GaN Talk a blog dedicated to crushing silicon
Term: DC-DC Converter
8 post(s) found

Jun 11, 2019

Design Efficient High-Density Power Solutions with GaN

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

This post was originally published by M. Di Paolo Emilio on the Power Electronic News web site.

Power switching devices based on gallium nitride technology (GaN) are in volume production now and delivering high efficiency and power density in real-world power applications. This article will examine how to implement high-power solutions with GaN technology, presenting application examples that demonstrate how GaN devices can effectively work even beyond 600 volts.

GaN devices differ from best-in-class field-effect transistors (FETs) and other silicon-based components in several important respects. GaN devices enable solutions that increase power density by two or more times over silicon-based approaches. As a result, component and package size can be reduced, yielding a solution with a smaller PCB footprint. GaN devices also offer higher efficiency than their silicon predecessors, albeit at a comparably higher overall system cost.

Apr 24, 2019

Building the Smallest, Most Cost Effective, Highest Efficiency Non-isolated 48 V to 5 - 12 V DC to DC Converters using latest Generation 100 V eGaN FETs

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

The latest generation of 100 V GaN devices increase the efficiency, shrink the size, and reduce system cost for 48 V power conversion. The EPC2045, shown in figure 1, is rated at 100 V with 7 mΩ on- resistance that can carry a continuous current of 16 A. The EPC2045 is nearly one-tenth the footprint of a comparable Si MOSFET and has lower parasitic capacitances and can switch much faster than equivalent silicon devices, yielding lower switching loss even at higher switching frequency.

The EPC2053, shown in figure 2, is rated at 100 V with 4 mΩ on-resistance that can carry a continuous current of 32 A. The EPC2053 has lower parasitic capacitances and on-resistance than its silicon counterparts, yielding faster switching speed and lower power losses even at higher switching frequencies. These characteristics enable increasing the output power while shrinking the volume of the converter.

Apr 03, 2019

Exceeding 98% Efficiency in a Compact 48 V to 12 V, 900 W LLC Resonant Converter Using eGaN FETs

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

Motivation

The rapid expansion of the computing and telecommunication market is demanding an ever more compact, efficient and high power density solution for intermediate bus converters. The LLC resonant converter is a remarkable candidate to provide a high power density and high-efficiency solution. eGaN® FETs with their ultra-low on-resistance and parasitic capacitances, benefit LLC resonant converters by significant loss reduction that is challenging when using Si MOSFETs. A 48 V to 12 V, 900 W, 1 MHz LLC DC to DC transformer (DCX) converter employing eGaN FETs such as EPC2053 and EPC2024 is demonstrated, yielding a peak efficiency of 98.4% and a power density exceeding 1500 W/in3.

Dec 14, 2018

How to Get More Power Out of a High-Density eGaN-Based Converter with a Heatsink

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

eGaN FETs and ICs enable very high-density power converter design, owing to their compact size, ultra-fast switching, and low on-resistance. The limiting factor for output power in most high-density converters is junction temperature, which prompts the need for more effective thermal design. The chip-scale packaging of eGaN also offers six-sided cooling, with effective heat extraction from the bottom, top, and sides of the die. This application note presents a high-performance thermal solution to extend the output current capability of eGaN-based converters.

Oct 07, 2018

A 95%-Efficient 48 V-to-1 V/10 A VRM Hybrid Converter

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

Gab-Su Seo1,2, Ratul Das1, and Hanh-Phuc Le1
1Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado
2Power Systems Engineering Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado, U.S.A.

With drastically increasing demands for cloud computing and big data processing, the electric energy consumption of data centers in the U.S. is expected to reach 73 billion kWh by 2020 [1], which will account for approximately 10% of the U.S total electric energy consumption. A large portion of this consumption is caused by losses from inefficient power delivery architectures that require a lot of attention for improvements [2], [3].

Feb 28, 2018

APEC 2018: GaN Revolution in the World of Power Electronics

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

Come see the world’s smallest, most efficient, and lowest cost DC-DC converters!  eGaN technology makes this, and much more possible and will be on full display at this year’s American Power Engineering Conference, APEC, where power engineers from around the world gather to see and learn about the latest innovations and products available in the world of power electronics.

EPC GaN experts will be presenting a half-day educational seminar on the state of GaN technology and its application to leading-edge power electronics. In addition, EPC will deliver six technical sessions, as well as demonstrate eGaN applications in our booth and customer suite.

Jul 28, 2017

48V-to-1V Conversion – the Rebirth of Direct-to-Chip Power

Rick Pierson, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing

This post was originally published May 26, 2017 on the PowerPulse.net web site . Learn more about eGaN technology and EPC GaN solutions for 48 V to Point-of-Load.

During last week’s PCIM Europe event in Nuremberg, Germany, direct 48V-to-1V power conversion architectures were a significant topic, mostly outside of the exhibit floor. Vicor was quietly showing its latest generation of 48V direct-to-chip power components. Ericsson Power Modules and Efficient Power Conversion were holding invitation-only meetings where future designs of 48V direct to load power conversion architectures were the focus of the discussions. By the end of 2017, several vendors are expected to be offering dc-dc converters delivering 48V-to-1V direct conversion.

Jul 26, 2016

Rethinking Server Power Architecture in a Post-Silicon World: Getting from 48 Vin – 1 Vout Directly

David Reusch, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, VPT

The demand by our society for information is growing at an unprecedented rate. With emerging technologies, such as cloud computing and the internet of things (IoT), this trend for more and faster access to information is showing no signs of slowing. What makes the transfer of information at high rates of speed possible are racks and racks of servers, mostly located in centralized data centers.