Technical Features

July 2012

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Infineon’s four-step qualification plan for CoolGaN™ devices

Developing a New Approach to Predicting the Behavior of GaN Devices

Oliver Haeberlen, Fellow Power Semiconductor Devices & Technologies, and Tim McDonald, Senior Consulting Advisor to the CoolGaN™ Development Program, both at Infineon Technologies

Introduction Silicon semiconductor technology has evolved considerably over the past 50 years, during which time, multiple failure modes affecting device reliability have been discovered, researched, and addressed. This has led to the development of models and equations for failure modes like time-de

. . . Learn More

Date:

02/24/2023

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: A typical AES design includes power sources sharing a common high-voltage DC Link, an inverter for generating AC, and a system controller ensuring coordinated operation.

Safety and reliability in home alternative-energy systems

Chun Keong Tee, Technical Marketing Engineer, Avago Technologies

Solar- and wind-power-based home AESs (alternative energy systems) are becoming more popular among consumers. To achieve the product lifetime that consumers demand and ensure user safety,

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/25/2012

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Step-down converter efficiency used to power the main processor in a set top box

Consumer-Friendly Power Design

Masoud Beheshti, Director of Product and Marketing Strategy, Texas Instruments, Power Supply Solutions

The intricacies of power design are not conversation pieces for electronic-product consumers. Nor should they be. Consumers care about visible signs of power design in the product, including the

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/24/2012

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: The principle of fuel gauging based on coulomb counting: The stored energy represents state of charge. A circuit measures the in- and out-flowing current.

Improving battery-fuel-gauge accuracy

Isidor Buchmann, CEO & founder, Cadex Electronics Inc.

For simplicity, you can imagine the battery as an energy storage device analogous to a fuel tank. However, measuring stored energy from an electrochemical device is far more complex than that comparison

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/20/2012

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Converter input power vs. line current with a symmetric conduction angle, constant current peak and resistive load.

Input-line-current synthesis in PFC control

Maurizio Salato, Director of Systems Engineering, Vicor

Traditionally, PFC (power-factor-correction) controls present a purely resistive behavior with respect to the power line. By means of multiplier or equivalent blocks, front-end converters draw

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/13/2012

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: The activation steps of the MHP device

Smart Activation circuit protection in li-ion battery applications

Ty Bowman, Global Battery Market Manager, TE Connectivity

Li-ion technology with smaller, lighter-weight, and higher-power batteries is now replacing nickel-cadmium or lead-acid batteries in high-discharge-rate battery applications. Meanwhile,

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/09/2012

Reduce stand-by power loss in AC—DC supplies

Scott Brown, Senior VP of Marketing, iWatt

Over the past decade, controller-IC manufacturers have worked to reduce so-called vampire or stand-by power consumption. Organizations such as Energy Star in the US, Blue Angel in Germany, and CNIS

. . . Learn More

Date:

07/01/2012