IoT & Smart Cities

April 2022
Bringing WBG technology to the next level: Part 2 of 4 Editorial Series sponsored by infineon: Revolutionizing the next-gen power conversion applications

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Figure 1. Cross-section view of Infineon’s CoolGaN™ GIT device structure

Introduction Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology plays a major part in the wide bandgap revolution currently sweeping the semiconductor industry and manufacturers are racing to enter this burgeoning market. While the top-level advantages of using GaN devices in power electronics applications are clear (including higher switching frequencies, better performance at high temperatures, and lower power losses), the more subtle but nonetheless important differ
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Date:
04/14/2022
Bringing WBG technology to the next level: Part 3 of 4 Editorial Series sponsored by Infineon: The fundamental game-changers for breakthrough SiC designs

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Figure 1. Comparison of planar and trench MOSFET structure

Introduction Society’s demand for energy is continuously increasing. A plethora of digital content is consumed every day, appliances are connected via the cloud, and vehicle electrification is experiencing a renaissance – all of which are contributing to this energy demand upsurge. At the same time, carbon emis
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Date:
04/14/2022
Bringing WBG technology to the next level: Part 4 of 4 Editorial Series sponsored by Infineon: When to make the move from silicon to wide bandgap

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Figure 1. Suitability of Si, SiC, and GaN for power supply applications

Introduction Silicon power devices, such as MOSFETs and IGBTs, have a long history of reliable operation in power applications. They are low-cost, with a proven track record, and there’s a wide choice of suppliers so that designers can have a second source. They are also a familiar, well-established opti
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Date:
04/14/2022
DC/DC Converters Provide 400nA PWM/PFM Ultra-Low Quiescent Current
­Torex Semiconductor Ltd. has launched 400nA PWM/PFM Ultra-Low Quiescent Current, Step-up DC/DC Converters--XC9145 series. The XC9145 series reduces current consumption to 400nA with an ultra-low current consumption circuit. By adopting PWM/PFM control method, the efficiency at light load, especially at the outpu
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Date:
04/11/2022
Bringing WBG technology to the next level: Part 1 of 4 Editorial Series sponsored by Infineon: Wide bandgap reliability is all about understanding how and why failures happen

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Figure 1. Examples for extrinsic defects in an amorphous layer, mathematically modeled via a local thinning effect in the gate-oxide of SiC devices

Introduction The unique properties of Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices make them increasingly popular alternatives for silicon in power electronics applications. The appeal of SiC devices lies in their ability to offer unipolar device concepts with low switching losses at high voltages, while GaN devices can switch at much higher frequencies. Although these properties enable smaller
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Date:
04/08/2022
Meeting the High Expectations of Industrial Applications
The large and diverse industrial market spans everything from IoT, robots, weather radar systems, motor drives and industrial lighting to test equipment, welders, power tools and forklifts. Some industrial systems, like standby generator controls and communications systems, must work on top of mountains that ca
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Date:
04/01/2022
AC Losses in Magnetic Components

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Figure 1. Typical B-H curve from positive saturation to negative saturation. When H is zero there exists Br which requires -Hc to return to zero. The area within the loop is core loss per cycle

What are AC Losses and why are they important? This paper discusses the physical effects and which issues must be observed by design engineers. Furthermore, an approach to determine AC losses with unmatched accuracy is being introduced. In 1892 Charles P. Steinmetz, working for General Electric presented his no
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Date:
04/01/2022
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