50 Most-Read Industry News Stories for 2016: 40-31

Every business day, PowerPulse provides readers comprehensive coverage of important Industry News announcements, spanning the globe from Asia to Europe and North America. PowePulse is the most-read power electronics publication in the world because we deliver the most information to the most readers. In 2016, PowerPulse published over 2500 news stories and delivered over 12 million email updates to subscribers of PowerPulseDaily, no other publication comes close.

The following is a listing (with links for the full story) of the most-read Industry News stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2016, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Global Power Electronics Industry. This is the second article in the series, which will run this entire week.

#40: UltraCap Aims to Create Ultra-Lightweight EV Battery

Scientists from London-based UltraCap Ltd. are in the final stages of developing a "green" solid state battery for electric vehicles that they claim will be 40-times lighter than current Lithium-Ion batteries. UltraCap founders, Professor Vladimir Krstic and Nico Van Dongen, say their new battery, the UltraCapacitor, will be able to charge within minutes and that, eventually, a pocket-sized version of the battery will bring us one step closer to emission-free transportation. More.

#39: Analog Devices buys Linear Technology for $14.8 Billion

Analog Devices, Inc. and Linear Technology Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement under which Analog Devices will acquire Linear Technology in a cash and stock transaction that values the combined enterprise at approximately $30 billion. Upon completion of the acquisition, Analog Devices will be the premier global analog technology company with approximately $5 billion in anticipated annual revenues. More.

#38: Intersil GaN Developments include EPC Collaboration

Intersil Corporation today announced plans to extend its market leading radiation tolerant portfolio to include Gallium Nitride (GaN) power conversion ICs for satellites and other harsh environment applications. Intersil will couple its radiation-hardened FET drivers with GaN FETs to deliver performance that leapfrogs existing products that rely on traditional high-rel FET technologies. GaN provides better conductivity and switching characteristics that enable several system benefits, including a reduction in system power losses. More.

#37: GaAs Power Conversion coming from ams and Sarda

The Full Service Foundry division of ams AG and Sarda Technologies, Inc. today announced at Cadence Design Systems, Inc.'s CDNLive user conference in Santa Clara, California, that ams is manufacturing Sarda's advanced high-voltage CMOS drivers which play a key role in their gallium-arsenide (GaAs) Heterogeneous Integrated Power Stage (HIPS). Sarda has HIPS prototypes that demonstrate very low switching loss up to 4MHz for 12V input and 14A, 1V output. The company is developing a family of HIPS products that support a wide range of input voltages and output currents. More.

#36: GaAs Voltage Regulators to be Packaged in 3D SIPs

Sarda Technologies, a disruptive power management component supplier, and UTAC Holdings Ltd. announced that Sarda will implement its Heterogeneous Integrated Power Stage (HIPS) in UTAC's three-dimensional system-in- package (3D SiP) based on ECP technology from AT&S to improve data center's energy efficiency. The collaboration was announced at the International Symposium on 3D Power Electronics, Integration and Manufacturing Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. More.

#35: ON Extends Fairchild Offer, Secures Funding, Diposing IGBTs

ON Semiconductor Corporation announced that it has extended its previously announced tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. for $20.00 per share in cash pending the satisfaction of the conditions to the Offer set forth in the merger agreement entered into on November 18, 2015 between ON Semiconductor and Fairchild. The Offer will now expire one minute following 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on March 31, 2016, unless further extended as required or permitted by the merger agreement. More.

#34: Fairchild sees "Unacceptable Level of Risk" in Chinese Offer

Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. announced that its board of directors has determined that the unsolicited proposal received on December 28, 2015, from China Resources Microelectronics Ltd. (CRML) and Hua Capital Management Co., Ltd. to acquire Fairchild is deemed too risky to accept. Lacking further offers from CRML or other sources, the acquisition of Fairchild by ON Semiconductor is now expected to proceed to a successful conclusion. More.

#33: Dialog Semi Enters GaN Power IC Market

Dialog Semiconductor plc today announced and is demonstrating its first gallium nitride (GaN) power IC product offering, using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's (TSMCs) 650-Volt GaN-on-Silicon process technology. The DA8801 together with Dialog's patented digital Rapid Chargeâ„¢ power conversion controllers will enable more efficient, smaller, and higher power density adapters compared to traditional silicon FET-based designs today. Dialog is initially targeting the fast charging smartphone and computing adapter segment with its GaN solutions, where it already enjoys more than 70 percent market share with its power conversion controllers. More.

#32: SIC FETs enable Cure for EV Range Anxiety

Silicon-carbide (SiC) power electronics from STMicroelectronics has enabled the creation of ZapCharger Portable, the world's smallest, smartest, and safest electric-car charging station from Zaptec, an innovative start-up company. ZapCharger Portable was initially developed with and for Renault, to give Zoe owners the best and most robust, reliable and portable charging solution possible. More.

#31: Würth Elektronik iBE aquires Büchele Group

Würth Elektronik iBE GmbH has acquired Büchele Group which employs 40 staff at its Esslingen site and a further 120 at its subcontractor site in Kladno (Czech Republic) and had sales of 16.2 mil. Euros in 2014. Terms were not disclosed. With this merger, Würth Elektronik iBE further strengthens its position as a market and technology leader in the automotive sector. For the formerly family-run Büchele Group, this step opens up access to the internationally oriented distribution structure of Würth and the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group. Belonging to the Würth Group in the future will also mean even more extensive investment in technology and product development, thus creating security for customers, the company and its employees. More.