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Cascade of Power

Cascade of Power

Power semiconductors are used across many areas of e-mobility, with different technologies suitable for each part of a vehicle, depending on the voltage and current requirements, while emerging tech is allowing smaller systems to be implemented. With GaN and SiC technologies maturing and coming down in price, adoption is growing, and the technologies are increasingly dominating the design and development of e-mobility powertrain and power systems.

E-Mobility Engineering
March 2024
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Experts Weigh in on GaN & SiC at APEC 2024

Experts Weigh in on GaN & SiC at APEC 2024

In this video from Power Electronics News, a lineup of distinguished speakers from semiconductor companies shares insights into groundbreaking developments in gallium nitride– and silicon carbide–based power devices.

The GaN speakers address two critical questions shaping the future of wide bandgap:

  1. The significance of substrate material choice for GaN-based power devices. They elaborate on how this choice impacts device performance, reliability and manufacturability and discuss how researchers are tackling substrate-related challenges.
  2. Specific market segments where GaN devices are outperforming traditional silicon-based solutions, driving adoption and revealing the technology direction of their respective companies. The speakers include:
    • Robert Taylor, applications engineer/general manager industrial applications at Texas Instruments
    • Michael de Rooij, VP of applications engineering at EPC
    • Balu Balakrishnan, CEO of Power Integrations

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eBook: The Next Silicon Frontier

eBook: The Next Silicon Frontier

Despite the continued progress in traditional transistor scaling, the semiconductor industry has reached an inflection point. The demand for faster, smaller, smarter, and more energy-efficient chips calls for new design and manufacturing paradigms. This eBook includes contributions from technology and market experts Malcolm Penn, Future Horizons; Tim Burgess and Bernd Westhoff, Renesas Electronics; Jean-Christophe Eloy, Yole Group; Luc Van den hove, imec; Ezgi Dogmus, Poshun Chiu, and Taha Ayari, Yole Intelligence; Alex Lidow, Efficient Power Conversion; Victor Veliadis, PowerAmerica; Richard Collins and Yu-Han Chang, IDTechEx; and Jean-René Lèquepeys, CEA-Leti.

EETimes
December, 2022
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GaN Application Base Widens, Adoption Grows

GaN Application Base Widens, Adoption Grows

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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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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Improving Reliability For GaN And SiC

Improving Reliability For GaN And SiC

Why these chips are gaining ground, and what still needs to be addressed. Suppliers of gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) power devices are rolling out the next wave of products with some new and impressive specs. But before these devices are incorporated in systems, they must prove to be reliable.

Semiconductor Engineering
June, 2020
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Characterization of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices Published by The Institution of Engineering and Technology

Characterization of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices Published by The Institution of Engineering and Technology

Based on the authors' years of extensive experience, this is an authoritative overview of Wide Bandgap (WBG) device characterization.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – September 2018 – Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com) announces the publication by the Institution of Engineering and Technology of Characterization of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices co-authored by EPC Senior Applications Engineer, Dr. Edward A. Jones. This textbook provides essential tools to assist researchers, advanced students, and practicing engineers in performing both static and dynamic characterization of WBG devices, particularly those based on using silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors. The book presents practical considerations for real applications and includes examples of applying the described methodology.

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