Electronica 2006 — Major Announcements from Saft, STMicrosystems, and Unipower
Electronica 2006 started with numerous announcements including Saft announcing a new battery contract, STMicroelectronics partnering with Velox Semiconductor on GaN Schottky diodes, and Unipower announced a modular 800W power supply featuring control and monitoring via the I2C bus.
Saft revealed a recently signed a $2.3 million, two-year agreement with a major U.S. corporation providing technology for commercial and residential security systems. Saft will supply a variety of customized lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2) batteries to provide the primary power source for wireless window and door sensors used in security systems for homes and businesses. Saft will deliver several 1/2 AA and AA sized cells to satisfy the precise specifications for the system.
The electronic security system industry is growing rapidly as more people choose to add additional levels of protection for their assets and personal safety. Saft batteries will be installed in a cutting-edge security system that is fully customizable to the home. The security system can include elements such as motion detectors, door and window sensors, and environmental sensors. Many of these items are powered by Saft's Li-SOCl2 batteries, which can provide up to 10 years of life before replacement.
STMicroelectronics (ST) and Velox Semiconductor Corp. today announced an agreement to jointly introduce GaN (Gallium nitride) Schottky diodes into the market, with a long term goal of establishing both companies as dual-source suppliers of the devices. GaN-based diodes will enable the design and production of Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) for computers, consumer applications, and industrial products that are smaller, more efficient, and lower cost.
ST and Velox offer complementary skills that the two companies believe will accelerate the development of the critical technologies – increasing the likelihood of success, leveraging the capital costs required, and increasing the quantity and quality of product offerings available. Velox has developed 600-volt GaN Schottky diodes and the diodes are in the final stages of development before transition to production. ST will help complete the development, perform product qualification, and will market and distribute the diodes.
In the first phase of the agreement, ST intends to test and qualify all the devices, and use its worldwide distribution system to market and distribute GaN Schottky diodes under the Velox brand name. In the second phase Velox and ST expect to be full dual sources. Velox is licensing its production technology for the devices to ST to enable second-source manufacturing; both companies are working together to synchronize manufacturing and quality systems. These synchronization efforts may delay the start of the production originally planned by Velox, though the resulting delay will ensure an agile and consistent supply of GaN devices.
"Both companies believe that the GaN devices will provide one of the best trade-offs for the 600-volt power device market in the medium term," said Ricardo de Sa EARP, General Manager, Application Specific Discretes Division, STMicroelectronics. "We believe that the deal with Velox enables ST to introduce a new and fast-growing product line, quickly, and with the minimum of R&D and capital investment."
The new QuiQPLUS modular ac-dc power supplies from Unipower deliver up to 800W from up to 8 outputs. Able to deliver outputs between 3 and 72 Vdc from a universal 85-264 Vac input, the new power supplies are packaged in a 1U high case. Power factor correction, Class B emi input filtering and I2C monitoring and control of power supply functions are standard.
"As configurable power supplies go, QuiQPLUS is the easiest to specify and order. Within 24 hours, customers can take delivery of a high quality, high reliability power source that exactly meets their needs," stated Nigel Frey, Director, Unipower Europe, Ltd.
