Notable & Newsworthy

March 2019
When Grounds are Separated

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How should you proceed with a switching regulator with an analog ground (AGND) and a power ground (PGND)? This is a question asked by many developers designing a switching power supply. Some developers are accustomed to dealing with a digital GND and an analog GND; however, their experience frequently fails th
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Date:
03/31/2019
Are you SiC of Silicon? - Part 1

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Anup Bhalla, Ph.D., Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

SiC applications began in the 2000s with the adoption of SiC JBS diodes into PFC applications. This was followed by the use of SiC diodes and FETs in the PV industry. But the recent surge in applications relating to EV On-board chargers and DC-DC converters is driving SiC growth. The nascent adoption in the EV
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Date:
03/31/2019
Protect Small Sensors from the Harsh Industrial Environment

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Figure 1. Welding in Automotive Assembly Line

Sensors are ubiquitous in the electrically harsh industrial environment (Figure 1). As they increase in sophistication and shrink in size, they become more complex, requiring on-board switching regulators to deliver power more efficiently for minimal heat generation. How do you safely deliver low-voltage power to
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Date:
03/30/2019
TTI Offers Vishay's TNPW and TNPU Series Thin Film Resistors
Fort Worth, Texas – TTI, Inc., features the broadest and deepest inventory of Vishay’s TNPW High Stability and TNPU Ultra Precision Series Thin Film resistor products in the industry. Both the TNPW and TNPU thin film resistors are readily available from TTI and are ideal for applications such as test and mea
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Date:
03/29/2019
Laser Gas Analyzer Reduces Costs for Emissions Monitoring
SHAKOPEE, Minn. - In the midst of increasing compliance demands for emissions monitoring and nitrogen oxide (NOx) measurement in industrial applications, companies now have the opportunity to move beyond costly consumables and complex gas sample treatment associated with aging, legacy measurement sy
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Date:
03/29/2019
425W Power Supplies with Approvals for Various Applications
SL Power announced two new series of power supplies, the MU425 series for medical equipment and TU425 series for critical industrial, test and measurement equipment. These high-performance U-channel power supplies are ideal for equipment that must continue to perform in environments where AC power may be noisy or
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Date:
03/28/2019
Foil on Ceramic Resistor Offers Values Down to 2.5 Milliohm
RALEIGH, NC - Stackpole's CSRF Series utilizes foil on ceramic technology to achieve very low values in small chip sizes. The 0.25W rated CSRF0402 - HP, for example, is available in resistance values from 20 milliohm down to 2.5 milliohm. TCR ranges from ±400 ppm to ±200 ppm are possible depending on resistanc
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Date:
03/28/2019
EMC Filters Minimize Earth Leakage Currents
TDK Corporation announces that it has reengineered and improved the EPCOS LeaXield active leakage current filter, a unique solution that is able to minimize earth leakage currents in converter-based drive systems. LeaXield is designed for applications in variable-speed drives such as those in machine tools, pu
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Date:
03/28/2019
Helix Semiconductors Poised to Eliminate Power Supply Brick
IRVINE, Calif. – It’s an all-too familiar sight in today’s homes and businesses: a tangle of cords emerging from behind a console, desk or conference table, connected to several large, bulky power supplies. TVs, DVD players, set top boxes, sound bars, digital media devices, monitors, printers, routers, laptops ..
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Date:
03/27/2019
Mixed Domain Analysis Hits Big Screen with Firmware Release

A new firmware upgrade for the 5 and 6 Series MSO enables simultaneous analog and spectrum views with independent controls in each domain.

Tektronix released new firmware for the 5 Series and 6 Series MSO mixed signal oscilloscopes that unlocks a new analysis tool called Spectrum View.  A free upgrade (see URLs below),  Spectrum View allows you to perform mixed domain analysis on the big, high-resolution displays of the 5 and 6 Series MS
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Date:
03/27/2019
3-Phase Gate Drive Solution Doubles Power
Anaheim, Ca., USA: Pre-Switch, Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up that emerged from stealth mode last year, expanded its revolutionary soft-switching IGBT and silicon carbide gate driver architecture to cover 3-phase power systems. The platform, including the Pre-Drive 3 controller board, powered by the Pre-Flex FP
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Date:
03/27/2019
Bacteria Could Become a Future Source of Electricity
In recent years, researchers have tried to capture the electrical current that bacteria generate through their own metabolism. So far, however, the transfer of the current from the bacteria to a receiving electrode has not been efficient at all. Now, researchers from institutions including Lund University have ac
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Date:
03/27/2019
Security Solution Enables Certification Under IEC 62443-4-2
In today’s connected world, robust security measures are essential. Cyberattacks on industrial control systems for infrastructure facilities like manufacturing plants and power stations pose the risk of serious disruption to people’s lives and to the economy. Renesas recently announced their plans to
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Date:
03/27/2019
New Suite of High-Performance GaN Power Transistors
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada – GaN Systems announced the availability of the GS-065 low current (3.5A to 11A) transistor line. The product suite, developed for sub-1kW power applications, is targeted for consumer level power supply products such as AC adapters for gaming and workstation laptops, TV power, LED lighting, wi
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Date:
03/27/2019
The Industry's Highest-Current GaN Power Transistors

The GaN Systems GS-065-150-1-D.

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada – GaN Systems announced the industry’s highest current  650 V GaN E-HEMTs with the addition of the 150 A, 650 V (GS-065-150-1-D) and the  80 A, 650 V (GS-065-080-1-D) to its line of GaN power transistors. In particular, the 150 A, 650 V transistor is unmatched on both current (8
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Date:
03/27/2019
Power Integrations Increases Efficiency of Display Power Supplies with New InnoMux Technology

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PI InnoSwitch3-MX & InnoMux

Power Integrations, the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, has announced the release of the InnoMux™ chipset for display power supplies. The chipset’s unique single-stage power architecture reduces losses in display applications by increasing overall efficiency in constant-voltage and constant-curr
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Date:
03/27/2019
Entry-Level linear Hall-Effect Sensor with SENT Output
TDK Corporation expands its Micronas linear Hall-effect sensor portfolio with the programmable HAL 1890 supporting the latest SENT protocol according to SAE J2716 Rev. 4. The HAL 1890 now comes with digital output signal supervision and is as small, robust, and cost-effective as the already ex
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Date:
03/26/2019
Mathematics Brings Star Trek's Holodeck Closer to Reality
For many years we have been hearing that holographic technology is one step closer to realizing Star Trek's famous Holodeck, a virtual reality stage that simulates any object in 3D as if they are real. Sadly, 3D holographic projection has never been realized. A team of scientists from Bilkent University, Turkey, aga
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Date:
03/26/2019
PSDcast - The Future of Energy Storage
In this episode of the PSDcast, we're chatting with one of the leading voices on lead battery innovation about the future of energy storage. Energy storage has become vitally important in recent years, and for more than 25 years, the Consortium for Battery Innovation has helped develop advanced lead battery tec
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Date:
03/26/2019
SiC MOSFETs for Rapid-Growth Applications
ANAHEIM, CA – ON Semiconductor has introduced two new silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET devices. The industrial grade NTHL080N120SC1 and AEC-Q101 automotive grade NVHL080N120SC1 bring the enabling, wide-ranging performance benefits of wide band gap technology to important high growth end application areas such as Autom
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Date:
03/26/2019
On Semiconductor's Cloud-Connected Strata Developer Studio
ANAHEIM, USA – ON Semiconductor demonstrated new power solutions boards enabled with its Strata Developer Studio development platform at the recent APEC 2019 in Anaheim. Strata facilitates the rapid and easy evaluation of solutions for a wide range of applications, allowing users to view devices and analyze their p
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Date:
03/26/2019
Buck-Boost MOSFET for Type-C Applications
SUNNYVALE, Calif.– Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited (AOS) introduced  the AONP36336. The AONP36336 is a two 30V N-Channel MOSFET in a dual DFN 3.3x3.3 XSPairFET package ideal for buck-boost converters used in Type-C applications such as notebook, USB hubs, and power banks. The new AONP36336 is an extens
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Date:
03/25/2019
Molex Easy-on FFC/FPC Connectors in Stock at TTI
Fort Worth, Texas – TTI, Inc., now stocks Molex Easy-On FFC/FPC Connectors in a broad range of pitch options to meet a wide variety of space and usage needs for applications in all markets. For applications demanding small pitch sizes with high reliability, these connectors offer 0.20 to 2.00 mm pitches,
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Date:
03/25/2019
First AEC-Q200 Ceramic Disc Capacitors for Class X1/Y1
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new series of Automotive Grade AC line rated ceramic disc safety capacitors that are the industry's first such devices to offer AEC-Q200 qualification for Class X1 (760 VAC) / Y1 (500 VAC) applications in accordance with IEC 60384-14.4. For electric (EV), hybrid electr
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Date:
03/25/2019
Catalyst Advance Removes Pollutants at Low Temperatures

Yong Wang, Voiland Distinguished Professor, Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

PULLMAN, Wash. - Researchers at Washington State University, University of New Mexico, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a catalyst that can both withstand high temperatures and convert pollutants at near room temperature - an important advance for reducing po
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Date:
03/25/2019
Power Inductors Save Space in High-Density DC/DC Converters
Woking, UK - TT Electronics has introduced the HA74 series of surface-mount power inductors, which combine a low profile, small footprint, and 3MHz switching capability for efficient, space-saving DC/DC converters. AEC-Q200 certified and specified for operation from -55°C to +155°C, the HA74 series is ideal
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Date:
03/25/2019
Industry's First Lead-Free Thick-Film High-Voltage Resistors
Woking, UK - TT Electronics has launched the industry’s first fully lead(Pb)-free, thick-film, high-voltage chip resistors that allow manufacturers to future-proof medical and industrial equipment designs by eliminating reliance on RoHS exemptions.   As environmental regulations become increasingly s
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Date:
03/25/2019
High-Accuracy Current Transducer Measures up to 1200Arms
Taastrup, Denmark...Danisense announced the DM1200, a high-accuracy current transducer capable of measuring signals up to 1200Arms and 1500A DC. Specifically targeting the eV and heV markets which requires higher power converters that can be rapidly-charged, the DM1200 also features a large, 45mm diameter aperture wh
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Date:
03/25/2019
The Story of Nanotechnology and how Size Really Does Matter

Cover for "Size Really Does Matter."

Nanotechnology is a buzz word many of us have heard but are uncertain as to what it really means. It is an area of research that generated an enormous amount of hype in the early 2000s, and since then has touched on many aspects of our everyday lives without our even realizing. It is a field that brings together as
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Date:
03/22/2019
Researchers get Humans to Think Like Computers
Computers, like those that power self-driving cars, can be tricked into mistaking random scribbles for trains, fences and even school busses. People aren't supposed to be able to see how those images trip up computers but in a new study, Johns Hopkins University researchers show most people actually can. The findings s
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Date:
03/22/2019
Eval Module for 300-kHz Synchronous Step-Down Converter
The LM5164-Q1 evaluation module (EVM) from Texas Instruments (TI) is a fully assembled and tested circuit for evaluating the LM5164-Q1, 300-kHz synchronous step-down converter.  The LM5164-Q1EVM operates at very low quiescent current and delivers exceptional efficiency with minimum number of external components. Features
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Date:
03/22/2019
1.25-kW Small-Form-Factor GaN Inverter Reference Design
This reference design from Texas Instruments (TI) is a three-phase inverter with a continuous power rating of 1.25 kW at 50°C ambient and 550 W at 85°C ambient for driving 200-V AC servo motors. It features 600-V LMG3411R150 Gallium Nitride (GaN) power modules with an integrated FET and gate driver moun
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Date:
03/22/2019
Hirose Boosts Current Capacity of Low-Profile WTB Connector
DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS — Hirose has expanded the current carrying capacity of it EnerBee power connector family. The DF60 Series wire-to-board connector now supports applications requiring current ratings up to 65A. Featuring a compact space-saving design, the DF60 Series power connector has a pitch of only 1
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Date:
03/22/2019
World's Smallest, Most Efficient 6A Buck Regulator
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) – Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. announces the world’s smallest, most efficient, fully integrated 6A buck regulator. The module’s footprint is 25 percent less than the nearest competitive solution and has a 30 percent lower profile. Background of Development
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Date:
03/22/2019
Bi-Directional Regenerative Supply Packs 30KW in 4U Chassis
San Diego, CA — Elektro-Automatik announces the EA-PSB 10000 30KW Programmable Bi-directional Power Supply. The 4U rack-mounted PSB 10000, engineered with advanced SiC power conversion devices switching at 150 kHz, boasts the industry’s best power density—requiring as little as half the rack space for the
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Date:
03/21/2019
Frequency-Optimized Planar Transformers Rated up to 250W
Lake Forest, CA—Premier Magnetics announces its PM-PTxxx Series of frequency-optimized planar transformers. The new line, offering models with ratings to 250W, are designed for forward converter, full/half bridge and active clamp applications utilizing switching frequencies between 200 KHz and 700 KHz.  Proprietary lay
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Date:
03/21/2019
Inductor Offers Operating Temperature to +155°C
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. expanded its offering of Automotive Grade IHLP low profile, high current inductors with a new device in the 2020 case size. The Vishay Dale IHLP-2020BZ-5A combines a high operating temperature to +155°C with a low profile of 2 mm to save space in under the hood auto
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Date:
03/21/2019
The Industry's Largest Line of Automotive-Grade SiC MOSFETs
Kyoto and Santa Clara, Calif. – ROHM announced the addition of 10 new automotive-grade SiC MOSFETs. The introduction of the SCT3xxxxxHR series allows ROHM to offer the industry's largest lineup of AEC-Q101 qualified SiC MOSFETs that provide the high reliability necessary for automotive on board chargers and DC/D
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Date:
03/20/2019
UnitedSiC announces SiC JFET family for low power  AC-DC Flyback converters

SiC JFETs for Low Power AC/DC Flyback Converters

March 19, 2019, Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) Anaheim CA, and Princeton,New Jersey: UnitedSiC, a manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, today announced it has released a range of SiC JFET die suitable for co-packaging with a controller IC with built in low voltage MOSFET to fa
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Date:
03/20/2019
AC Power Converters Include Active Power Factor Correction
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada – GaN Systems announces a strategic partnership with Aveox to significantly reduce the size and weight of their 3-phase AC power converters with Active Power Factor Correction (APFC). This partnership enables the development of the world’s most power-dense, Aerospace-Compliant power
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Date:
03/20/2019
PEIC Launches New Power Electronics Industry Career Portal
ANAHEIM, CA – The Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC), an industry consortium whose members include power electronics OEMs, research organizations, educational institutions, and other industry stakeholders working to further its mission to cultivate an ever more diverse, skilled, and innovative wo
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Date:
03/20/2019
Cree to Sell Lighting Business to IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
DURHAM, N.C. - Cree, Inc. announces the execution of a definitive agreement to sell its Lighting Products business unit (“Cree Lighting”), which includes the LED lighting fixtures, lamps and corporate lighting solutions business for commercial, industrial and consumer applications, to IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. 
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Date:
03/20/2019
Scientists Create Reprogrammable Molecular Computing System

Artist's representation of a DNA computing system.

Computer scientists at Caltech have designed DNA molecules that can carry out reprogrammable computations, for the first time creating so-called algorithmic self-assembly in which the same "hardware" can be configured to run different "software." In a paper published in Nature on Feb XX, a team
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Date:
03/20/2019
Brain-Inspired AI Inspires Insights About the Brain

Context length preference across cortex. An index of context length preference is computed for each voxel in one subject and projected onto that subject's cortical surface. Voxels shown in blue are best modeled using short context, while red voxels are best modeled with long context.

Can artificial intelligence (AI) help us understand how the brain understands language? Can neuroscience help us understand why AI and neural networks are effective at predicting human perception? Research from Alexander Huth and Shailee Jain from The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) suggests both are
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Date:
03/20/2019
Little motors power everything from small comforts, such as desk fans, to larger safety systems, like oven exhaust systems - but they could be more precise, according to a research team from Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories. An international collaboration from Japan and Massachusetts unveiled an improv
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Date:
03/20/2019
650V SiC Schottky Diodes with Current Ratings from 6A to 40A
CHICAGO — Littelfuse, Inc. introduced two additions to its expanding line of second-generation, 650V, AEC-Q101-qualified silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky Diodes. Both series offer power electronics system designers a variety of performance advantages over traditional silicon-based devices, including negligible reverse
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Date:
03/19/2019
Design Tools and Resources Shorten Design Times
Anaheim, Calif., Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC) – GaN Systems is displaying a wide breadth of innovative design tools including new reference designs from partners at APEC 2019. Visitors to GaN Systems Booth #553 will find the multitude of unique design resources that make GaN ea
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Date:
03/19/2019
Brightworks Power Supply Development Initiative Program
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Brightworks Technology, Inc., announces its new development initiative to produce market-leading, reliable, efficient, compact and water-resistant AC/DC LED drivers for demanding outdoor, architectural lighting, signage, and horticulture applications. Brightworks’ Silverback series which is
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Date:
03/19/2019
Encapsulated 16th-Brick Converters Accept 9 to 36V DC Inputs
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Sager Electronics is now stocking Murata Power’s IRS-Q12 encapsulated sixteenth-brick converters. Murata Power’s IRS series makes another dramatic size shrink down to a “sixteenth-brick” width while still retaining a high power output and full 2828 Volt DC isolation. The conve
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Date:
03/19/2019
New MPLAB Harmony Unifies Software Development Framework
CHANDLER, Ariz.— From basic device configuration to Real Time Operating System (RTOS)-based designs, 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) applications vary greatly in complexity and development models. To help developers simplify and scale designs, Microchip Technology Inc.  announced a unified software framework
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Date:
03/19/2019
TTI Offers Sensata's Ceramic Capacitive Pressure Sensor
Fort Worth, Texas – TTI, Inc., is now offering the 116CP Plastic Ceramic Capacitive Pressure Sensor from Sensata Technologies. The 116CP series is housed in a small and innovative plastic package and offers a wide range of configurations including various pressure ports, electrical outputs and pressure ranges fr
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Date:
03/19/2019
Power ICs Feature Highest Power Density in the Industry
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Fabless power semiconductor company Helix Semiconductors announced sampling of its MxC 300 AC-DC power ICs. The MxC 300 is a two-chip solution that offers the highest power density in the industry – up to 10x higher than transformer-based solutions – for 65W AC-DC power supply products. Ev
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Date:
03/19/2019
Teraohmmeter Meets Demands for Higher-Voltage IR Testing
Poway, CA—Vitrek introduces the 98x Series of Teraohmmeter / Insulation Resistance testers designed to meet the emerging higher voltage requirements of electric vehicle battery systems and solar arrays. The 981i offers an output voltage range of up to 6.5 kV and the 983i has a maximum output of 11 KV.
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Date:
03/19/2019
Pulse Withstanding Chip Resistor Boosts Power to 0.25W
RALEIGH, NC -- Stackpole's RPC0603-HP is a high-power, pulse-withstanding chip resistor with significantly more pulse power than a standard 0603 size chip resistor. The power rating for this part has been increased to 0.25W. In addition, the working voltage for the RPC0603-HP is 75V with an overload voltage of 15
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Date:
03/19/2019
10A and 15A Fully Encapsulated PMBus Power Modules
TOKYO, Japan – Renesas Electronics Corporation announced a pair of new encapsulated hybrid digital DC/DC PMBus power modules, the 10-amp ISL8280M and 15-amp ISL8282M. The hybrid digital power modules offer best-in-class power density of 115mA/mm2 in a 12mm x 11mm package, with up to 95 percent peak effic
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Date:
03/19/2019
Isolated ICs Ensure Precise Current and Voltage Measurements
ANAHEIM, Calif. (APEC) – Silicon Labs has introduced a family of isolated analog amplifiers, voltage sensors and delta-sigma modulator (DSM) devices designed to provide accurate current and voltage measurement with very low drift across temperature. Based on Silicon Labs’ robust, third-generation isolation technolog
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Date:
03/18/2019
UnitedSiC announces strategic investment by Analog Devices

Chris Dries, President and CEO at UnitedSiC

March 18, 2019, Princeton, New Jersey and Norwood, Massachusetts: UnitedSiC, a manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, today announced a strategic investment and long-term supply agreement from Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI).  Terms of the investment and supply agreement were not announced.
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Date:
03/18/2019
New AEC-Q101-Compliant TVS Diode Products
Bourns, Inc., announced two new families of AEC-Q101-compliant TVS diode components. Designated Models SM8S-Q and SM8SF-Q, these families are comprised of both unidirectional and bidirectional TVS diodes. They are designed to protect against voltage transients, ESD and EFT surges in DC power supplies and on data lines
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Date:
03/18/2019
AC/DC Linear Regulator Features 75 Percent Higher Efficiency
DALLAS – Texas Instruments (TI) expanded its broad portfolio of over 500 linear regulators by introducing a first-of-its-kind smart AC/DC linear regulator. With 75 percent higher efficiency and two times the power density of other linear regulators, this device achieves the best balance between high efficiency and
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Date:
03/18/2019
DOE Extends University PPPL Contract

On March 15, representatives of the US Department of Energy, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University gathered in Nassau Hall on the University campus to sign contracts extending the lease and the primary contract. David McComas, second from right, vice president of PPPL and professor of astrophysical sciences, signed for the University, while Kim Tafe, far right, contracting officer for the DOE-Princeton business management office, signed for the Department of Energy. Also shown, from left: Curt Emmich with the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce; Lou Sadler, assistant chief counsel with DOE; Mike McCann, assistant chief counsel with DOE; Debbie Prentice, Princeton's provost; Kristin Muenzen, Office of the General Counsel, Princeton; Pete Johnson, DOE site office manager at PPPL; Chelle Reno, assistant vice president for operations at PPPL; Laura Troche with the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information; Brian Bozarth, a financial specialist with DOE-Princeton; Marla Larson Williams, a realty specialist with the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced March 15 that Princeton University will continue to manage and operate the DOE's#pl Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, New Jersey. The extended contract, which runs through March 31, 2022, also highlights coll
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Date:
03/18/2019
Advances Point the Way to Smaller, Safer Batteries
ITHACA, N.Y.- People don't ask too much from batteries: Deliver energy when it's needed and for as long as it is wanted, recharge quickly and don't burst into flames. A rash of cell phone fires in 2016 jolted consumer confidence in lithium-ion batteries, a technology that helped usher in modern portable electronics
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Date:
03/18/2019
Power-Supply Transformers Complement Gate-Driver IC Family
San Jose, Calif. – Power Integrations announced a range of galvanically isolated transformers that provide the correct voltage and power for the company’s SCALE-iDriver family of gate drivers. The combination delivers a simple, robust and cost-efficient DC-DC converter solution that does not require additional vol
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Date:
03/18/2019
> 16% Efficiency for Single-Junction Organic Solar Cells

The J-V characteristics for OSCs based on P2F-EHp:BTPT-4F and P2F-EHp:BTPTT-4F; the chemical structures of active layer components.

As a promising technology for renewable energy, organic solar cells (OSCs) have attracted particular interest from both industrial and academic communities. One of the main challenges to promote practical applications of OSCs is their less competitive power conversion efficiency than that of the counterpart ph
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Date:
03/18/2019
Dual Wall Heat Shrink Tubing Suitable for Harsh Environments
MENLO PARK, Calif. – TE Connectivity (TE) introduces BATTU heat shrink tubing, a dual wall, fire retardant product intended for battery/power cable to terminal applications in industrial and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, generator sets and more. The BATTU tubing products’ polyolefin jacket and
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Date:
03/18/2019
DIN Rail Power Supplies with ATEX & UL HazLoc Certifications
San Jose, Calif. – TRACO POWER has announced the release of their TIB 80-EX Family of 80 Watt DIN rail power supplies that are designed for harsh environments & hazardous locations with certifications for ATEX II3G and UL HazLoc Class I / Div 2 standards. These products are the new vanguard of industrial pow
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Date:
03/18/2019
Power Transistor for 48 V DC-DC and Motor Drive Applications
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) announces the EPC2052, a 100 V GaN transistor with a maximum RDS(on) of 13.5mΩ and a 74 A pulsed output current for high efficiency power conversion in a tiny 2.25mm2 footprint. Applications demanding higher efficiency and power density no longer hav
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Date:
03/15/2019
For the better part of this decade, power electronics technologists have been enabling new topologies with GaN (gallium nitride) transistors. Similarly, system innovators have been creating new levels of performance in electric and autonomous vehicles, industrial machines, televisions, laptop adapters, data ce
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Date:
03/12/2019
APEC Brings Wide-Bandgap Devices into Focus
I don’t have to tell you, dear reader, how vital wide-bandgap semiconductors are to this industry. If you haven’t encountered them on your workbench or heard our PSDcast with PowerAmerica, a DoE institute tasked with promoting wide-bandgap devices, you’ll deal with them ad nauseum at the Applied Power Electronics Confer
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Date:
03/12/2019
My Battery is Getting Low and it is Getting Dark
These were supposedly the last words sent back from Mars by the Opportunity rover. As we all know, machines don’t really communicate with such clarity and emotion, but it seemed a fitting farewell, and actually pretty well-deserved after seeing out its original mission objective of 90 days operation by over 14
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Date:
03/11/2019
Normally-ON SiC JFETs – Characteristics and Applications

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. Basic JFET operation

Many think that Shockley invented the ‘transistor’, which he announced at a press conference on July 4th 1951. His Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) was certainly a momentous achievement, with the basic design still surviving today. Shockley, however, also had ideas about transistors using an electric fiel
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Date:
03/11/2019
Taking the Heat Out of Wide-Bandgap Designs

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: The GaN-on-Si wide bandgap HEMT structure

The demand for higher power density in many applications is driving the development of wide bandgap semiconductors. Compared to standard power transistors based on silicon, devices based on wide bandgap (WBG) materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN) offer significant benefits. High electron mo
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Date:
03/11/2019
Hybridization: Prospects for the Near Future of Automobiles

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Block diagram of an electric vehicle controller

New vehicle models with electric motors are automobile manufacturers’ lighthouse projects, even more so against the background of current arguments about combustion engines or, more specifically, diesel engines. In close alignment with policy makers, manufacturers are offering premiums to tempt buyers. V
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Date:
03/11/2019
What Should You Know About RoHS 3?

Image 1: Structural chemical formula and molecular structure of Dibutyl phthalate(DBP) – Source PRBX/Orange Deer studio

As specified in the European Directive 2015/863 dated 22nd of July 2019, electronic equipment manufacturers will have to comply with the third revision of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), referenced as RoHS 3. All categories of electrical and electronic equipment are affected except medical devices and
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Date:
03/11/2019
Wide-Bandgap Technology Gathers Pace
It barely feels we are past the Christmas holidays and yet here we are looking forward to the start of the exhibition season. Even although it’s only March, my colleagues in the US are currently gearing up for the biggest show of the year in that region. APEC sets the tone for the whole year in the power industry an
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Date:
03/11/2019
The Calm Before the Wide-Bandgap Storm
Last month, we did a PSDcast with PowerAmerica, a Department of Energy institute tasked with accelerating the commercialization of wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. And with the Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) right around the corner (or closer, depending on when you read this), we’
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Date:
03/11/2019
In my 40 years’ experience in power semiconductors, I have visited thousands of customers, big and small, on every continent except Antarctica.  When the issue invariably turns to the packaging of the power semiconductor – transistor, diode, or integrated circuit – the requests for improvement fall in
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Date:
03/11/2019
Myth or Reality?

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Reliability Bathtub Curve

2012 marked the long-awaited arrival of 600 V+ Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. Having already begun to make a mark in low-voltage applications, the wide-bandgap semiconductor material was expected to bring to high voltage (HV) power systems all of its inherent benefits: faster switching, higher power density, co
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03/11/2019
Qualifying SiC Devices to Industrial and Auto Standards

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: RUIS test setup and waveforms for the current and the voltage during a UIS pulse.

A recent trend in the semiconductor market is the widespread adoption of silicon carbide (SiC) devices, including both Schottky barrier diodes (SBD) and power MOSFETs, for industrial and automotive applications. At the same time, the long-term reliability of these devices is a hot topic that should be addressed si
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Date:
03/11/2019
Extended Range Battery Chargers for Mobility Aid Scooters
FREMONT, CA – Phihong has announced its lineup of extended operating range battery chargers for power wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The complete line of products include: 2.5A, 3.5A and 8A chargers for different battery capacities. The DA80U-240A-R and the DA64U-240A-R, rated 24V/3.5A and 24V/2.5A, respectivel
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Date:
03/08/2019
Listening to Quantum Radio

This quantum chip (1x1 cm big) allows the researchers to listen to the smallest radio signal allowed by quantum mechanics.

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have created a quantum circuit that enables them to listen to the weakest radio signal allowed by quantum mechanics. This new quantum circuit opens the door to possible future applications in areas such as radio astronomy and medicine (MRI). It also enables researchers to
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Date:
03/08/2019
PSDcast - Getting Women Interested in STEM

Dr. Isabel Yang, CTO of Advanced Energy

In this episode of the PSDcast, we're celebrating Women's History Month by addressing the gender imbalance in STEM and what can be done to attract more women to the engineering fields. Dr. Isabel Yang, the CTO of Advanced Energy, provides some fascinating insights ...
Date:
03/08/2019
Power Stamp Alliance Announces ASIC Reference Design Board
The Power Stamp Alliance (PSA), which is creating collaborative solutions for 48V-to-low-voltage on-board DC-DC power converters, announced a new reference design board for high-current ASIC and/or FPGA chipsets supporting the SVID or AVS protocols. PSA 48V direct conversion DC-DC modules - or ‘power stam
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Date:
03/07/2019
Advanced Lighting Controls & Innovative LED Fixtures
(SHANGHAI) – I-Star Lighting continues to expand its product portfolio available in the North American market. According to Melissa Chen, vice president of I-Star Lighting. “This year we are introducing a number of new LED drivers that enable our customers to develop more innovative and dynamic LED light
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Date:
03/07/2019
Heart-Rate Sensor Designed Into Smartphone for Seniors
San Jose, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan — Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. announced that its MAX30101 heart-rate sensor is integrated into the new Raku Raku Smartphone F-01L from Fujitsu Connected Technologies Limited. The smartphone, which measures heart rate and sleep patterns, can be used for applications such as
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03/07/2019
AEC-Q101 Qualified MOSFETs Use 50% Less Space Over DPAK
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced new -30 V and -40 V Automotive Grade p-channel TrenchFET power MOSFETs in the PowerPAK SO-8L package with gullwing leads for increased board-level reliability. Providing more than a 50 % reduction in mounting area compared to devices in the DPAK, the AEC-Q
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Date:
03/07/2019
ADC Family Enables High-Res Analog-to-Digital Conversion
CHANDLER, Ariz. — To address applications that demand higher-speed and higher-resolution analog-to-digital conversion, Microchip Technology Inc. announced 12 new Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) along with a companion differential amplifier designed speci
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Date:
03/07/2019
San Jose, Calif. – ADLINK Technology has partnered with Google Cloud to integrate ADLINK’s hardware and software solutions with Google Cloud IoT offerings, providing customers with an easy path to added business value by harnessing and analyzing critical operational data. “Companies are seeking hardware solutions that are pre
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Date:
03/07/2019
Nanotechnology and Sunlight for Better Visibility

In the ETH lab, shining a light through the center of a transparent pane coated with nanoparticles prevents the lit area from fogging.

Anyone who skis, wears glasses, uses a camera or drives a car is familiar with the problem: if you come into a humid environment from the cold, your eyewear, camera lens or windshield can quickly fog up. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a new transparent material coating that greatly reduces this ef
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03/06/2019
New Reactor-Liner Alloy Material Offers Strength, Resilience

This is Osman El Atwani (left) and Enrique Martinez at the transmission electron microscope.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M.--A new tungsten-based alloy developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory can withstand unprecedented amounts of radiation without damage. Essential for extreme irradiation environments such as the interiors of magnetic fusion reactors, previously explored materials have thus far been hobbled by
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Date:
03/06/2019
Tackling Dark Matter, Dark Energy Mysteries With New Grant
LAWRENCE -- Can't find your house keys? Frustrated by that sock that seemed to disappear during laundry? Don't feel so bad. It turns out scientists have a hard time detecting some 95 percent of the matter and energy that make up the universe, according to NASA. Indeed, the nature of "dark matter" and &
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Date:
03/06/2019
Beat Obsolescence with PULS DIN-Rail Power Supplies
PULS Power has undertaken not to discontinue standard products while enough demand is present to make them viable for manufacture. This provides their customers with the reassurance that they will not be forced into costly changes to their system components and performance in regular short intervals and to have
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03/06/2019
Han ES Press HMC connector range allows fast installation
The new Han ES Press HMC (High Mating Cycles) connector series from HARTING combines the facility to be installed quickly without tools with extremely robust construction that allows the devices to handle at least 10,000 mating cycles. The quick connect technology used in the Han ES Press HMC involves the con
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Date:
03/06/2019
Industry’s smallest logic parts approved for automotive
Nexperia announced that over twenty logic types in the company’s space-saving leadless MicroPak packages are now AEC-Q100 qualified. These logic solutions are the smallest devices of their type suitable for automotive applications and Nexperia’s Q100 portfolio exceeds the Automotive Electronics Council’
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Date:
03/06/2019
Industry’s first automotive USB 3.1 SmartHub supports Type-C
Microchip announces an automotive-qualified USB 3.1 Gen1 SmartHub IC, offering up to 10 times faster data rates over existing USB 2.0 solutions and reducing indexing times to improve the user experience in vehicles. To support the rising adoption of USB Type-C in the smartphone market and enable universal conne
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Date:
03/06/2019
Power solution for high speed e-commerce hub conveyers
Powerbox announces the introduction of its ENI250A series designed to deliver peak power to motor start or/and high capacitive loads in factory automation applications. The three-phase ENI250A series is housed in an IP54 case, delivers a constant 250W and up to 480W peak power with an efficiency up to 94%. The ENI2
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Date:
03/06/2019
24 - 44 GHz Wideband Integrated Microwave 5G Transceiver
These ICs operate over a very wide frequency range with 50 Ω-match from 24 GHz up to 44 GHz, facilitating ease of design and reducing the costs of building a single platform that can cover all 5G mm Wave frequency bands including 28 GHz and 39 GHz. Additionally, the chipset is capable of flat 1 GHz RF instanta
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Date:
03/06/2019
Ultra-Low Power Technology applied to Energy Harvesting
e-peas has announced the introduction of a new power management IC specifically optimized for energy harvesting from thermal sources in wireless sensors application. Supplied in a space-saving 28-pin QFN package, the AEM20940 is a highly advanced device based on proprietary technology that is capable of extractin
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Date:
03/06/2019
BLE Wireless Multi-core MCUs set new standards
Dialog Semiconductor unveiled the SmartBond DA1469x family of Bluetooth low energy SoCs, its most advanced, feature-rich range of multi-core microcontroller units (MCUs) for wireless connectivity. The new product family which includes four variants, builds on the successes of Dialog’s SmartBond products addin
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Date:
03/06/2019
Accelerating GaN-on-Silicon Support for 5G Wireless Networks
MACOM and STMicroelectronics today announced the 2019 expansion of 150mm GaN-on-Silicon production capacity in ST’s fabs, and 200mm as demand requires. The expansion is designed to service the worldwide 5G Telecom buildout. This builds upon the broad GaN-on-Silicon agreement between MACOM and ST announced in earl
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Date:
03/06/2019
Two New External Power Supplies for Medical Equipment
SL Power today announced two new external power supply families to provide medical equipment with the highest level (Level VI) of efficiency and reliability. Rated at 150 watts and 240 watts respectively, the ME150 and ME240 families are compact desktop-style units with a range of output voltages and connector op
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03/06/2019
ROHM's New High-Reliability 1608-Size White Chip LED
ROHM today announced the availability of the SMLD12WBN1W, a White chip LED with 1608 (1.6x0.8mm) size that achieves class-leading reliability. This new package offers superior mountability and long operational life, which makes it ideal for use in display panels (e.g. temperature control displays) in industria
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Date:
03/06/2019
VITA 62 compliant power supplies for MIL-COTS VPX applications
Vicor Power Systems new line of VITA 62 compliant power supplies are designed for 3U Open VPX systems and achieve high-efficiency and high-power density in a rugged, conduction-cooled chassis. The initial products operate from a nominal 28V or 270V DC input, with predefined output voltages ranging from 3.3V to
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Date:
03/06/2019
New SCALE-iDriver SiC-MOSFET Gate Driver
Power Integrations announced the SIC1182K SCALE-iDriver, a high-efficiency, single-channel SiC MOSFET gate driver that delivers the highest peak output gate current available without an external boost stage. Devices can be configured to support different gate-drive voltage requirements matching the range of requi
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Date:
03/06/2019
Low-power, smallest-form-factor FPGA for 4K video
Microchip announces the new PolarFire FPGA imaging and video solution to address the challenges of developing complex computer algorithms which enable systems to capture and display information and high-resolution images. The PolarFire FPGA imaging and video solution delivers capabilities superior to alternative te
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Date:
03/06/2019
50-Watt, High Current Density, Non-isolated Digital DC-DC Modules
Artesyn Embedded Technologies today announced the LGA50D dc-dc module, which offers one of the highest current density ratings in the industry. With a footprint of just 1 x 0.5 inches or 25.4 x 12.5mm, this innovative non-isolated unit offers two independent and configurable 25 amp, 50 watt outputs, which can
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Date:
03/06/2019
20 V, 15 A Synchronous Step-Down Regulator
ADI’s Power by Linear LTC7151S, a 20 V, 15 A monolithic synchronous buck converter with differential VOUT remote sensing. The LTC7151S uses Silent Switcher 2 technology, including integrated bypass capacitors to deliver a highly efficient solution with excellent EMI performance while easing layout constraints.
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Date:
03/05/2019
6-Channel Battery Stack Monitor
The LTC6810 is a multicell battery stack monitor. It measures up to 6 series-connected battery cells with a total measurement error of less than 1.8 mV. The cell measurement range of 0 V to 5 V makes the LTC6810 suitable for most battery chemistries. Key Features Measures up to 6 battery cells in series 1.8 m
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Date:
03/05/2019
3 kV rms Signal and Power Isolated CAN Transceiver
The ADM3057E is a 3 kV rms isolated controller area network (CAN) physical layer transceiver with an integrated, isolated dc-to-dc converter. The ADM3057E meets flexible data rate (CAN FD) requirements for operation to 5 Mbps and higher and complies with the ISO 11898-2: 2016 standard. The ADM3057E can support da
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Date:
03/05/2019
Thermoelectric Assembly Offers Greater Cooling Capacity
Laird Thermal Systems has developed a large capacity Direct-to-Air Thermoelectric Assembly (TEA) that offers greater cooling capacity than traditional thermoelectric based systems. Designed for refrigeration of medical chambers and analytical storage compartments, the DA-280 TEA is an alternate to smaller compressor
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Date:
03/05/2019
Thyristor Safeguards Against Damaging Overvoltage Transients
CHICAGO — Littelfuse, Inc. introduced the first PxxxxS4xLRP Series SIDACtor Protection Thyristor, a robust solution for protecting Composite Video Blanking Sync (CVBS) signal lines and ports from damaging overvoltage transients. The combination of 6V operating voltage and 100A 5/310µs surge peak current capabil
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Date:
03/05/2019
Thick Film Chip Resistors Deliver Power to 1.5 W
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new series of high voltage thick film chip resistors that offer high power ratings up to 1.5 W and working voltages to 3000 V in five compact case sizes ranging from 1206 to 2512. For increased design flexibility, the Vishay Techno CRHP series is available
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03/05/2019
Emerson 2019 ASCO Engineering Scholarship Program
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Emerson will begin accepting applications for its 2019 ASCO Engineering Scholarship program, which rewards students who have potential for leadership and contributions to the engineering profession. The program awards two $5,000 scholarships to U.S. engineering students, provides $1,000 gr
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Date:
03/05/2019
Tantalum Capacitors for Automotive & Industrial Applications
FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. – AVX Corporation released a new series of miniature, surface-mount, J-lead tantalum capacitors that deliver high reliability and high volumetric efficiency in high-temperature automotive and industrial applications. The new F9H Series meets AEC-Q200 requirements, is compliant with RoHS2 di
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Date:
03/05/2019
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel, and SAN JOSE, California — TowerJazz and Axbio Inc. announced the release of a microfluidics Bio-CMOS device for molecular in vitro diagnostic (IVD),  based on TowerJazz’s 65nm RFCMOS platform, following a successful development in its 300mm manufacturing facility in Uozu, Japan. Th
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Date:
03/05/2019
PMBus 600W DOSA Compliant, Quarter-Brick DC-DC Converter
Murata has launched a series of 600W, DOSA compliant, 12V output, digital quarter-brick DC-DC converters from Murata Power Solutions. The series was designed for The DSQ, DCQ and DAQ converters support the full ‘TNV’ input range of 36 – 75V, with a typical efficiency of 96 % @ full lo
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Date:
03/05/2019
Discovering the Next Generation of Catalysts
The use of solar and wind energy must be doubled to meet the world's demand for clean energy over the next 30 years. Catalysts that can ensure the storage of solar and wind energy in fuels and chemicals will therefore play an increasingly important role. The catalysts that are used today are, however, often bot
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Date:
03/05/2019
Technology Analyzes Colorless and Transparent Biomaterials

Professor Jae Eun Jang in the Department of Information and Communication Engineering (left) and Seung-wook Kim, a student in the M.S.-Ph.D. integrated program at DGIST

DGIST announced that Professor Jae Eun Jang's team in the Department of Information and Communication Engineering developed a biosensor that expresses biomaterials' colors using nano structure and applies a new image signal processing technique. Active R&D has been underway on clarifying relationship with a cert
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Date:
03/05/2019
Nanoparticles Help Realize 'Spintronic' Devices

Transmission electron microscope images of MnAs nanoparticles in GaAs.

For the first time researchers have demonstrated a new way to perform functions essential to future computation three orders of magnitude faster than current commercial devices. The team lead by Associate Professor Shinobu Ohya, created a nanoscale spintronic semiconductor device that can partially switch between sp
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Date:
03/05/2019
μModule Regulators Use Inductor as Heat Sink
ADI’s Power by Linear LTM4626 and LTM4638, 20 VIN μModule (power module) regulators use a 3D packaging assembly dubbed component on package (COP). The inductor is exposed on top of the device. Using the temperature gradient of the inductor, heat from the MOSFET inside is transferred to the inductor, then to
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Date:
03/04/2019
24 V to 220 V Precision Operational Amplifier
The ADHV4702-1 is a high voltage (220 V), unity-gain stable precision operational amplifier. It offers high input impedance with low input bias current, low input offset voltage, low drift, and low noise for precision demanding applications. Key Features    Wide range of operating voltages  &nbs
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Date:
03/04/2019
7 A Ideal Diode Shields Electronics from Reversed Supplies
The Power by Linear LTC4376, an active diode with an internal 7 A MOSFET and −40 V reverse input protection. The LTC4376 replaces power Schottky diodes in diode-OR and supply holdup circuits, which reduces voltage and power losses by 10×. Key Features Low loss replacement for power Schottky diode
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Date:
03/04/2019
 Reenvision Inductor Operation to Optimize New Applications

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Core material performance curves

What do new applications need in order to take advantage of new devices like wide band-gap semiconductors? They need the best inductors. And what is the best inductor for your application?   Answering that requires proper characterization of the inductors, which is more than can be conveniently obtained fr
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Date:
03/01/2019
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