Technical Features

December 2016

Figure 1: Power schematic circuit for the bi-directional three-level, two-phase converter

Optimizing Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converters for GaN Technology

Alejandro Pozo Arribas, Senior Applications Engineer, Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)

Introduction Modern power systems demand higher efficiency, increased power density, and reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI)—all while adhering to shrinking size constraints. Among the converter topologies addressing these challenges, the Flying Capacitor Multilevel (FCML) converter stands out for it

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Date:

05/30/2025

Dynamic power scaling

Bruce Petipas, Analog Devices

In today’s data acquisition systems (DAQs), performance boundaries are continually being pushed. System designers require higher speed, lower noise, and better total harmonic distortion (THD) performance; all of which are possible but none of which are free. These performance improvements typically co

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Date:

12/07/2016

The EPCOS PQSine active harmonic filter

Music to my ears

Dr. Richard Michelson, EPCOS, a TDK Company

To a non-engineer, the word “harmonics” has a beautiful sound – one that to many conjures up an image of a concert with instruments playing beautiful music. The harmony is what combines with the melody to turn the composition into something complex and beautiful rather than being just a simple tune. However, when most

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Date:

12/07/2016

The creepage distance is the shortest path between two conductors along the surface of an isolator (typically a PCB)

Safety vs. performance

Srivatsa Raghunath, Infineon Technologies

When designing a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) operating losses and the ability to dissipate heat are critical selection criteria for MOSFETs. The standard TO-220 package is generally good at dissipating heat and the wide range of heatsinks and forced-air cooling options available can easily improve this. Le

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Date:

12/04/2016