20 Most-Read European Product Announcements for 2016: 10-1

PowerPulse provides readers extensive coverage of new product and technology developments spanning the globe from Asia to Europe and North America. Coverage includes active and passive components, energy storage devices, power converters, and more. The following is a listing (with links for the full story) of the most-read Product News stories from Europe on PowerPulse.Net for 2016, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the European Power Electronics community.

#10: 25A / 650V Hermetic SiC FETs handle 225 Degrees C

TT Electronics launched a SiC power MOSFET that is designed for high-temperature, power efficiency applications with a maximum junction temperature of +225 degrees C. As a result of this operating potential, the package has a higher ambient temperature capability and can therefore be used in applications, including distribution control systems with greater environmental challenges, such as those in close proximity to a combustion engine. More.

#9: SiC Power Devices Aim to Accelerate Automotive Electrification

STMicroelectronics has announced high-efficiency power semiconductors for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (EVs) with a timetable for qualification to the automotive quality standard AEC-Q101. The company is fabricating SiC MOSFETs and diodes on 4-inch wafers. In order to drive down the manufacturing costs, improve the quality, and deliver the large volumes demanded by the auto industry, ST is scaling up its production of SiC MOSFETs and diodes to 6-inch wafers, and is on schedule to complete both conversions by the end of 2016. More.

#8: No more workarounds: Wide-Creepage TO-220 FullPAK

Infineon Technologies AG introduced the TO-220 FullPAK Wide Creepage package. The new package is offered for the 600 V CoolMOSâ„¢ CE, targeting a broad range of low power consumer applications. This package features an improved creepage and has been developed to meet the demanding requirements of open frame power supplies where pollution might lead to arcing failures of applications. More.

#7: Dimming Interface IC reduces Components up to 70%

Infineon Technologies AG launched the CDM10V. The compact and highly integrated LED lighting interface IC allows designers to replace many of the discrete components used in conventional dimming schemes with a single device. Thus, it can reduce the component count and PCB space needed for dimming circuitry in LED lighting applications by up to 70 percent. Infineon's CDM10V is the industry's first single-chip lighting interface IC capable of transforming an analog 0-10V input into a PWM or dimming input signal required by a lighting controller IC. The signal is delivered as 5 mA optocoupler-ready pwm signal with 0 to 100 percent duty cycle. More.

#6: Rectiverter combines Rectifier, Inverter and Static Transfer Switch

Eltek, a Delta Group company is today announcing the launch of the Rectiverter, a power conversion module combining the functions of a rectifier, an inverter and a "static transfer switch" in one. The Rectiverter is a 3-port bidirectional converter that simplifies solutions providing both ac and dc power to critical loads in telecom, data center and industrial applications. It features a power conversion efficiency of 96% in mains mode and 94% when operating as an inverter. Combining a rectifier and an inverter into one box simplifies the power system complexity, reduces system size and improves overall system reliability, resulting in a reduced total cost of ownership over the product lifetime. More.

#5: Digital Power Evaluation Kit from Wurth and Infineon

Würth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG and Infineon Technologies AG are launching the jointly developed "XMC Digital Power Explorer" evaluation kit. This synchronous step-down converter, which can be assembled with two different control cards (XMC1300 - ARM® Cortex®-M0 MCU and XMC4200 - ARM® Cortex®-M4F MCU), makes it easier for developers of analog power supplies and embedded software programmers to enter the world of digital power supply. The XMC Digital Power Explorer Kit is a complete solution with hardware, software and switchable resistance load bank. More.

#4: DC-DC Converters can Drive SiC MOSFETs

To meet the tough requirements of the next generation of MOSFETs, RECOM has recently introduced two new 2W dc-dc converter series especially designed to power SiC MOSFETs. One of the challenges of driving SiC MOSFETs is the high frequency and high voltage at which they are switched. High potentials between the control and power side of a SiC MOSFET application can wear down isolation barriers, eventually causing them to fail. More.

#3: Solid-State Batteries operate to 100C with Lower Leakage

Ilika plc announced the launch of its Stereaxâ„¢ M250 solid-state battery. This is a new, miniaturized solid-state battery technology for IoT devices. Addressing the key challenge of always-on, self-charging and efficient energy, Ilika's Stereaxâ„¢ battery family will enable smaller, higher energy-dense batteries to accelerate IoT products to market. More.

#2: ICs for Google's Next-Gen 48V Datacenter Architecture

STMicroelectronics announced a new family of power-conversion ICs dedicated to 48V power architectures. These three new products are shipping in volume. To meet ever-growing performance demands, servers and processors have ratcheted up their compute power—and power consumption—with multicore chips. This next-generation power architecture aims to significantly cut wasted power inside datacenter servers and it also meets the requirements of the new 48V architecture announced by Google. More.

#1: 1200V SiC MOSFET with 45-milliOhm On-Resistance

Infineon Technologies AG has unveiled what is claimed to be a revolutionary silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET technology allowing product designs to achieve previously unattainable levels of power density and performance. Infineon's CoolSiCâ„¢ MOSFETs offer a new degree of flexibility for increasing efficiency and frequency. They will help developers of power conversion schemes to save space and weight, reduce cooling requirements, improve reliability and lower system costs. More.