaN devices beyond the qualification requirements of the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) for the specific use case of lidar.

Power Systems Design
December, 2020
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — December 2020 — BrightLoop Converters has greatly reduced the size, cost and improved reliability of its latest BB SP DC-DC buck converters thanks to Efficient Power Conversion Corporation’s (EPC) EPC2029 enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN^®) FET transistors. By switching from silicon (Si) transistors to gallium nitride (GaN), BrightLoop was able to increase the switching frequency of their design from 200 kHz to 600 kHz, while keeping the same efficiency. This design change increased the power density of the solution by a factor of approximately two and this resulted in lower cost by enabling the implementation of a smaller enclosure.

EPC’s EPC2029 is an 80 V, 48 A eGaN^® FET featuring a 1 mm ball pitch. The wider pitch allows for placement of additional and larger vias under the device to enable high current carrying capability despite the extremely small 2.6 mm x 4.6 mm footprint.

GaN technology has seen significant improvements and has reached an optimal cost for MOSFET replacement. Starting in 2017, the adoption rate of GaN in 48-Vin DC-DC converters began to take on important connotations in the market. Various topologies, such as multi-phase and multi-level bucks are offering new solutions with greater efficiency to cover the energy demands of the IT and automotive markets.

Power Electronics News
November, 2020
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Gallium nitride FETs have continued to gain traction in many power electronic applications, but GaN technology is still in the early part of its life cycle. While there is much room to improve basic FET performance figures of merit an even more promising avenue is the development of GaN power ICs.

Bodo’s Power Systems
November, 2020
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Silicon power MOSFETs have not kept pace with the evolutionary changes in the power electronics industry, where factors such as efficiency, power density, and smaller form factors are the main demands of the community. Silicon MOSFETs have reached their theoretical limits for power electronics, and with board space at a premium, power system designers need alternatives. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) semiconductor that is adding real value in emerging applications.

EETimes
August, 2020
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Gallium nitride is helping the transition from internal combustion engines to electric and smart cars.

Power Systems Design
July/August 2020 Issue
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Gallium nitride (GaN) power devices have been in volume production since March 2010 and have established a remarkable field-reliability record. An automotive application using GaN power devices in high volume is lidar (light detection and ranging) for autonomous vehicles. Lidar technology provides information about a vehicle’s surroundings, thus requiring high accuracy and reliability to ensure safety and performance. This article will discuss a novel testing mechanism developed by Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) to test eGaN devices beyond the qualification requirements of the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) for the specific use case of lidar.

eeNews Europe
July 30, 2020
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Starting on page 13 of this story, EPC discusses with David Morrison the latest GaN developments meant for APEC. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC, discussed his company’s new power stage ICs, their development of GaN-based reference designs using a multi-level topology and various demos that were originally bound for APEC.

How2Power Today
April, 2020
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