May 2020

CONTENTS www.power-mag.com Issue 2 2020 Power Electronics Europe 3 Editor Achim Scharf Tel: +49 (0)892865 9794 Fax: +49 (0)892800 132 Email: PowerElectronicsEurope@t-online.de Production Editor Chris Davis Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Financial Manager Clare Jackson Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Reader/Circulation Enquiries Perception Tel: +44 (0) 1825 701520 Email: dfamedia@dmags.co.uk INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICES Mainland Europe: Victoria Hufmann, Norbert Hufmann Tel: +49 911 9397 643 Fax: +49 911 9397 6459 Email: pee@hufmann.info Eastern US Karen C Smith-Kernc email: KarenKCS@aol.com Western US and Canada Alan A Kernc Tel: +1 717 397 7100 Fax: +1 717 397 7800 email: AlanKCS@aol.com Japan: Yoshinori Ikeda, Pacific Business Inc Tel: 81-(0)3-3661-6138 Fax: 81-(0)3-3661-6139 Email: pbi2010@gol.com Taiwan Prisco Ind. Service Corp. Tel: 886 2 2322 5266 Fax: 886 2 2322 2205 Publisher & UK Sales Ian Atkinson Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Email: ian@dfamedia.co.uk www.power-mag.com Circulation and subscription: Power Electronics Europe is available for the following subscription charges. Power Electronics Europe : annual charge UK/NI £95, overseas $160, EUR 150. Contact: DFA Media, 192 The High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BE Great Britain. Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 . Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 . Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will only be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unless specifically guaranteed within the terms of subscription offer. Editorial information should be sent to The Editor, Power Electronics Europe , PO Box 340131, 80098 Munich, Germany. The contents of Power Electronics Europe are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. Printed by: Warners. ISSN 1748-3530 PAGE 6 Market News PEE looks at the latest Market News and company developments PAGE 13 Industry News PAGE 16 A Technology Conquers Power-Hungry Applications Gallium nitride (GaN) power devices have opened many new applications since their commercial availability began in 2010. The superior switching speed of GaN devices and, as a result, their low switching losses, gave the starting signal for the development of new applications such as lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors and resonant wireless power. In the midst of a multitude of such innovative applications, a strong value chain with low production costs and extremely reliable products grew up. As a result, even more conservative, budget- conscious developers in cost-sensitive application areas, such as power supplies and the automotive industry, felt motivated to evaluate GaN power devices for their designs. Tobias Herrmann, FAE and Jieyi Zhu, Line Manager EPC at Finepower, Ismaning, Germany PAGE 24 GaN for Power-Hungry 5G Base Stations There is a significant change currently underway in the world of mobile telecommunications: the rollout of the fifth generation of cellular network technology, otherwise known as 5G. Consumers are only just beginning to experience the benefits of 5G technology, which will not only enable ultrafast download speeds to rival fixed-line broadband, but will in future also support a much higher density of mobile and connected IoT devices within cellular network areas. But that 5G will consume more power than 4G is an inescapable reality. GaN in SMD packages are a perfect match for the particular requirements of 5G network infrastructure. Francesco Di Domenico, Principal Application Engineering, Infineon Technologies, Neubiberg, Germany PAGE 28 The Landscape of Isolated DC/DC Bias Power Supplie Moving signals and power across an isolation barrier is a common challenge for designers. Isolation might be required for safety, noise immunity or large potential differences between system domains. Understanding system-level specifications like the number of outputs, regulation requirements, output power, insulation rating, operating temperature and input voltage range are critical. From there, designers can derive the lowest-cost solution that meets all of the system requirements. Ryan Manack, Business Lead, Texas Instruments, USA PAGE 31 Stabilizing Voltage the Right Way Bypass capacitors are frequently needed in electronics development. Placement of bypass capacitors on the board in a switching regulator is very important for achieving the greatest possible effectiveness for these components. Frederik Dostal, Field Applications Engineer, Analog Devices, Munich, Germany PAGE 33 Web Locator Integrated GaN Power Stage for eMobility Brushless DC (BLDC) motors are a popular choice and are finding increasing application in robotics, drones, electric bicycles, and electric scooters. All these applications are particularly sensitive to size, weight, cost, and efficiency. To address these needs, inverters powering the motors need to operate at higher frequency, but require additional filtering to prevent excessive losses, EMI generation, and unwanted mechanical wear related to high frequency common mode and induced current flow. GaN FETs and ICs offer the ability to operate at much higher frequencies in hard-switching topologies without incurring significant losses. In March 2020, EPC introduced a new monolithic GaN half-bridge ePower Stage IC that is capable of 1 MHz switching and up to 15 ARMS load current per phase. This tiny IC greatly reduces PCB size. The system size, however, is further diminished because the very high frequency reduces filtering requirements, thus reducing size and weight. One application example that will be discussed is an eScooter with a 400 W BLDC motor. More details on page 20. COVER STORY