By Osamah Ahmad, product marketing, C2000 real-time MCUs, and Kevin Stauder, system engineer, automotive systems, Texas Instruments After a decade of rapid growth, global hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) market sales increased a record 43 percent in 2020 over 2019. This much-anticipated global HEV and EV market surge occurs because of region-led […]
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Power bricks get an efficiency boost with GaN
The design of an LLC resonant converter illustrates how eGaN FETs can shrink the physical size of modern supply circuitry. Alex Lidow, Efficient Power Conversion Corp. The rapid expansion of computing and telecommunications has brought a migration to a 48 V-based power architecture. Applications for this higher-voltage architecture include artificial intelligence, 5G, big data, and […]
The evolution of smart MOSFET technologies
A review of MOSFET advances helps predict where the technology is likely to head. Ashita Mirchandani, Bastian Lang • Infineon Technologies The past 50 years have seen unprecedented changes enabled by technology. The trend will continue with emerging technologies such as e-mobility, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, connectivity and 5G. At the heart […]
How to keep transients from disrupting low-power circuits
It can be challenging to give a highly dynamic load a stable voltage when the power supply sits several feet away from the device under test. Bill Griffith • Keysight Technologies Today’s integrated circuits put a highly dynamic load on their power supply. This behavior poses a challenge during testing when IC power comes from […]
Improvements in stacked load architectures
Stacked-load schemes have made power conversion more economical in server racks. New developments in this technology promise to provide additional gains in efficiency. Laszlo Lipcsei, Alexandr Ikriannikov, Di Yao — Maxim Integrated, now part of Analog Devices Load currents continue to rise in server applications while rail voltages tend to drop. Consequently, the conduction losses […]
Clearing up confusion about tracking multiple current levels
Multichannel power monitors help simplify battery-based systems employing multiple current sensors. Mitch Polonsky • Microchip Technology Inc. Designers of power systems can be forgiven for having some confusion about power monitors. Some of them may even be using a multichannel power monitor without knowing it. That’s because, regrettably, several different phrases are used to refer […]
Comparing IGBT and SiC MOSFET PIMs in solar inverters
Side-by-side performance comparisons can show where silicon-carbide excels in PV installations. Steven Shackell • onsemi According to the International Energy Agency, solar power (PV) installations are on track to reach an installed capacity of 3,300 TWh by 2030, a yearly growth rate of 15% from 2019. Installations will be a mix of micro, mini and […]
Inside a modern power management IC
PMICs today do a lot more than just regulate voltages. Here’s a look at high-end functions these devices provide. Narasimhan Trichy • Qorvo Superior power management and high efficiency have become essential as electronics have become increasingly smaller and more streamlined. The reduction of power dissipation and consequent heat and thermal issues is critical to […]
Gains from GaN
Energy efficiencies made possible by gallium-nitride semiconductors are starting to impact every day products. Paul Wiener • GaN Systems, Inc. | Ron Stull • CUI, Inc. Wide-bandgap power semiconductors are in production now and recommended for new designs. The earliest adopters among power supply OEMs have already begun introducing new product lines employing this technology […]
Identifying the right medical power supply
Special considerations apply for power supplies when even small electrical currents pose a shock hazard. Dermot Flynn, Chris Jones • Advanced Energy The consequences of leakage current came to the forefront in the 1970s, and since then technical standards for the safety and effectiveness of medical electrical equipment have evolved to become the most stringent […]
