Wide-Bandgap Semis

    February 2025
    PSDcast – How AI is Revolutionizing AI Infrastructure, Robotics, and Industrial and Consumer Applications

    CEO and Co-founder of EPC, Alex Lidow

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

    SounDigital selected Infineon’s 100 V normally-off E-mode CoolGaN™ transistors 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 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
    Infineon Reaches Next Milestone on 200 mm Silicon Carbide Roadmap: Product-Roll out to Customers Starts

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

    ­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' 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
    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
    Welcome to the GaN Era

    Click image to enlarge

    ­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
    Using GaN Technology in Switch-Mode Power Supplies

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

    Click image to enlarge

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

    Click image to enlarge

    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

    ­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
    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
    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
    Archive

    Transformer Design Comparisons for Mitigating EMI in Gate Driver Circuits

    Mar 29,2026
    Matthew Russell, Master’s student at University College Cork, and a student engineer at Bourns Electronics Ireland

    Wide Bandgap Devices Deliver on Their Promise

    Jan 26,2026
    Kevin Parmenter, Pins Out Engineering, for TSC America, Inc.

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    Power Systems Design is a leading global media platform serving the power electronics design engineering community. It delivers in-depth technical content, industry news, and product insights to engineers and decision-makers developing advanced power systems and technologies.

    Published 12× per year across North America and Europe, Power Systems Design is distributed through online and fully digital editions, complemented by eNewsletters, webinars, and multimedia content. The platform covers key areas including power conversion, semiconductors, renewable energy, automotive electrification, AI power systems, and industrial applications—supporting innovation across the global electronics industry.