The following is a listing (with links for the full story) of the most-read Product News stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2015, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Power Electronics Industry. This is the first article in the series, which will continue tomorrow.
#50: GaN Power Switches with Topside Cooling Simplify PCB Design
GaN Systems Inc. announced new topside cooling technology in its wide range of high-power enhancement-mode devices. Topside cooling enables engineers to use conventional, well-understood PCB cooling techniques when incorporating GaN Systems' market-leading semiconductors into their latest designs for products such as inverters, UPS, hybrid electric vehicles/electric vehicles, high voltage dc-dc conversion and consumer products such as TVs. more
#49: Digital PFC ICs target Light-Load Performance
Power Integrations announced its HiperPFSâ„¢-3 family of power factor correction ICs, which offer high power factor and high efficiency across the entire load range. Targeting applications with continuous power demands up to 405W for universal input and 900W for high-line, the ICs feature efficiency levels of better than 95% from 10% load to full load and consume less than 60 mW under no-load conditions. A power factor of above 0.92 is easily achievable at 20% load. more
#48: Wide-Pitch eGaN FETs Enable High Current in Small Footprint
Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announces the introduction of an eGaN® FET designed with a wider pitch connection layout. The first in a new family of "Relaxed Pitch" devices, the EPC2029 80 V, 31 A eGaN FET features a 1 mm ball pitch. The wider pitch allows for placement of additional and larger vias under the device to enable high current carrying capability despite the extremely small 2.6 mm x 4.6 mm footprint. more
#47: Smallest Enhancement-Mode 600V GaN Power Transistors
Panasonic Corporation announced that it will launch the industry's smallest enhancement-mode gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors in the X-GaN™ package. The GaN is encapsulated into 8x8 dual-flat no-lead (DFN) surface-mount package. It is possible to mount the package on small area where it is difficult to mount conventionally and it is contribute to the reduction of the power consumption of industrial and consumer electronics equipment. The breakdown voltage of the transistors is 600V and the products have achieved a high-speed switching of 200V/ns and a low on-resistance of 54 to 154 mΩ. more
#46: Automotive-Grade High-Current Inductor Operates to +180 C
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new automotive-grade IHLP® low-profile, high-current inductor in the 3232 case size that is claimed to be the industry's first to feature high continuous operating temperatures to +180 degrees C. Offering a low 4.0 mm profile, the Vishay Dale IHLP-3232DZ-8A provides a wide range of inductance values from 0.22 µH to 33 µH. more
#45: Tri-Mode Wireless Charging Platform Scales to 100W
Semtech Corporation has introduced its TS80K wireless charging design platform, which includes the TS80000 transmitter, the TS81000 receiver, a complete set of new power management ICs and reference design kits, to address the increasing need for wireless charging in the consumer, mobile, industrial and embedded solution markets. The platform offers scalable power, flexible design capability and supports evolving industry standards. more
#44: AC-DC Converter Control IC Drives SiC FETs
ROHM Semiconductor has announced the development of an ac-dc converter control IC designed specifically for SiC MOSFET drive in industrial equipment such as servers and other large power applications. The BD7682FJ-LB allows the easy implementation of SiC-MOSFETs to an ac-dc converter. ROHM's latest product provide a high integrated solution and creates new standards for energy savings and miniaturization while supporting the adoption of SiC power semiconductors that provide breakthrough levels of efficiency and performance. Samples of this new control IC will be available starting in August. more
#43: Wireless Charging now as Fast as Charging by Cable
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) announced it has launched a new wireless power receiver IC that will enable mobile devices to be charged wirelessly as fast as if they were connected to the charger via a cable. The new TC7764WBG is compliant with Qiâ„¢ V.1.1.2, the wireless low power charging standard defined by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which includes a dedicated specification for smartphones and mobile accessories. more
#42: 1200V SiC FETs target Expanded Applications Areas
The new SCT20N120 silicon-carbide (SiC) power MOSFET from STMicroelectronics, Inc. brings advanced efficiency and reliability to a broader range of energy-conscious applications such as inverters for electric/hybrid vehicles, solar or wind power generation, high-efficiency drives, power supplies, and smart-grid equipment. ST is among the vendors leading the development of the robust and efficient silicon-carbide power semiconductors. more
#41: 2MHz Monolithic GaN Half Bridge targets Class-D Audio
Efficient Power Conversion Corp. (EPC) announces the EPC2106, an enhancement-mode monolithic GaN transistor half bridge. By integrating two eGaN® power FETs into a single device, interconnect inductances and the interstitial space needed on the PCB are eliminated. This increases both efficiency (especially at higher frequencies) and power density, while reducing assembly costs to the end user's power conversion system. more
