It feels like forever since I’ve been to an exhibition, but in reality it has only been just over two years since I visited Embedded World in Nuremberg at the very start of the pandemic. To be honest, that particular event was a bit quiet, as it was just before the first lockdowns and many companies didn’t want to risk their staff travelling at the time. This month I’ll be back in Nuremberg at PCIM. I’ve enjoyed the virtual events over the last two years, but nothing can beat meeting face to face. It is possibly the most I’ve ever looked forward to an exhibition since the first one I ever attended, and some of that excitement was because it gave me a chance to visit Los Angeles. I’ve no doubt PCIM, on its return to a physical format will be special this year with lots of companies looking to show off their latest innovations. There will be a team of us at the show from PSD, so if your company has a significant launch and is exhibiting in Nuremberg, please get in touch. My diary is already getting filled and I’m really looking forward to hear about the latest advances in power semiconductors.
To give you a taste of what some of that innovation in Nuremberg, this month’s Special Report will highlight advancements in power semiconductors. These are the products that are the key to increasing power density, raising efficiency and cutting the size of our power supplies. The first article in the Special Report this month comes from Belgian company MinDCet, and it is on the subject of drivers for wide bandgap materials. In the article, the company talk about how GaN power stages need an optimized gate driver and how its own MDC901 discrete gate drives can help push GaN power stages to their limits. The article explains how the driver solves issues that come up when driving GaN devices, as well as looking at practical examples, including a high input/output ratio buck converter that has been measured reducing 48V to 3.3V, while providing a 10 to 15 percent efficiency increase over an equivalent MOSFET-based converter.
The second article in our Special Report this month comes from Analog Devices and looks at current sensing. Accurately measuring current is essential for the precise control of power systems. In this article, Catherine Chang looks at the company’s LTC2063 device and explains how its traits allow it to offer the highest levels of precision in the measurement of currents from 100 µA to 250 mA.
I hope you enjoy!
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
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