In this episode of The EEcosystem Podcast, our guest is Dr. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion. In this episode, we will find out more about Alex and learn about MOSFETs and the rise of GaN. How did MOSFETs grow so quickly? What technologies are driving GaN adoptions and why. We will also discuss the potential obstacles to GaN adoption. This and many more questions will be answered as we go along! Listen to this episode to learn more!

April, 2023
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Since the launch of GaN-on-Si enhancement mode power transistors in March 2010 there has been a slow but monotonic shift towards adoption and replacement of silicon-based power MOSFETs. Initial adoption came from risk-taker visionaries in applications such as lidar, high-end audio amplifiers, robots, vehicle headlamps, and high-performance DC-DC converters. For the expansion of GaN for power conversion to get beyond the early adopters, a more user-friendly format than the WLCP needed to be developed. This format, however, needed to preserve the key attributes of small size, low RDS(on), high speed, excellent thermal conductivity, and low cost. In other words, the best package would be the least amount of package technically possible. Enter the PQFN…

Bodo’s Power Systems
March, 2023
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Five times smaller than an equivalent silicon MOSFET and twice as powerful as the previous generation of eGaN devices is the new sixth generation of devices introduced by Efficient Power Conversion (EPC). We asked CEO Alex Lidow in the video.

Electroniknet.de
November 29, 2022
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EPC introduces the 80 V, AEC-Q101-qualified EPC2252 GaN FET, offering designers significantly smaller and more efficient solutions than silicon MOSFETs for automotive-grade lidar, 48 V – 12 V DC-DC conversion, and low inductance motor drives.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — January 2023 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN^®) FETs and ICs, expands the selection of automotive, off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors with the introduction of the 80 V, 11 mΩ EPC2252 that delivers 75 A pulsed current in a 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm footprint. The EPC2252 offers power system designers significantly smaller and more efficient devices than silicon MOSFETs for automotive-grade lidar found in autonomous driving and other ADAS applications, 48  V – 12 V DC-DC conversion, and low inductance motor drives.

Power-conversion technologies are experiencing the first tectonic shift since the move from bipolar to MOS. That shift, of course, is due to the viral adoption of wide-bandgap power devices. At this point, GaN is more than a specialty technology; it is a broad-scale replacement for silicon MOSFETs in applications ranging from 30 V up to 650 V — a multibillion-dollar market.

Power Electronics News
December, 2022
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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) strengthens market leadership in gallium nitride power conversion by adding significant 8-inch manufacturing capacities in collaboration with Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS).

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— December 6, 2022 — EPC, the world’s leader in gallium nitride (GaN) power FETs and integrated circuits (ICs), and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS), a leading specialty IC foundry service provider, today jointly announced a multi-year production agreement to produce gallium nitride-based power semiconductors. EPC will utilize VIS’ 8-inch (200 mm) wafer fabrication capabilities, significantly increasing manufacturing capacities for EPC’s high-performance GaN transistors and integrated circuits. Manufacturing will commence in early 2023.

Continue the conversation with Guy Moxey and EPC CEO and Co-Founder Alex Lidow as they explore how GaN and Wolfspeed Silicon Carbide are changing the way we live, and where the future of these technologies could take us.

Wolfspeed
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In this interview from electronica 2022, Alex Lidow talks about technology during these 50 years of EE Times, the next challenges for our industry, and the growth of GaN. “Below 650 volts, where the MOSFET is dominant that will be written over by GaN”.

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Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) introduces the 80 V, 4 mOhm EPC2619 GaN FET in tiny 1.5 mm x 2.5 mm footprint, offering higher performance and smaller solution size than traditional MOSFETs for high power density applications, including DC-DC conversion, motor drives, and synchronous rectification for 12 V – 20 V.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— November 2022 — EPC, the world’s leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride (GaN) power FETs and ICs, launches the 80 V, 4 mOhm EPC2619. This is the lead product for a new generation of eGaN devices that have double the power density compared to EPC’s prior-generation products.

GaN FETs help Solarnative achieve industry-leading power density for solar microinverters, enabling module frame integration to solve the challenges of solar power installation.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— November 2022 Solarnative uses GaN devices in its new microinverter to achieve industry-best power density.  The Power Stick is the smallest inverter in the world, with dimensions of 23.9 by 23,2 by 404 millimeters. With an AC output power of 350 W, the volume of 0.19 liters corresponds to a power density of 1.6 kW per liter. By comparison, the IQ 7A microinverter from a market leading supplier delivers 349 watts with a volume of 1.12 liters, corresponding to 0.31 kW per liter – not even one-fifth of the Solarnative device. Despite the extreme size reduction, the European efficiencies are quite comparable, at 96.0 percent for the Power Stick and 96.5 percent for the IQ 7A.

GaN devices have gone from initial R&D to mainstream designs over the last 15 years. Unfortunately, there are many misunderstandings left-over from those early-stage bipolar drive circuit developments or dead-end technology branches. One of the most pernicious is the topic of bipolar drive. In actuality, unipolar drives are the best way to drive eGaN^® FETs.

Power Electronics Tips
October, 2022
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Alex Lidow, former CEO of International Rectifier and CEO of Efficient Power Conversion, is one of the few individuals to have pioneered two revolutionary power semiconductor technologies – the silicon power MOSFET and the gallium nitride HEMT. How did he come to have these two unique opportunities?

elektroniknet.de
September, 2022
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One way to tell when a new technology has passed the tipping point of adoption is by the voices advocating the status quo. The more conservative voices tend to cite older information that, given the fast change of trajectory that occurs at a tipping point, can lead to poor decisions for new designs. In the world of GaN power devices the tipping point occurred in the past two years when the rate of new GaN-based designs started to double year-on-year, and the legacy MOSFET designs started to face critical supply shortages due to their finely tuned, but less flexible supply chains. GaN devices, on the other hand, have remained in stock at most major distributors due to their relatively new and flexible supply chains utilizing older silicon foundries, but affording these foundries a new and vibrant future. In this article we will address some of the common misconceptions still showing up in articles and at conferences, usually presented by advocates of the status quo.

Bodo’s Power Systems
May, 2022
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The EPC9171 evaluation board converts 90 – 265 V universal AC input to a DC output voltage adjustable over a wide range of 15 V through 48 V. This reference design can supply 240 W maximum output power at 48 V output voltage and 5 A load current. 

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— March, 2022 — EPC announces the availability of the EPC9171, a 90 V – 260 V universal AC input to 15 V – 48 V DC output power supply designed for USB PD3.1 ultra-fast chargers. This reference design can deliver 240 W maximum output power at 48 V output voltage and 5 A load

In this article, the most common reasons for some customers to be slower in their embracing what is clearly a displacement technology for their older silicon-based power MOSFETs will be discussed. Without going into the detailed statistics, a list of reasons, in order of frequency is derived. This list is based upon the understanding that some applications will place higher emphasis than others on certain characteristics of GaN. Our discussion is limited to devices rated at less than 400 V, as that is the application focus for Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) FET and IC products.

Power Systems Design
March, 2022
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The year 2021 was a transitional year in which the world decided to open its doors to GaN. In this interview with Power Electronics News during CES week, GaN industry experts confirmed that GaN is now proving its superiority over silicon.

Power Electronics News
January, 2022
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Mature, low-cost manufacturing and proven reliability spur use in EVs, smartphones, and consumer electronics.

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) has logged more than 100 emerging applications for its eGaN FETs and ICs. Alex Lidow, the company’s CEO, said the five fastest-growing applications are lidar systems for robotics, drones, consumer products, driver alertness systems, and autonomous vehicles; DC-DC converters for AI systems, servers, and telecom power systems; motor drives for e-mobility and robotics; satellite systems, including motor drives and DC-DC power supplies that require radiation hardness; and solar power point trackers.

Semiconductor Engineering
December, 2021
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Today, the permanent magnet motor, also known as DC brushless motor (BLDC), is widely used and offers higher torque capability per cubic inch and higher dynamics when compared to other motors. So far, silicon-based power devices have been dominant in the inverter electronics, but today their performance is nearing their theoretical limits. There is an increasing need for higher power density. Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors and ICs have the best attributes to satisfy these needs.

Power Systems Design
November, 2021
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This month has been a busy one in the FET space. Here are a few FETs from EPC, UnitedSiC, and Intel that depart from traditional silicon transistors in interesting ways.

All About Circuits
October, 2021
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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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