Wide-Bandgap Semis

February 2025

CEO and Co-founder of EPC, Alex Lidow

PSDcast – How AI is Revolutionizing AI Infrastructure, Robotics, and Industrial and Consumer Applications

In the run-up to the most important power event of the year, the Applied Power Electronics Conference, or APEC, we’d like to take an extra special look at one of our key partners, Efficient Power Conversion, and how GaN is revolutionizing AI infrastructure, humanoid robotics, and industrial and consumer ap

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Date:

02/26/2025

SounDigital selected Infineon’s 100 V normally-off E-mode CoolGaN™ transistors to reach higher fidelity in smaller amplifier systems.

Infineon CoolGaN Power Transistors Enable SounDigital to Reach Higher Fidelity in Smaller Amplifier Systems

Manufacturers of cutting-edge audio equipment constantly seek to enhance sound quality while also meeting the growing demand for compact, lightweight, more integrated, and energy-efficient designs. At the same time, they must ensure seamless connectivity, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly functionality, ma

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Date:

02/21/2025

SemiQ 1200V SiC Full-Bridge Modules Simplify Development of Solar Inverters, Energy Storage and Battery Charging Applications

SemiQ Inc, a designer, developer, and global supplier of superior silicon carbide (SiC) solutions for ultra-efficient, high-performance, and high-voltage applications, has announced a family of three 1200V SiC full-bridge modules, each integrating two of the company's rugged high-speed switching SiC MOSFETs wit

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Date:

02/19/2025

A technical engineer in the cleanroom at Infineon Technologies in Villach, Austria, holds a 200 mm silicon carbide wafer.

Infineon Reaches Next Milestone on 200 mm Silicon Carbide Roadmap: Product-Roll out to Customers Starts

Infineon Technologies AG has made significant progress on its 200 mm silicon carbide (SiC) roadmap. The company will already release the first products based on the advanced 200 mm SiC technology to customers in Q1 2025. The products, manufactured in Villach, Austria, provide first-class SiC power technology fo

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Date:

02/19/2025

Navitas' GaN & SiC Devices Power Dell's Family of AI Notebooks

Navitas Semiconductor, the industry leader in next-generation GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, announced its adoption of both technologies into Dell’s family of notebook adapters, from 60 W to 360 W. Enabled by over 20 years of SiC technology leadership,

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Date:

02/05/2025

Kevin Parmenter, Director, Applications Engineering. TSC, America

Wide Bandgap – Advancing Power Electronics

Kevin Parmenter, Director, Applications Engineering. TSC, America

Wide bandgap (WBG) materials, characterized by a larger energy bandgap (typically greater than 2.0 eV), are revolutionizing the field of power electronics. They are also the cornerstone of next-generation RF and optoelectronic devices. Endowed with unique – and beneficial – properties, WBG devices like Sili

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Date:

02/01/2025

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Welcome to the GaN Era

Nare Gabrielyan, Product Marketing Manager, Cambridge GaN Devices

Size, weight and performance are three attributes that constantly propel electronics development. Throw in the need for ultra-efficiency driven by market requirements and international regulations, plus the absolute need to address sustainability, and you’ll see why gallium nitride is gaining such huge traction as

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Date:

02/01/2025

Figure 1. Necessary components to consider when using GaN technology as power switches in a power stage of the LTC7800 buck converter.

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Using GaN Technology in Switch-Mode Power Supplies

Frederik Dostal, Power Management Expert, Analog Devices

GaN switches typically have lower gate voltage ratings than silicon FETs. Most GaN manufacturers recommend a typical gate drive voltage of 5 V. Some have an absolute maximum rating of 6 V, which does not give much headroom between the recommended gate drive voltage and the critical threshold, above which would da

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Date:

02/01/2025

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Figure 1: Cross-section view of GaN devices mounted on a PCB in a half-bridge configuration without a heatsink and the equivalent thermal circuit

Optimizing PCB Thermal Design for GaN FETs: A Guide for Power Electronics Engineers

Adolfo Herrera, Efficient Power Conversion, EPC

Effective thermal design at the printed circuit board (PCB) level can substantially improve cooling without the need for a heatsink. This article presents simple thermal management guidelines maximizing heat conduction from the GaN FETs to the environment using just the PCB and optimizes thermal performance wi

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Date:

02/01/2025

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Mind the Bandgap on the Road to APEC

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Welcome to the February edition of Power Systems Design Europe. We are quickly approaching APEC, the highlight of the year for the US power industry. I’ll be attending the exhibition for the first time this year, and am looking forward to see some new companies there that may not make it across the Atlantic to

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Date:

02/01/2025

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Just One More Month

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

It’s February, which means a new President was just sworn in and Valentines Day and the Super Bowl are right around the corner. It’s Black History month, President’s Day gives the nation’s youth a welcome respite from their studies, and the magical, weather-predicting groundhog may or may not have seen his shadow.

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Date:

02/01/2025