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Meeting the Power and Magnetic Design Challenges of Ultra-Thin, High-Power Density 48 V DC-DC Converters for Ultra-Thin Computing Applications

Meeting the Power and Magnetic Design Challenges of Ultra-Thin, High-Power Density 48 V DC-DC Converters for Ultra-Thin Computing Applications

Over the past decade computers, displays, smart phones and other consumer electronics systems have become thinner while also becoming more powerful. As a result, the market continues to increase its demand for thinner power supply solutions with greater power density. This article examines the feasibility of adopting various non-isolated dc-dc step-down topologies for an ultra-thin 48 V to 20 V rated to 250 W. It examines the pros and cons of various non-isolated topologies and how the topology impacts the choice of the power transistors and magnetics, specifically the inductors, as these two components account for the bulk of the losses in a converter. The article also undertakes a detailed analysis of the challenges to design thin inductors for these applications, including examining the factors that drive inductor losses, inductor size, and the design tradeoffs, including the impact on EMI. For this work, an ultrathin multilevel converter topology was selected, built, and tested. The experimental results obtained from this converter were used to further refine the operating setting and component selections that resulted in a peak efficiency exceeding 98%.

Michael de Rooij, EPC
Quentin Laidebeur, Würth Elektronik

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine
September, 2021
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Bodo’s Wide Bandgap Expert Talk - GaN Session - June 2021

Bodo’s Wide Bandgap Expert Talk - GaN Session - June 2021

A roundtable discussion with GaN industry experts hosted by Bodo’s Power Systems. Guests included:

  1. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion
  2. Doug Bailey, Vice President Marketing & Applications Engineering at Power Integrations
  3. Dilder Chowdhury, Director, Strategic Marketing, Power GaN Technology at Nexperia
  4. Tom Ribarich, Sr. Director Strategic Marketing at Navitas Semiconductor
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The Next Wave of GaN and SiC

The Next Wave of GaN and SiC

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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EPC Expands High-Performance eGaN FET Product Family with Latest 80 V and 200 V Offerings

EPC Expands High-Performance eGaN FET Product Family with Latest 80 V and 200 V Offerings

These new generation eGaN® FETs address the new needs of the eMobility, delivery and logistic robot, and drone markets for compact BLDC motor drives and cost-effective high-resolution Time of Flight.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— June, 2021 — EPC, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power FETs and ICs, advances the performance capability while lowering the cost for off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors with the introduction of EPC2065 and EPC2054

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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Announces New Family of Radiation-Hardened Enhancement-Mode Gallium Nitride (eGaN) Transistors and Integrated Circuits for Demanding Space Applications

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Announces New Family of Radiation-Hardened Enhancement-Mode Gallium Nitride (eGaN) Transistors and Integrated Circuits for Demanding Space Applications

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) introduces a new family of radiation-hardened (rad-hard) gallium nitride (GaN) products for power conversion solutions in critical spaceborne and other high reliability environments.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— June 2021 — EPC announces the introduction of a new family of radiation-hardened gallium nitride transistors and integrated circuits. With higher breakdown strength, faster switching speed, higher thermal conductivity and lower on-resistance, power devices based on GaN significantly outperform silicon-based devices. The lower resistance and gate charge enable faster power supply switching frequencies resulting in higher power densities, higher efficiencies, and more compact and lighter weight circuitry for critical spaceborne missions. Gallium nitride is also inherently radiation tolerant, making GaN-based devices a reliable, higher performing power transistor option for space applications.

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EPC to Showcase High Power Density Solutions Using eGaN FETs and ICs in Volume Applications at APEC 2021 Virtual Conference + Exposition

EPC to Showcase High Power Density Solutions Using eGaN FETs and ICs in Volume Applications at APEC 2021 Virtual Conference + Exposition

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.

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EPC’s 1 kW, 48 V to 12 V LLC Power Conversion Demonstration Board Delivers Best-in-Class Power Density of 1226 W/in3

EPC’s 1 kW, 48 V to 12 V LLC Power Conversion Demonstration Board Delivers Best-in-Class Power Density of 1226 W/in3

Delivering the power of a quarter brick in the size of an eighth brick, the EPC9149 uses eGaN® FETs switching at 1 MHz for extreme power density to deliver 1 kW of power.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— May, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9149, a 1 kW-capable 48 V input to 12 V output LLC converter that operates as a DC transformer with a conversion ratio of 4:1. This demonstration board features the 100V EPC2218 and 40 V EPC2024 GaN FETs.

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EPC Launches Scalable 1.5 kW 48 V/12 V DC-DC Demonstration Board Powered by Gallium Nitride (GaN) FETs for More Efficient, Smaller, Faster, Bidirectional Converters

EPC Launches Scalable 1.5 kW 48 V/12 V DC-DC Demonstration Board Powered by Gallium Nitride (GaN) FETs for More Efficient, Smaller, Faster, Bidirectional Converters

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.

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Product roundup: GaN power semiconductors gain traction

(Image: Yole)

Product roundup: GaN power semiconductors gain traction

Manufacturers of GaN power semiconductors showcased their latest products, from 100 V to 650-V devices at PCIM Europe. PCIM Europe showcased several presentations about the benefits and use cases of wide bandgap (WGG) semiconductors, including gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). Several manufacturers, including EPC, GaN Systems, Infineon, Nexperia, and STMicroelectronics announced several new families of GaN power semiconductors during the week.

Electronic Products
May, 2021
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EPC Launches 400 W Motor Drive Demonstration Powered by Gallium Nitride (GaN) Integrated Power Stage for More Efficient, Quieter, and Smaller Motors

EPC Launches 400 W Motor Drive Demonstration Powered by Gallium Nitride (GaN) Integrated Power Stage for More Efficient, Quieter, and Smaller Motors

The EPC2152 ePower™ Stage enables higher performance and smaller solution size for high performance, low-cost BLDC motors as demonstrated in the EPC9146 demonstration board.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— May, 2021 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9146, a 400 W motor drive demonstration. The EPC9146 power board contains three independently controlled half bridge circuits, featuring the EPC2152 monolithic ePower™ Stage with integrated gate driver, 80 V maximum device voltage, 15 A (10 ARMS) maximum output current. The inverter board measures just 81 mm x 75 mm and achieve an efficiency of greater than 98.4% at 400 W output power.

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EPC to Showcase High Power Density eGaN FETs and ICs in Volume Customer Applications at PCIM Europe 2021 Digital Days

EPC to Showcase High Power Density eGaN FETs and ICs in Volume Customer Applications at PCIM Europe 2021 Digital Days

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.

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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Receives Elektra Award 2020 for Semiconductor Product of the Year (Analogue) for ePower Stage IC

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Receives Elektra Award 2020 for Semiconductor Product of the Year (Analogue) for ePower Stage IC

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announces that the EPC2152 ePower™ Stage IC has received the 2020 Elektra Award for Semiconductor Product of the Year (Analogue).

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March 2021 — EPC’s ePower™ stage, EPC2152 Integrated Circuit (IC), has been honored with an Elektra Award 2020 in the Semiconductor Product of the Year – Analogue category. The award presentation was announced on March 25th during a virtual awards ceremony hosted by Electronics Weekly. These prestigious annual awards have been running for over 19 years to reward and recognize companies and individuals for their excellent performance, innovation, and contribution to the global electronics industry. Judging is carried out by an independently and unbiased, diverse, and knowledgeable panel of industry experts.

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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Expands eToF Laser Driver IC Family of Products with Device Optimized for Augmented Reality

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Expands eToF Laser Driver IC Family of Products with Device Optimized for Augmented Reality

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announces the expansion of its new gallium nitride (GaN) integrated circuit (IC) product family offering higher performance and smaller solution size for time-of-flight (ToF) lidar applications including robotics, drones, 3D sensing, gaming, and autonomous cars.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March 2021 — EPC announces the introduction of a laser driver that integrates a 40 V, 10 A FET with a gate driver and low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) logic level input in a single chip for time-of-flight lidar systems used in robotics, drones, augmented reality, and gaming applications.

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