By Ashok Bindra, Editor, Power Electronics Technology

Discrete Power Semiconductor Supplier Eyes SiC Diodes

Using alternative packaging and innovative engineering, APT intends to address market segments not served by Cree. In addition, it will explore military, industrial, communications, semiconductor equipment, and medical applications for its SiC Schottky diodes and other designs created using these high-performance diodes. According to Glenn Wright, APT’s vice president of marketing and business development, APT intends to explore applications where low losses are critical and cost is warranted. This marks APT’s first offerings in SiC, said Wright.

In addition to standard plastic packages, the SiC diodes will be available in hermetic and high-performance packages. The plastic packages will be assembled in the Philippines, while the hermetic and advanced packages will be produced in the company’s facilities in Bend, Ore., and Bordeaux, France. APT will use its expertise in high-power semiconductor manufacturing to offer multidie parallel discrete devices in TO-220, TO-247, D2, D3, and SOT-227 packages, as well as hermetic packages with and without military screening. The dual-die packages will offer common cathode configuration. Furthermore, the supplier will offer the latest generations of MOSFETs and IGBTs built in combination with the SiC Schottky diodes in both boost and buck configurations. Power modules and other custom designs using the SiC zero recovery Schottky diodes will also be offered.

All SiC-based diodes in plastic packages will be rated at 175°C, while hermetic and high-performance packages will be rated at higher temperatures. Due to higher band gap property, these devices will offer extremely low leakage at elevated temperature. Other features include high thermal conductivity, faster switching speed compared to silicon diodes, and 600V to 1200V breakdown capability.

APT is already in sampling mode of 6A and 10A SiC Schottky diodes in plastic packages with plans to take these into production in the fourth quarter. For more information, visit www.advancedpower.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Multipole Power Connector Catalog

The catalog offers interconnect solutions for a broad range of power applications. Some of the new products highlighted include APP’s high power SBE700 connector, the touch-safe SBS50 connector, and the SB50 Power Claw.

For more information, visit www.andersonpower.com.

Headphone Amp

DirectDrive generates a ground-referenced output from a single 1.8V to 3.6V supply, which unlike competing solutions, doesn’t require a mid-rail dc bias voltage to be applied to the headphone jack ground pin. This doubles the dynamic range of the output swing and simplifies end-product design and reliability.

The MAX4411B has a fixed gain of -2V/V, produces 80MW per channel into a 16Ω load, and has very low 0.003% THD + N. A high 86 dB PSRR at 217 Hz allows direct operation from noisy supplies without additional conditioning. Independent left/right, low-power shutdown controls optimize power savings in mixed mode mono/stereo applications. In addition to minimizing size, the elimination of dc-blocking capacitors improves the amplifier's low-frequency response, allowing full-range audio reproduction. This is especially important for music and video playback. Comprehensive click-and-pop reduction circuitry ensures fast turn on/turn off times without audible glitches. The outputs include ±8kV ESD protection.

For more information, visit www.maximic.com



7/21/2003

Edited by PETech Staff

WI-FI Antenna Specialized for Warehouse, Manufacturing, and Shipping Industries

The MegaSphere provides coverage for 802.11b and 802.11g voice-over IP and data communications running in the 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz frequency range. It’s ideal for wireless applications performed on warehouse or manufacturing floors used for shipping and receiving, inventory control, and logistics management. With a cylindrical form factor and high gain, the antenna can be installed in open-air or high ceiling environments. The MegaSphere comes with multiple mounting options, including a beam clamp mount and a ceiling grid clip mount.

Offering a maximum input power of 50W, the MegaSphere features vertical polarization with a peak gain of 6 dBi and an impedance of 50 Ω. It operates and stores at a temperature range of -40°C to 70°C, and is housed in a durable, impact resistant PVC housing material. The MegaSphere includes a 36 in., plenum-rated pigtail cable and a choice of connectors, including RP-TNC, N-Female, SMA Male and RP-BNC. For more information, visit www.centurion.com.



7/21/2003

Edited by PETech Staff

Low-Voltage Power Sequencers

These new power sequencers are packaged in the very small and thermally efficient 4 mm × 4 mm Quad Flat No-lead (QFN) package and provide 4-channel control with soft-start and undervoltage protection. They are designed to sequence four voltage channels, each in the range of 0.7V to 5.5V, with any-order flexibility. This flexibility allows the designer to change timing and sequence by simply changing the values of external resistors and capacitors, without requiring any layout changes. Thus, a single part can be used to address a multitude of different voltage and sequence requirements, rather than having to inventory a different part for each combination of voltages and/or sequences.

For more information, visit www.intersil.com.



7/21/2003

Edited by PETech Staff

QFET® Planar MOSFETs

These new C-Series (FQxxNxxC) and V2 Series (FQxxNxxV2) MOSFETs offer reduced on-state loss by lowering on-resistance (R_DS(on)) and reduced switching loss by lowering gate charge (Qg) and output capacitance (Coss); benefits that result from combining Fairchild’s proprietary DMOS and advanced planar stripe structure technologies. By using advanced QFET process technology, Fairchild can offer a 25% improved figure of merit (FOM) over competing planar MOSFET devices. For cost effectiveness, the new QFET series products are available in standard surface-mount and through-hole type packages (TO-92, TO-92L, TO-126).

For more information, visit www.fairchildsemi.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

DC-DC Controllers

These devices are ideal for powering the latest generation chipsets in today's point-of-load dc-dc architectures. Their low output voltage capability of down to 0.8V, along with high current capability of 20A, powers the latest CPUs, DSPs and FPGAs with up to 95% efficiency. Housed in the 4 mm x 4 mm MLFTM 12-lead package, which is 46% smaller than the commonly used SO-8 package, the ICs save valuable board area. The 500-kHz operating frequency of MIC2198 further saves board space by allowing the use of small external inductor and capacitors. The MIC2198 and MIC2199 operate over a wide 4.5V to 32V input voltage range, making them suitable for 5V, 12V, and 24V power bus systems. The MIC2199 operates at a slower 300 kHz, allowing higher efficiency in high input voltage systems by reducing switching losses.

To complement the MIC2198/9 family, Micrel has also released a family of simple buck and boost controllers housed in the SO-8 package. The low pin-count of the SO-8 package allows designers to simplify their designs and use minimal external components. The MIC2193 is a high efficiency synchronous buck controller that can achieve duty-cycles up to 100%. The MIC2194 is a flexible buck controller optimized for buck step-down applications and can also be configured in a buck-boost circuit that generates negative voltages. The MIC2196 is a boost step-up controller that can generate high output voltages and currents. All three MIC2193/4/6 devices operate from 2.9V to 14V input voltages, allowing them to step up or step down 3.3V, 5V, and 12V power rails that are common in telecom/datacom/server applications. The 400 kHz operation of the MIC2193/4/6 family allows small external capacitors and inductors to be used, saving valuable board space.

For more information, visit www.micrel.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Central Semiconductor Expands EOL Life Support Program

In addition to the listed EOL Life Support devices, Central welcomes inquiries for any discontinued device or device at risk of being discontinued by another manufacturer. A complete analysis will be conducted to evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing the device. Central has even worked directly with original manufacturers to insure the customers' requirements are met.

Central Semiconductor manufactures diminishing source discrete semiconductors and will continue to do so as long as there is an industry demand. Specifications for these devices can be found in the EOL Life Support section of Central's Web site at www.centralsemi.com/eol.

Edited by PETech Staff

Spellman Expands Spellman de Mexico Manufacturing Facility

The factory in Matamoros uses the same cutting-edge and proprietary encapsulation and test technologies found in its New York operation. According to Tom Swensen, who was recently promoted to director of Mexico Operations, “Our design and development centers in New York and in the United Kingdom have benefited greatly by the high quality, on time delivery, and cost savings of the work coming out of Mexico. We are adding people in our New York and Japan facilities due to our overall growth, which is partly a result of the fine work and dedication of our people in Matamoros.”

For more information, visit www.spellmanhv.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

ITOCHU Corp. to Invest $3.5 Million in ENER1

ITOCHU has completed its technical due diligence, and the stock purchase is expected to close within the next 30 days once the business due diligence and final agreement are successfully completed.

For more information, visit www.ener1.com. or www.itochu.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Murata Electronics Names Digi-Key as Distributor

With close ties to the design and engineering communities, Digi-Key has established a strong client base focused on demand creation and is frequently tapped for sampling and fulfillment needs. Furthermore, the Digi-Key brand is closely associated with this target market. As such, both companies will work closely together to provide design enhancements (for existing and future products) to their customer base.

"This partnership enables Murata to continue expanding our product line to a critically important market," said Dave Loconte, national distribution manager for Murata Electronics North America. "With Digi-Key's focus on the design and engineering communities, customers are able to purchase our products with extremely fast turnaround and first-class service. By adding them to our list of channel partners, we can provide increased value to our OEM customer base."

For more information, visit www.murata.com.

By Ashok Bindra, Editor, PETech

IEEE Ratifies PoE Standard; Interoperability Tests to Begin

"The 802.3af standard will provide the first global standard for power," said Steve Carlson, chair of the 802.3af Task Force. "Thousands of new and innovative products will emerge to take advantage of having the proven robustness and reliability of Ethernet along with power on the same connector. In 10 years, no one will be able to remember when Ethernet ports didn't supply power."

According to Richard Webb, market analyst at Infonetics Research, "The 802.3af standard provides a stable basis from which vendors can continue to reduce the cost of installing and upgrading network devices; this can be a hidden cost in the deployment and scaling-up of wireless LANs and VoIP in particular, and so improves the investment case for both these technologies.

"The standard ratification will add extra impetus to the current trend amongst silicon vendors to design chipsets for laptops and portables that require low power consumption below the 12.95W prescribed in the PoE standard," said Amir Lehr, vice president, business development and strategic planning at PowerDsine. "As these devices become less power-hungry and PoE becomes the standard in most corporate IT environments, there will no longer be a need for business people to carry a variety of different plugs when traveling. Instead, the RJ45 jack will become the universal power jack. I confidently predict that in the next five years, more than 75% of enterprise network devices will be able to be powered by Ethernet."

Meanwhile, based on the new standard, major proponents like PowerDsine, Linear Technology, Maxim Integrated Products, and Texas Instruments continue to release products for this application. Others such as Intersil and Micrel are in the development mode. More are expected to join this fray. Consequently, in an effort to improve performance of PoE products supporting the new IEEE 802.3af standard, the University of New Hampshire’s InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) announced that multi-vendor PoE testing will be held August 4-8 at their facility in Durham, N.H. Member companies of the PoE consortium expected to participate include 3Com, Extreme Networks, Nortel Networks, PowerDsine, and Texas Instruments.

This PoE Group Test Period gives participating vendors the opportunity to test their PoE equipment in a small, neutral setting. Problems discovered during testing can be repaired immediately, rather than after products have been released to market. Providing interoperability and parametric testing, the UNH-IOL offers valuable feedback to vendors and the chance to examine interoperability with other implementations. The testing also allows UNH-IOL student engineers the opportunity to apply their knowledge and interact with the new technology.

According to Gerard Nadeau, manager of the UNH-IOL's PoE consortium, "The focus of our testing will be interoperability. We will also verify that power-sourcing equipment (PSE) is performing detection and powered devices (PD) are providing the proper signature. This event supports our member-based weekly testing of PoE products, utilizing tests from the IEEE 802.3af standard and those developed by our laboratory."

"Interoperability testing at the UNH-IOL is extremely valuable as the new PoE standard becomes more widely adopted with customers," said Rich Valley, vice president of TI's system power management group. "Through its relationships with the IOL and members of the PoE consortium, TI is enhancing its position to deliver advanced PoE-compliant power management solutions to our customers that have been tested and are fully interoperable."

Members can schedule individual testing at the laboratory at any time between scheduled multi-vendor group test periods. The UNH-IOL encourages vendors to conduct such testing through its provision of a neutral, multi-vendor test environment.

For more information, visit www.ieee.org.

Edited by PETech Staff

Call for Papers

This three-day international conference will serve an audience of decision makers who are interested in learning about and contributing to the latest commercial advancements and anticipated future developments related to power electronics for DCG systems. Speakers will have an opportunity to present to top executives and technical professionals of leading DCG equipment companies as well as key technical and management professionals in the power conversion and utility industries, and leading researchers from industry, academia, and government laboratories. Tours will include the National Fuel Cell Research Center and the University of California Power Electronics Laboratory.

Submissions are being sought for:

1. DCG Sources, (including fuel cells, micro turbine generators, photovoltaics, wind turbines, etc.)
2. Power Electronics for Distributed and Co-Generation
3. Load/Utility Considerations

For more information, visit pedac.darnell.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

RF MOSFETs

The new linear Z-MOS TM portfolio features a BVDSS voltage rating of 500V. Furthermore, the combination of high-performance, low-cost packaging combined with high-voltage Z-MOS TM results in the industry's lowest cost per watt in terms of RF output power.

The Z-MOS TM portfolio is packaged in the low inductance, low profile, electrically isolated, surface-mount DE275 and DE275X2 packages. The matched thermal coefficient of expansion between the aluminum nitride substrate and the Z-MOS TM die results in improved reliability and power cycling performance.

For more information, visit www.ixysrf.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

PWM Controller

The LT1950's programmable leading edge blanking eliminates the need for current sense filtering. Compared to dc-dc converter modules, the LT1950 solution is smaller, lighter, has lower profile and better airflow, and is significantly lower in cost. Its key applications include power supplies in telecom, industrial, medical, automotive, and aerospace systems where a high reliability isolated/nonisolated power supply rail is used to distribute power within the system.

The LT1950's adaptive maximum duty cycle clamp follows the input voltage so that load and line transients do not cause excessive flux swing in the transformer. Without this feature, designers must use an oversized transformer, larger MOSFETs and extensive filtering. With its adjustable undervoltage lockout (UVLO), the LT1950 can be easily customized to operate with a wide range of input supplies. The operating frequency is adjustable with a resistor from 100kHz to 500kHz. The IC is synchronizable to an external clock while a precision internal reference guarantees an accurate output voltage. It’s packaged in a 16-lead SSOP.

For more information, visit www.linear.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Single-Ended, Isolated Current-Sensing ICs

These ICs incorporate advanced sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter technology to provide accurate linear current sensing performance with single-ended output. Key product specifications include 15 kV/µs common mode rejection at 1000V common mode, 100 kHz bandwidth, single-ended output, 0.06% nonlinearity, and a gain tolerance of ±3% (HCPL-7510) or ±5% (HCPL-7520). These features ensure true isolation, high noise immunity, and the stability needed to accurately monitor motor current in noisy motor control environments. The HCPL-7510 and HCPL-7520 are supplied in a compact, auto-insertable 8-pin DIP package to reduce board space, insertion time, and cost.

For more information, visit www.agilent.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

5Spice Analysis Software

Additional features include a Wizard to set Spice's simulation defaults based on user's circuit values, a searchable library index, large signal harmonic distortion analysis, parameter passing to subcircuits, extensions to Spice3 behavioral modeling, and task-oriented help written by a Spice user.

5Spice is a pure simulation product, not burdened by a user interface dictated by pc board layout requirements.

For more information, visit www.5Spice.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Digital Potentiometer ICs

The CAT5241 and CAT5221 operate from a single power supply voltage that can range from 2.5V to 6V. Their maximum wiper resistance is a low 150 Ω at 5V operation. A maximum wiper resistance of 300 Ω at 3V operation is also specified.

Target applications include fiber-optic transceiver modules, RF amplifier bias and protection circuits, digital and film cameras, LCD display brightness and contrast control, transducer calibration, and programmable power supplies. With multiple pots per package, DPP solutions are lower cost and easier to mount on printed circuit boards than mechanical potentiometers.

For more information, visit www.catalyst-semiconductor.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Dual Laser Drivers

Each device in the EL683X family features dual output stages, one read and four write channels, and two on-chip 600-MHz high frequency modulator (HFM) oscillators that allow frequency and amplitude control by use of external resistors to ground. The external resistors allow customers to accurately and independently set each amplifier transconductance by applying a voltage to the resistor without restriction on the voltage range, thus ensuring broad voltage DAC compatibility. All devices include a disable feature for power-up protection and power savings, and all but the EL6836 and 6838 incorporate low-voltage differential signal (LVDS) inputs on the fast switching lines.

For more information, visit www.intersil.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Tyco Electronics Releases Catalog

Among the products described in its pages are low-signal, midrange, and power relays for PC board mounting; relays with forcibly-guided contacts; plug-in/panel mount relays; power relays and definite purpose contactors; latching, impulse and rotary relays; automotive relays; solid state relays and input/output modules; and time delay relays and modules. The catalog also covers thermal and magnetic circuit breakers; transformers; sensors, monitors, and protective relays; and relay sockets and accessories.

Products described in this catalog are typically applied across a broad range of applications in many diverse industries. Some application areas include HVAC equipment, industrial machinery, security systems, appliances, traffic light controls, elevators, vending machines, medical equipment, power supplies, test gear and home entertainment systems.

A selector guide at the front of the catalog provides an overview, by general type, of the various product series. Detailed specifications for the product series can be found in subsequent sections. Question trees that may be helpful to a user in selecting a product for his/her application are included at the beginning of several product sections.

While the catalog focuses on Tyco Electronics relay products for general purpose applications, it doesn’t exclude the firm's relay products for high performance applications. A 12-page section provides an overview of the CII, Hartman and Kilovac product lines that are typically used in high performance applications.

For more information, visit www.tycoelectronics.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

ABB Wins $25 million in Multiple FACTS Orders

One contract, valued at approximately $13 million, was awarded by the Australian utility, TransGrid, for a static var compensator (SVC) for the 330kV ac interconnection between New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. ABB already delivered two SVCs to PowerLink for another section of this important link. The latest SVC will be installed at the Sydney West substation in order to provide rapid voltage support to the transmission system supplying Sydney and NSW, particularly during network contingencies. This is a turnkey project scheduled for completion in July 2004.

The two U.S. contracts are worth approximately $12 million and are both upgrades of existing series compensation installations—another FACTS technology. One contract, awarded by Idaho Power, is for the replacement of an existing installation of the main 345kV system at the Goshen substation in Idaho and is vital for improving transmission capacity between generation units and load areas located in the western region of the country.

The other contract was received from Nevada Power Co. for the replacement of an existing installation at the McCullough substation, close to the city of Las Vegas. In addition to equipment delivery and site works of the new installation, this turnkey contract also includes dismantling and disposal of the existing series compensation units. The new installation will substantially increase the transmission capacity of the McCullough-Crystal line into the Los Angeles area.

The common objective of these projects is to enhance, in a cost-effective way, the feed of electrical power into major load areas in the western United States. Both projects are scheduled for completion before the summer peak load of 2004.

For more information, visit www.abb.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Rockwell Scientific Signs Contract with Lamina Ceramics

LTCC-M is ideal for products used in high bandwidth applications, such as the RDA012M4, because it delivers high heat dissipation, high component density, and low loss characteristics. Because of these performance advantages, Rockwell Scientific selected LTCC-M for its RDA012M4 package. LTCC-M's ability to have the leaded and ball grids cast in the same die was also a factor in Rockwell Scientific's decision.

For more information, visit www.laminaceramics.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Demand Increases for ‹5kVA UPS Products

• End users do not have strong preferences towards specific brands. They do not draw associations to particular brands based on quality, service, price, or otherwise.
• Business segments did not show strong differences among various UPS product features or specifications. Most UPS systems were similar in offerings and had little variation for end users to choose from as a result.
• Growth in multiple applications for UPS systems across new segments will allow for various features and specifications to become more and less important. The uses for UPS systems across new applications such as entertainment will provide for more specific market segmentation and specialization by the vendors.
• Standardization of product features and specifications, and the subsequent expectations of end users will demand new and improved product performance in areas such as battery back-up time and physical dimensions.

For more information, visit www.vdc-corp.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Osprey Launches Alloys with D-TecH

"We are excited by this opportunity," said Dennis Hanley, president of D-TecH. "Osprey's CE Alloys unique properties and low cost are enabling new products and adding significant value to existing designs in both military and commercial applications. CE Alloys are up to 10% lighter than aluminum, offer tailored coefficient of thermal expansion in the range 7ppm/°C to 17ppm/°C, and are a practical alternative to a range of materials, including CuW, CuMo and AlSiC. D-TecH is impressed by Osprey's commitment to customer service, materials knowledge and expertise, and pleased to offer such important benefits to customers in our area."

For more information, visit www.ospreymetals.com.

Edited by PETech Staff

Ansoft Joins Synopsys in-Sync Program

Users of Synopsys' Encore can now export their designs to an Ansoft tool and then, if desired, output their files to Synopsys HSPICE for further analysis. This is especially advantageous in the design of complex, high-speed passive interconnects, where electrical behavior depends on effects not included in circuit-simulation tools.

For more information, visit www.ansoft.com.

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