Military, Aerospace & Hi-Rel

    August 2019
    The Road to Success for Power Semiconductors

    Click image to enlarge

    Figure 1: Comparison of Superjunction transistor, SiC MOSFET, and GaN HEMT

    The commercial availability of Superjunction transistors 20 years ago, challenged and finally proved wrong the limitations of conventional silicon-based transistors with respect to on-state resistance. What was regarded as revolutionary at that time is standard today. Today there is not a single transistor from 25
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    Date:
    08/31/2019
    Supercapacitor Module Offering with Increased Voltage
    PLEASANTON, Calif. … Power management company Eaton today announced its latest release of the XLR-51 supercapacitor module. The latest design extends the XLR module family to 51.3 volts (V) and 188 farads (F) and is ideal for rugged applications with harsh environments such as transportation, marine, grid stor
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    Date:
    08/29/2019
    Ultra-Precision, AEC-Q200 Compliant Thin Film Resistors
    RALEIGH, NC - Stackpole has expanded its stock of its AEC-Q200 qualified precision thin film. Available in tolerances down to ±0.01% and ±5PPM temperature coefficient, the RNCF is available in various values and case sizes. Resistance values in stock range from 24.9 ohm up to 49.9K ohm in sizes 0402, 0603, 080
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    Date:
    08/23/2019
    Edge-Wound Inductor Delivers Stable Inductance, Saturation
    MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new IHDM edge-wound, through-hole inductor with rated current up to 150 A for industrial and military applications. Featuring a powdered iron alloy core technology, the Vishay Custom Magnetics IHDM-1008BC-30 provides stable inductance and saturation over a
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    Date:
    08/21/2019
    Are you SiC of Silicon? – Part 5

    Anup Bhalla, Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

    Ultra-High Voltage SiC and Supercascodes New applications are emerging that require high voltage switch technology which is significantly lower in balance-of-system costs and operating losses than silicon IGBT and IGCT technology. This spans a wide range from solid state transformers, MW motor drives, to smart
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    Date:
    08/20/2019
    Silicon Photodiode Offerings Include New Processes
    Latham, NY, USA –  Marktech Optoelectronics, Inc.  has expanded its standard Silicon photodiode offerings to include additional processes, active area sizes, case isolation and packaging options.   Marktech customers can now choose from among four unique processes to accommodate an expanded
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    Date:
    08/15/2019
    TTI Stocks the AVX NASA Space-level BME Series X7R MLCC
    Fort Worth, Texas – TTI, Inc., is now stocking the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Level X7R base metal electrode (BME) multilayer ceramic capacitors from AVX for use in U.S. military and aerospace applications under the criteria of the S-311-P-838 specification. AVX is the first sup
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    Date:
    08/13/2019
    Solutions to Elderly Falls: Drones, Smartphones and Sensors

    Falls account for 40% of injury-related deaths in people aged over 65 years.

    Drones, smartphones and sensors could provide a lifeline to the world's growing elderly population at risk of falls, helping to cut global hospital costs. A new system has been designed by a team of researchers from Iraq and the University of South Australia to remotely monitor elderly people, detecting abnormalit
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    Date:
    08/12/2019
    High isolation, regulated DC/DC converters in compact package
    The core characteristic of the TRI line is a sophisticated reinforced isolation system which is able to withstand high test voltages (9000 VDC for 1s and 5000 VAC for 60s) and working voltages (1000 VACrms). Complementing this isolation characteristic is a high Common Mode Transient Immunity of 15 kV/µs. The
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    Date:
    08/09/2019
    Revving up Solar Technology to Power Space Vehicles

    Dr. Randall Ellingson, professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy, analyzes the response of solar cells in his laboratory at The University of Toledo.

    The U.S. Air Force awarded a team of physicists at The University of Toledo $7.4 million to enhance the reliability and efficiency of lightweight power to improve the safety and effectiveness of Department of Defense missions. Dr. Randall Ellingson, professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy
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    Date:
    08/08/2019
    Heat Pipes Provide Adaptable Methods to Cool Hot Components
    Norwood, MA – Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc., ATS, has expanded its line of flat and round copper heat pipes for electronics thermal management. More than 350 standard ATS heat pipes provide low cost cooling solutions for cloud and edge computing, electric vehicles, aerospace, agtech, robotics, me
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    Date:
    08/06/2019
    Cislunar Blueprint to Propel Next 50 Years of Space Research
    In its inaugural call to action, Purdue Engineering's Cislunar Initiative took a giant leap forward in advancing humankind's presence in space and the development of the economy in the "cislunar region," the orbital area encompassing the Earth and moon. A video about the project can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.c
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    Date:
    08/05/2019
    Army Innovators Join Forces at Science-Concept Workshop
    In order to maintain overmatch on the ever-changing battlefield, the Army and Soldiers of the future will need innovative science and technology that extends beyond the bounds of what exists today. To foster this innovation, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Task Force Ignite designed a
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    Date:
    08/05/2019
    How Deep Space Travel Could Affect the Brain

    Radiation exposure alters the electrophysiological properties of neurons in the hippocampus.

    Exposure to chronic, low dose radiation -- the conditions present in deep space -- causes neural and behavioral impairments in mice, researchers report in eNeuro. These results highlight the pressing need to develop safety measures to protect the brain from radiation during deep space missions as astronauts prepare to
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    Date:
    08/05/2019
    Freeway Board Serves Powerful Edge Computing Applications
    Mouser Electronics, Inc., is now stocking the Layerscape LS1046A Freeway (FRWY-LS1046A) evaluation board from NXP Semiconductors. Available as a bare board or in an enclosure with a dual-band Wi-Fi module, the FRWY-LS1046A evaluation board is an edge computing platform designed to support NXP’s QorIQ LS1046A sy
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    Date:
    08/01/2019
    Artificial Intelligence Could Help Air Travelers Save Money

    Industrial and enterprise systems engineering professor Lavanya Marla and collaborators used artificial intelligence to design a customized pricing model for airline customers.

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Researchers are using artificial intelligence to help airlines price ancillary services such as checked bags and seat reservations in a way that is beneficial to customers' budget and privacy, as well as to the airline industry's bottom line. When airlines began unbundling the costs of flights
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    Date:
    08/01/2019
    Hubble Finds 'Heavy Metal' Exoplanet Shaped like a Football

    This artist's illustration shows an alien world that is losing magnesium and iron gas from its atmosphere. The observations represent the first time that so-called "heavy metals" -- elements more massive than hydrogen and helium -- have been detected escaping from a hot Jupiter, a large gaseous exoplanet orbiting very close to its star.The planet, known as WASP-121b, orbits a star brighter and hotter than the Sun. The planet is so dangerously close to its star that its upper atmosphere reaches a blazing 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10 times greater than any known planetary atmosphere. A torrent of ultraviolet light from the host star is heating the planet's upper atmosphere, which is causing the magnesium and iron gas to escape into space. Observations by Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph have detected the spectral signatures of magnesium and iron far away from the planet.The planet's "hugging" distance from the star means that it is on the verge of being ripped apart by the star's gravitational tidal forces. The powerful gravitational forces have altered the planet's shape so that it appears more football shaped.The WASP-121 system is about 900 light-years from Earth.

    How can a planet be "hotter than hot?" The answer is when heavy metals are detected escaping from the planet's atmosphere, instead of condensing into clouds. Observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveal magnesium and iron gas streaming from the strange world outside our solar system known as WA
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    Date:
    08/01/2019

    Power Systems Design

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    Power Systems Design

    Published by Power Systems (PSD) serves all aspects of the Power Electronics market including but not limited to Power Conversion, Power Management, Intelligent and Embedded Motion, Automotive, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Lighting. PSD is published 10x per year in English with separate print editions for Europe and North America and is published 6x per year in China. PSD Apps are available for Android & iOS. Additionally qualified power engineering professionals may subscribe and receive PSD daily PowerSurge newsletters.