Transformerless chipset offers super-high power density for ac-dc supplies

Fabless power semiconductor company Helix Semiconductors today announced Murata Group represented by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is the first to co-develop the new MxC 300 transformerless chipset for their AC-DC converter modules. Helix Semiconductors’ MxC 300 is a two-chip solution that offers the highest power density in the industry – up to 20x higher than transformer-based solutions – for 65W transformerless AC-DC power supply products.

The IoT continues to grow; in fact, more than 30 billion interconnected devices are estimated by 2020. This rapid growth in connectivity is driving an unprecedented demand for power. However, not just any power will do. Global initiatives for more efficient power supplies have been enacted by multiple government entities, and the traditional, legacy approach to power conversion has proven to be both inefficient and stagnant. Helix Semiconductors’ core energy-efficiency technology (MuxCapacitor™) takes a different approach. Using switching capacitors for power conversion, and by transferring power across a capacitive isolation barrier, the new MxC 300 chipset enables the replacement of traditional transformers, which are bulky and less efficient. As a result, AC-DC power supplies can realize up to 20x power density improvement over traditional transformer-based architectures – with average efficiencies of greater than 94 percent.

Murata, a market-leading supplier of DC-DC converters, AC-DC front-end power solutions, and power supplies for lighting, ionizers and active oxygen modules, has partnered with Helix Semiconductors for the development of AC-DC converter modules. The Murata solution with Helix Semiconductors technology will bring maximum power density to Murata’s various power solutions and power supplies.

“When it comes to realizing an energy-efficient future in which not a milliwatt of power is wasted, and a world in which power “bricks” are all but eliminated, it’s all about power density,” noted Helix Semiconductors President and CEO Harold A. Blomquist. “Getting the maximum amount of power in the smallest space possible is the key, and Murata’s best-in-class, innovative power products will help achieve this. Partnering with a company as highly respected and influential as Murata will maximize market adoption – and bring us closer to that vision of the future than ever before.”