Wide-Bandgap Semis

July 2020
Wide bandgap markets could pass $1 billion next year

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

I know I’ve talked quite a lot recently about the explosive growth of SiC and GaN devices, but they really are causing a step change in the industry that’s impossible to ignore. It’s also difficult to get an accurate feel for exactly how big the scale of change actually is, along with the projected growth of
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Date:
07/27/2020
PSDcast – The H-1B Visa Restriction (Good for the Industry?)

Chris Dries, the President and CEO of UnitedSiC

You’ve probably heard that President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security took actions with mammoth ramifications for our industry. To whit, Trump restricted H-1B visas for engineers, computer programmers and other technical workers through 2020. Is this a boon for domestic employment or a shackle fo
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Date:
07/23/2020
ROHM and LEADRIVE to Develop SiC Inverters Together
ROHM and Leadrive Technology (LEADRIVE) held an opening ceremony of their joint laboratory on SiC technology in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Lingang New Area). SiC power devices have been adopted increasingly in onboard vehicle chargers and DC/DC converters. These devices provide several ad
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Date:
07/08/2020
The Smarter the Car, the More It Needs GaN

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Figure 1: The MOSFET solution (top) for a 3 kW 48 V – 12 V DC-DC converter requires five phases compared with the eGaN FET solution (bottom) with only four phases. The eGaN FET solution is 35% smaller and 20% less expensive

As the new decade emerges, it is becoming clearer that the trend in automotive is electric. Internal combustion engines (ICE) are succumbing to hybrid and full-electric vehicles.  Along with that major shift in propulsion comes a variety of accessories that need to convert to electric.  In addition, ne
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Date:
07/02/2020
Efficient WBG Power for Medium Voltage Applications

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Figure 1: Example historical cascode circuits

Perhaps the power conversion industry is now familiar with the concept of the ‘cascode’ device when applied to silicon and wide band-gap semiconductor hybrids, achieving a close approximation to the normally-off, ideal switch, with easy gate drive and a range of other benefits. The idea goes back to 1939 wh
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Date:
07/02/2020
Wide Bandgap Enabling a Bright Future for Solar Power

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Figure 1: Block diagram of a typical solar power inverter system

Of the various forms of renewable energy in use, solar and wind power have become the most often deployed and are responsible for the majority of clean, renewable power generated. Of the two, solar is becoming the dominant technology, generating almost twice the power output of wind power. In fact, the amount of
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Date:
07/02/2020

 

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