electronics in motion and conversion september 2010 - bodo's power
TRANSCRIPT
ZKZ 64717
09-10ISSN: 1863-5598
Electronics in Motion and Conversion September 2010
[email protected] · www.mitsubishichips.com
All the power you need...For a better environment
Motor ControlMitsubishi, a leading manufacturer of Power Modules, offers
a variety of products like IGBT Module, Intelligent Power
Module (IPM), DIPCIB and DIPIPM for a wide range of Industrial
Motor Control applications. Covering a drive range from 0.4kW
to several 100kW, the RoHS compliant modules with the latest
chip and production technologies ensure the best efficiency
and the highest reliability. The easy to use features, compact
size and mechanical compatibility with previous generations
make the offered products more attractive on the market.
Please visit us: SPS 2010, Hall 1, Stand 639
www.bodospower.com September 2010
Viewpoint
This Fall´s Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Blue Product of the Month
Digital Techniques Vastly Improve Power Converter’s Packaging Density
By Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director, Ericsson Power Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13
Guest Editorial
Advanced Multilevel Topologies: A Technological Breakthrough?
By Jochen Koszescha, PM R & T, ECPE European Center for Power Electronics e.V. . . . 14
Market
Electronics Industry Digest
By Aubrey Dunford, Europartners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Market
Architectures, Topologies, Materials or Applications: What's Most Important?
By Linnea Brush, Senior Analyst, Darnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19
Cover Story
High Currents Under Control
By Paul Newman, Managing Director, Semikron UK Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-22
Power Management
Benefits in Portable Consumer Applications
By Casey Springer, Senior Product Marketing Engineer, Analog Group, IDT . . . . . . . . . 24-25
Portable Power
Memory LCDs are based on Continuous Grain Silicon Technology.
By Sven Johannsen, Business Development Manager, Sharp Microelectronics Europe and Patrick Delmer, Supplier Business Manager, Arrow Central Europe GmbH . . . . . . 26-28
Motion Control
Rectifier Integration Opens Door for High Power Density Intelligent Power Modules
By D. Chung, J. Lee, J. Song, LS Power Semitech Korea and W. Frank, Infineon Technologies Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-33
Motion Control
Low Resource Microcontroller - 3 Phase BLDC Motor Speed Controller
By Martin Hill, Microchip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-35
Measurement
Precision Current Sensor with Exceptional Large Bandwidth
By R. Weiss and K. Behringe, Senior Research Engineers Siemens AG,C. Blümm and R. Weigel, Friedrich Alexander University/Lehrstuhl für Technische Elektronik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-38
Measurement
ScopeCorder Measurements Aid High-Speed Inverter Testing
By Kelvin Hagebeuk, Yokogawa Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40-42
EMC
Minimizing Electromagnetic Interference When Powering Densely Populated Systems
By Afshin Odabaee, μModule Product Marketing Manager, Linear Technology Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-47
New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-56
Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com2
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Microchip’s new dsPIC33F ‘GS’ Series DSCs provide on-chip peripherals includinghigh-speed Pulse-Width-Modulators (PWMs), ADCs and analogue comparators,specifically designed for high performance, digital power supplies.
The powerful dsPIC33F ‘GS’ series is specifically aimed at power control applications and can beconfigured for a variety of topologies, giving power-supply designers the complete freedom tooptimise for specific product applications. Multiple independent power control channels enablean unprecedented number of completely independent digital control loops. The dsPIC33F ‘GS’series offers the optimal digital power solution supported by royalty free reference designs andadvanced power design tools.
Typical applications of the new ‘GS’ series DSC include: Lighting (HID, LED, fluorescent),uninterruptable power supplies, intelligent battery chargers, AC-DC and DC-DC powerconverters, solar and pure sine-wave inverters, induction cooking, and power factor correction.
Digital control loops with 12 to 18 high-speed, 1 ns resolution PWMsUp to 24 channels 10-bit on-chip ADCs2 to 4 Million samples per second (MSPS) ADC for low latency and
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Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
The days of Summer have been nice so far
in my area and I’ve been protecting my head
and recharging my batteries for the upcom-
ing marathon of events this Fall.
What happens when we do not respect
Mother Nature has become all to apparent.
Fires in Russia, flooding in Poland and east-
ern Germany and, in Asia, China, Pakistan
and India are the headlines of our day. Not
to mention the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
and the, as yet unknown, consequences of
this environmental disaster. We only have
this one Earth and we need to handle it
carefully before we turn it over to the next
generation. It is up to the engineers to help
the world recover. We must investigate how
many of these disasters are man-made and
what corrective action is needed.
A good start would be to focus on generating
energy through natural, renewable sources
such as water, wind and solar. The next step
is to distribute it through smart grids. Modern
electronics can control the grid but what we
need is a standard to communicate the need
for controlling the power. The imec Institute
suggested what could be included in the
smart grid in an article in January 2010 but
did not include high-voltage DC link applica-
tions like the one from ABB in my July issue.
These are, however, necessary for transport-
ing electrical energy efficiently over long dis-
tances. Energy from off-shore wind parks
and solar power are generated far away
from the consumers for whom they are
meant. Efficient links can make it attractive
to transport this power over significant dis-
tances.
The EPE conference in Macedonia will pro-
vide a university platform to review techno-
logical progress for the next generation of
design. HusumWind in Germany will high-
light where wind power will be the next
years. Where wind is we have the potential
for harvesting energy – we only have to build
the windmills. Distributing and storing electri-
cal energy is a challenging area that we
need to explore more but another monumen-
tal challenge is to reduce wasted energy in
order to reduce the overall demand. Here
less is more for our environment.
Innotrans in Berlin will display design and
innovation for locomotives and transporta-
tion. Power semiconductors including high
power switches like the IGBT contribute sig-
nificantly to the development of variable
speed driven electric drives.
The Solar Energy conference in Valencia is
another milestone in paving the way for
more environmentally friendly solutions for
generating electrical power. Spain has plenty
of sun just like California and it would be a
shame not to take advantage of it.
Including this September issue - delivered,
as always, on time – we will have produced
a total of 530 pages this year: strong per-
formance due to strong support.
My Green Power Tip for September:
If the temperature is still good enough you
could walk about without your socks and
save soap and a lot of energy for running
your washing machine and dryer. Take
advantage of September, in October we may
have cold days.
So now it’s almost show time and I hope to
see you at one of the Fall’s exciting events!
Best regards
Bodo
This Fall’s Events
V I E W P O I N T
4
A MediaKatzbek 17a
D-24235 Laboe, Germany
Phone: +49 4343 42 17 90
Fax: +49 4343 42 17 89
www.bodospower.com
Publishing EditorBodo Arlt, [email protected]
Creative Direction & ProductionRepro Studio Peschke
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assume and hereby disclaim any
liability to any person for any loss or
damage by errors or omissions in the
material contained herein regardless of
whether such errors result from
negligence accident or any other cause
whatsoever.
EventsEPE-PEMC Ohrid Macedonia Sep. 6-8
http://www.epe-pemc2010.com
Solar Energy Valencia Spain Sep. 6-10
http://www.photovoltaic-conference.com
Darnell’s Power Forum Chicago IL Sep.
13-15 http://DPF.Darnell.com
Husum Wind Energy Ger. Sep. 21-25
http://www.husumwindenergy.com
Innotrans Berlin Ger. Sep. 21-24
http://www.innotrans.com
Digital Power Workshops Munich Ger.
Oct. 5 http://www.biricha.com
NDT Level 4 Dubai. Oct. 11
http://www.ndtlevel4.com
Elektro Mobil Ausstellung Aschaffenburg
Ger. Oct. 8-9 http://www.ema-ab.de
Semicon Europa Dresden Ger. Oct. 19-21
http://www.semiconeuropa.org
Substation Technology Europe Berlin Ger.
Oct. 25-27 http://www.theiet.org/substation
Electronica Munich Ger. Nov 9-12
http://www.electronica.de/en
SPS/IPC/DRIVES Nürnberg Ger. Nov. 23-25
http://www.mesago.de/en/SPS/main.htm
Power electronics Moscow Nov.30-Dec.2
http://www.powerelectronics.ru
6 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
N E W S
Leading power supply manufacturer TDK-
Lambda UK has entered into a collaborative
research and development agreement with
Thermastrate®, a provider of advanced solu-
tions in thermrates for power electronic
packaging applications. The aim of the proj-
ect will be to commercialise the use of
advanced thermal materials for power supply
magnetics.
The collaborative R&D initiative is borne out
of an extensive research project started in
2007 to evaluate methods for substantially
improving the power density of AC-DC
power supplies funded by TDK-Lambda UK
and carried out by the Electrical Machines
and Drives (EMD) Group at The University of
Sheffield. During this successful industry and
academic research cooperation, a strong
relationship with Thermastrate developed.
“We are moving ahead to a new phase on
this project with Thermastrate,” comments
Andrew Skinner, Chief Technology Office of
TDK-Lambda UK. “The aim will be to over-
come the thermal challenges inherent with
traditional materials used for power supply
magnetics, and underlines our commitment
to leading edge power supply development.”
Based at the hi-tech NETPark complex in
Sedgefield, County Durham, United King-
dom, Thermastrate provides advanced solu-
tions in thermally efficient substrates for a
wide range of power electronic packaging
applications. “We are excited to extend our
expertise and technologies in thermal man-
agement to help solve the challenges identi-
fied by TDK-Lambda. The product develop-
ment effort is in the advanced stages and
the results so far are very encouraging,”
says Felix Hirzel, CEO of Thermastrate Ltd.
Thermastrate’s core products include Flex-
itherm® and Ultratherm®, which the compa-
ny currently sell into the solar energy, solid-
state lighting, high brightness LED (HBLED),
high power electronics, and hybrid electric
vehicle (HEV) markets.
www.uk.tdk-lambda.com
Collaborative Research Initiative
UltraVolt, Inc. recently announced the com-
pletion of its next generation full product cat-
alog. The new product catalog is unlike any-
thing UltraVolt has ever created. Each exist-
ing product datasheet was dramatically
revamped, including only essential product
specifications, information, and mechanical
outlines. In addition, seven new product lines
were added to the catalog, including five
series of microsize/micropower high-voltage
supplies, a constant power product line, and
a new bench-top power system line. The
newest features are interactive hyperlinks
throughout the catalog, which allow users to
click specific product names or part numbers
and jump within the digital PDF to that prod-
uct data sheet or to that product’s page on
UltraVolt’s website.
“UltraVolt is excited to breathe new life into
our full product catalog,” said James Morri-
son, CEO & Co-Founder. “The new catalog’s
thorough product information and modern
functionality continue to exhibit our creed of
Making High Voltage Easier!®”
UltraVolt’s line of over 600 high voltage
power supplies and hv systems ranges from
0 to 62V through 0 to 40kV at 100mW to
250W. Units are available with a lead time
as low as 15 business days.
www.ultravolt.com
Product Catalog for 2010
SEMI announced
the appointment of
Dr. André-Jacques
Auberton-Hervé,
president and CEO
of SOITEC, as
chairman of the
SEMI European
Advisory Board. Dr.
Auberton-Hervé suc-
ceeds Dr. Franz
Richter, CEO of Thin Materials AG, who
served as chairman for the past year.
"As the newly-appointed chairman of the
SEMI Europe Advisory Board, I will continue
to carry forward the SEMI message and
work with the European Commission as a
member of the High Level Group on Key
Enabling Technologies. SEMI Europe works
towards concrete results for a competitive
playing field in Europe, especially maintain-
ing manufacturing in Europe and allowing
member states to contribute to investments
in manufacturing equipment,” said Dr. Auber-
ton-Hervé.
Semiconductors are the driving force behind
leading European industries such as tele-
com, automotive, aerospace, machine tools,
defense, medical and more. They will be
central to solutions addressing climate
change, energy conservation, renewable
energy, security and healthcare. As such,
SEMI recognizes that semiconductors are
critical to the European economy and wel-
fare and must therefore be prioritized on the
EU agenda to keep leading European indus-
tries competitive.
www.semi.org/europe
Chairman of SEMI Europe Advisory Board
Next year, from the 7th to the 9th of June,
the SENSOR+TEST conferences will be
held again jointly with the SENSOR+TEST
trade fair in Nürnberg.
Under this umbrella, the three international
conferences, SENSOR, OPTO, and IRS²,
provide a comprehensive overview of the
state of the art in scientific research and
development in the fields of sensor, measur-
ing, and testing technology. The conference
management invites interested professionals
to submit contributions to be presented as
lectures or in poster sessions. The submis-
sion deadline is the 25th of September 2010.
Besides these conventional presentation
modes, a “Demonstrator Village” will be set
up for the first time to allow hands-on pre-
sentations. This novel link between the con-
ferences and the trade fair itself, enables
demonstration of experimental processes
and through its on-site location, it allows
direct contact to exhibitors and visitors.
www.sensor-test.com
Calls for Papers SENSOR+TEST 2011
8 Bodo´s Power Systems® september 2010 www.bodospower.com
N E W S
SBE Inc. is pleased to
announce the nomination
of Jon Bereisa as Senior
Technical Advisor. In Mr.
Bereisa’s new role, he
will be assisting SBE in
strategically advancing
their technological posi-
tion in the EV / HEV marketplace.
“Jon brings a wealth of automotive engineer-
ing leadership and innovation background to
our company as a pioneer in this field with
his career experience at General Motors
launching the EV1 and charter member of
the United States Advanced Battery Consor-
tium and EDTA. Jon's very strong back-
ground will greatly help SBE as we continue
to grow and advance the adoption of our
advanced Power Ring film capacitor technol-
ogy in automotive and other markets,” said
Jim Crawley, SBE’s Vice-President of Auto-
motive Business Development.
"High-performance Power Electronics for
Electric Vehicles have achieved technical
feasibility today, but cost remains a chal-
lenge for commercial viability,” remarked Mr.
Bereisa. “From my experience, SBE's new
single ring film capacitor technology can be
a major cost reduction contributor by elimi-
nating the need for multiple individual capac-
itors via up-integration, and by simplifying
power inverter and converter interconnect.
The resulting designs typically occupy less
volume, have less mass and are lower cost
simultaneously offering multiple advantages."
Mr. Bereisa will be bringing 35 years of
executive experience at General Motors to
SBE. He was the Systems Architect respon-
sible for the creation of the Chevrolet Volt
extended range electric vehicle, the Chief
Engineer Propulsion Systems for GM’s EV1,
the first modern production EV, and the S-10
Electric Pickup, and the Director Advanced
Engineering and Technology Strategy Pow-
ertrain for the development of GM’s hydro-
gen fuel cell vehicle technology. Mr.
Bereisa’s involvement led to major improve-
ments in inverter power switch technology,
and the development of the EV1 inductive
charging system which was licensed and
used by other auto OEM’s. Mr. Bereisa has
BS, MS and Professional Degrees awarded
in Electrical and Computer Engineering from
Missouri University of Science and Technolo-
gy. He has been inducted to the Electric
Drive Transportation Association’s “Hall of
Fame”.
www.sbelectronics.com
Jon Bereisa as Senior Technical Advisor
Experts from industry and academia are
kindly invited to present their latest develop-
ments and expectations for future trends at
the PCIM 2011 conference.
PCIM Europe Conference is one of the most
leading conferences addressing the fields of
Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Power
Quality and Energy Management.
Here is your chance to showcase your work,
share your expertise and open a dialogue
with the Power Electronics Community.
Papers must be original material and not
have been previously presented or pub-
lished. The application of the presented solu-
tion is critical for the selection of the paper.
Oral presentation will be held within confer-
ence sessions addressing key elements of
the same topic. Poster presentation authors
will have the opportunity to present their
posters during a special poster/dialogue ses-
sion. The Conference language is English
Online submission of papers:
The synopsis/abstract should be submitted
at www.pcim.de as pdf-file and should com-
prise 2 – 3 pages. Deadline for submissions
is 15th of October 2010
All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by
the Advisory Board to ensure a high-quality
conference. Submitted abstracts may be
selected for oral or poster presentation.
Notification about acceptance in December
2010.
Submission of the full manuscript is on 14
March 2011.
www.pcim.de
PCIM 2011 Call for Papers
From the 13th to the 15th October 2010,
internationally renowned representatives
from industry and science will discuss elec-
tric mobility in Freiburg, Germany at the
Solar Summit Freiburg 2010. Future mobility
based on renewable energy is the focus of
this year’s international Solar Summit
Freiburg congress, taking place from the
13th to the 15th October 2010 at the
Freiburg Concert Hall. International experts
from the automotive industry, the electricity
industry, the field of hydrogen and fuel cell
technology as well as from battery technolo-
gy will be presenting innovative vehicle and
drive train concepts. State-of-the-art
approaches to solutions and reports from the
practice on the topic of sustainable electric
mobility will be discussed.
www.solar-summits.com
Mobility Concepts on the Basis of Renewable Energies
3W Power Holdings
SA, the holding compa-
ny of AEG Power Solu-
tions, appoints Dr.
Horst J. Kayser to the
Board of Directors and
announces that Robert
J. Huljak, Chief Strate-
gic Officer will retire
from active management in December.
On July 23, 2010 the shareholders of 3W
Power Holdings SA approved the appoint-
ment of Dr. Horst J. Kayser to the Board of
Directors. In May, Bruce A. Brock, CEO
since 2005, announced that he would retire
from the company. Dr. Kayser was appointed
CEO and will formally take over for Bruce
Brock on August 1, 2010.
Robert J. Huljak has announced that he will
retire from active management on December
31, 2010.
After successfully turning around the former
Alcatel division as a private corporation and
supporting AEG Power Solutions’ transition
to being a public company, the timing of
Robert Huljak’s retirement is consistent with
his personal interests.
Robert Huljak provided the strategic guid-
ance for AEG Power Solutions strategy since
it was acquired from Alcatel in 2005 and
together with Bruce Brock, they successfully
repositioned AEG Power Solutions. His
vision and strategy based on more than 40
years of experience in the power industry
will continue to be utilized by the company
as the industry transitions to providing key
enabling technologies for renewable ener-
gies and the evolution of the Smart Grid.
Robert J. Huljak will remain a member of the
Board of Directors after his retirement in
December.
www.aegps.com
Dr. Horst J. Kayser is appointed to the Board
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N E W S
10 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Microsemi Corporation and Spelsberg, in
conjunction with its partner, the Fraunhofer
Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE,
announced the development of a disruptive
new technology for photovoltaic (PV) solar
modules. Spelsberg ELS is a German based
expert in connection systems for PV mod-
ules, and Fraunhofer ISE is the largest solar
energy research institute in Europe.
Microsemi has worked with Spelsberg ELS
and Fraunhofer ISE to develop a break-
through solar bypass technology that signifi-
cantly increases reliability while reducing
power dissipation in the critical bypass diode
by up to ninety percent as compared to
today's typical solutions.
The technology, in conjunction with Microse-
mi's high-reliability, 40-year design rule
methodology will enable support for
demanding industry warranty requirements
and extreme environment survivability.
Microsemi and its partners believe that this
breakthrough diode technology will have a
particularly significant impact on the eco-
nomic models of large-scale solar-energy
providers in the power purchase agreement
(PPA) market. The resulting reduction in
thermal dissipation greatly improves reliabili-
ty essential to solar powered systems' oper-
ational expenses and return on investment.
www.microsemi.com
Disruptive Solar Bypass Technology
Rogers Corporation, known for its high fre-
quency, high reliability printed circuit board
materials, will be featuring its latest addition
to the high-speed digital market at this year’s
PCB West 2010 Exhibition (Santa Clara
Convention Center, September 29, 2010).
Members of Rogers Advanced Circuit Mate-
rials (ACM) Division will be at booth # 101 to
explain optimal use of their halogen-free
Theta™ circuit materials.
Rogers Theta materials are ideal for high-
speed digital applications requiring environ-
mentally friendly, lead-free processing.
These halogen-free materials feature a
dielectric constant of 3.8 at 1 GHz and low
loss, with a dissipation factor of 0.008 at 1
GHz. They are compatible with RoHS-com-
pliant lead-free solder processing, and low z-
axis coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
for reliable plated-through-hole (PTH) per-
formance in multilayer designs.
Looking for an alternative to PTFE? Rogers
RO4000 LoPro laminates can be used for
both high-speed digital and high frequency
analog applications. They can be processed
like FR-4, but provide electrical performance
close to PTFE. The combination of a low-
profile copper foil and low-loss dielectric
material yields low loss, excellent passive
intermodulation (PIM) performance and
improved power-handling capability.
www.rogerscorp.com
John Coonrod to Speak on Laminate/Prepreg Solutions for Multilayer Circuits
Semikron and hofer powertrain are develop-
ing a flexible inverter system for using in
mass production in field of hybrid and elec-
tric vehicles. The new Semikron SKAI 2
IGBT system was presented in May this year
which is now available as custom specific
solution including control hardware, software
and also safety functions from hofer. The
portfolio covers a power range of 600V
IGBTs for applications up to 150kVA and
1200V IGBTs for up to 230kVA.
The custom-specific SKAI systems fulfil cur-
rent requirements and qualification stan-
dards as regards EMC, vibration, IP protec-
tion class, safety functions and lifetime in
automotive industry. The verified safety func-
tions enable the use of both asynchronous
and synchronous motors and guarantee reli-
able operation. SKAI modules are also suit-
able for multi-electrical drive systems.
The platform solution is the most suitable
way for test vehicles and a low-volume pro-
duction. Furthermore hofer also develops
and supplies entire electric powertrain sys-
tems including motor, transmission and full
electric axle modules for hybrid and electric
vehicles.
hofer electric drive systems is the specialist
in electric drive systems and offers an exten-
sive spectrum of products and services rang-
ing from the necessary software to applica-
tion-specific know-how and support. The
company has many years of experience in
development and application in the field of
electric drive systems. hofer eds team was
responsible for the electric drive systems
used in hybrid and electric vehicles for
Siemens VDO. They also developed and
tested a full hybrid as well as a mild hybrid
to series-production level.
SEMIKRON’s SKAI2 product platform is pre-
destined for use in automotive applications
owing to the use of pressure contact tech-
nology. The experience that Semikron has
gained in the area of battery powered vehi-
cles over two decades has been integrated
in the SKAI product family. Users benefit
from this long-time experience is the avail-
ability of the SKAI platform as a standard
solution.
www.hofer.de
www.semikron.com
Safe and Reliable Electronics for Vehicles
Energy Micro, the ener-
gy friendly microcon-
troller company, has
expanded its USA
sales team with the
appointment of Nick
Brown as Area Sales
Director, East. Based
in North Carolina, Brown reports to Energy's
VP Sales Americas, Raman Sharma.
Brown joins Energy Micro after 5 years with
Freescale Semiconductor, where he was 32-
bit Global Launch Marketing Manager and
formerly a Global Account Manager in the
industrial market segment. Brown is a BSc
in Computer Engineering and an MBA in
Finance.
Energy Micro's VP Sales & Marketing
Andreas Koller said, "North America is home
to some very significant markets for our
EFM32 microcontrollers and Nick's appoint-
ment is one of a number we'll be making to
ensure a high level of customer service in
the country. Energy sensitive applications
including energy metering, home automation
and medical systems need to dramatically
extend battery life, we can make this happen
today."
www.energymicro.com
Energy Micro Expands USA Sales Team
N E W S
11www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Málaga, Spain 13 and14 September 2010
Europe’s leading electricity grid distribution
specialists will be sharing insights into the
immediate challenges and projects now
started to realise the Smart Grid vision.
With 2020 fast approaching and mandates
for added energy efficiency, metering rollout,
electric vehicles and renewable energy inte-
gration in place, the Smart Grids Summit
2010 is the must attend event for anyone
involved with future projects in electricity
transmission and distribution.
You can explore the latest invaluable case
studies into the most important projects to
meet European targets and provide future
funding for utilities:
Program highlights include:
• Realising all the smart grid and smart
home concepts in one city: Malaga Smart
City Case Study
• Achieving long distance transmission via
high voltage systems
• Strategies required to meet the communi-
cations demands of the Smart Grid
• Smart Grid development – Future energy
in the context of the United Kingdom
• Smart grids, smart regions, smart cities -
Poland and Eastern European projects
• Securing network reliability: assessing the
impact of adding smart services and new
technologies into networks
• Customers driving energy management -
myth or reality?
www.thesmartgridsummit.com
Smart Grids Summit 2010
Richardson Electronics, Ltd. announced it
has received the “Top Distributor of the Year”
award for 2010 from TriQuint Semiconductor,
Inc., a leading RF front-end product manu-
facturer and foundry services provider. The
award recognizes Richardson Electronics’
superior overall performance, including sup-
port, service, design wins and responsive-
ness to global customers. Award winners
were chosen based on nominations by mem-
bers of TriQuint’s executive sales team and
announced at TriQuint’s annual sales confer-
ence.
“We are excited that TriQuint recognizes and
values our global strategy of engineer
focused distribution”, said Greg Peloquin,
Executive Vice President and General Man-
ager of RF, Wireless and Power Division.
“Our teams generated tremendous growth in
a short time and we will see this continue as
our key markets are growing and are show-
ing continued signs of investment.”
Todd DeBonis, Vice President of Global
Sales & Strategic Development at TriQuint,
congratulated Richardson Electronics and
thanked them for their support in helping
continue to grow TriQuint’s business. “The
markets for our products – Wireless Infra-
structure, Mobile Devices, Defense Radar
and Aerospace Satellites – are continuing to
grow. Our solutions are not only in the
devices, but also in the backhaul networks
transporting the data, voice and video. This
is an exciting time to be part of this busi-
ness.”
www.rell.com
Top Distributor of the Year
12 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
B L U E P R O D U C T O F T H E M O N T H
Digital Techniques VastlyImprove Power Converter’s
Packaging DensityBy Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director, Ericsson Power Modules
After several decades of continuous development, premium-grade
dc-dc converter modules arrived at a performance plateau where
only small improvements had become possible. This is the dilemma
that faced Ericsson’s designers when they set out to update their pre-
vious best performing quarter-brick converter back in 2006, and that
launched an R&D project that ultimately resulted in the 3E converter
family. These devices achieve what initially appeared to be impossi-
ble—simultaneously improving conversion efficiency, electrical per-
formance, power-handling capacity, and vastly improving functionality
while slashing parts count and the board area that’s necessary to
support today’s sophisticated power-management disciplines.
The key to the 3E family’s step-change in overall performance is the
use of digital control in place of the normal analogue circuitry that lies
at the heart of virtually every other dc-dc converter. While some dis-
pute that digital power conversion holds significant advantages over
the very best analogue circuitry, there is no doubting the packaging
advantages that moving to a digital core offers. In truth, digital dc-dc
control chips are typically mixed-signal devices that employ fast,
high-performance analogue-to-digital converters to sample the output
voltage that derives the feedback loop’s main error signal—see figure
1:
It then becomes possible to package sensors, signal-conditioning cir-
cuitry, and a digital measurement and control interface alongside the
dc-dc controller core—on the same slice of silicon—at negligible
additional cost. In the figure, the power management block includes
voltage and temperature sensors together with amplifiers that can
condition external sensors, notably for current measurements. This
block links to a serial digital controller interface that implements the
on-chip PMBus interface. Any conventional analogue dc-dc controller
requires a separate, external subsystem to fulfil similar functionality.
Furthermore, the close coupling between the measurement and con-
trol circuitry and the converter’s core ensures excellent electrical per-
formance and negligible additional power consumption. The system
is fully programmable, allowing you to set a range of parameters
such as output voltage and protection limits while implementing com-
monly needed functions such as sequencing and slew-rate limiting
without requiring any external circuitry. A simple converter-to-convert-
er connection allows you to synchronise multiple converters to a
common clock to ease EMC filtering concerns, or interleave them to
minimise input ripple currents. And in the case of the quarter-brick
BMR453 (see figure 2) that was the initial R&D study’s target, digital
control’s precision and the output circuit’s topology allows you to par-
allel two converters without any external OR-ing diodes or MOSFETs,
slashing board space and power dissipation in current-sharing or
redundant supply applications.
Figure 2 also shows several other packaging features that help the
BMR453 outperform any other device in its class. Capable of han-
dling 400W—that’s about 5% more than its analogue predecessor—
appropriate heat management is obviously essential. Parallel MOS-
FETs in the primary-side switch and secondary-side synchronous
rectifier minimise conduction losses while spreading heat uniformly
across the assembly. The 3mm thick, 12-layer circuit board makes
extensive use of thermal vias and microvias to route heat away from
the electronics, which the optional baseplate helps to dissipate. You
can also clearly see the custom magnetics that help maintain the
converter’s low profile, together with the arrays of ceramic capacitors
that dispense with the need for bulky electrolytics while significantly
increasing reliability.
Ericsson’s designers also gave considerable thought to the intercon-
nection system, reserving thick pins for the high current paths and
specifying an industry-standard 2.54mm pitch header for the PMBus
interface and any other signal paths. This connector footprint is scal-
able to some degree, allowing board designers to use a common
footprint for the BMR453 and its companion eight-brick 240W inter-
mediate-bus converter, the BMR454.
Figure 1: The core functions of a digital dc-dc control IC
Figure 2: The BMR453 intermediate-bus converter packs 400W intoquarter-brick format
Similarly, the BMR450 and BMR451 point-of-load converters can
occupy a common footprint that allows a 20A or 40A device in the
same slot. These non-isolated parts complement the isolated-output
intermediate-bus converters and carry forward many of the same
design features, such as including a full PMBus measurement and
control interface alongside their digital controller cores. They too are
fully programmable during manufacture or in the field for output volt-
age, on/off delays, slew rates, protection functions, and much more—
meaning that you can stock just one part of a given power rating to
source output voltages that span 0.6V to 5.5V.
Importantly, any of these converters can upgrade former analogue
designs with no special effort on the designer’s behalf. That is, they
can easily operate stand-alone and still offer features such as output
voltage adjustment via a single resistor. But recognising that most
users want to explore the programmable aspects of these devices,
Ericsson offers an easy-to-use evaluation kit with a PC-compatible
graphical user interface and USB port—please visit for more informa-
tion:
www.ericsson.com/powermodules
13www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
ABB FranceCurrent & Voltage Sensors Departement
e-mail: [email protected]
Improve drives
efficiency?
Certainly.
ABB takes environmental protection very seriously. This is a priority for every ABB company
and not least, for us at ABB Sensors, where we are proud of our ISO 14001 certification.
We also believe that wind generators represent the future of renewable energy, so we, at ABB
Sensors have, developed the ESM range of sensors especially for wind power applications.
Working closely with our wind power customers, we have optimised the ESM range in terms of
noise immunity and dynamic response and adapted other features to the requirements of
these demanding applications. www.abb.com
14
Before we start to discuss the potential of
advanced multilevel topologies, let’s have a
look at the history of power electronics
research topics. Topics regularly pop up and
promise to solve all the problems you have
never before heard of. The main challenge
seems to identify the really important infor-
mation and the right ideas for a sustainable
development process. But could a techno-
logical break-through, based on the multi-
level approach, really be possible?
We have heard about so many different
solutions over the last years. There was a
time when figures about potential power
density up to 100 kW per liter caused a mas-
sive investigation of matrix converter topolo-
gies. When you take a look at the pro-
grammes of recent power electronics confer-
ences and search the web for real industrial
applications, you will see that the focus on
matrix converters research now seems to be
over. This happened to a lot of promising
power electronics research topics - only a
minority of them advanced to real industrial
products and applications.
Certainly, there is always the potential to
optimise a technology for a special applica-
tion but, in the end, the classical well-known
technology together with the latest available
components often provides the best cost-to-
performance ratio. It seems to be true even
for one of the current megatrends - the opti-
misation in direction of efficiency. Additional
components, that you don’t need and don’t
use for simple topologies, can’t cause loss-
es. Hopefully the power electronics expert
will now realise that a higher grade of optimi-
sation could potentially be reached if
achieved on the next higher level of integra-
tion. Sometimes this can even cause new
losses due to additional components or at
least higher losses on single components
than before.
Another very important topic these days is
the handling of increasing voltage levels with
power electronics. A promising development
started with the appearance of the first wide
band gap semiconductor devices (e.g. SiC).
The classical Si- components seem to limit
the increasing needs of application in the
medium and high-voltage area such as trac-
tion and HV-DC power transmission.
Let us return to the subject of advanced mul-
tilevel topologies. Parallel to the as yet
unsuccessful efforts to get SiC or Diamond-
based semiconductors for high breakdown
voltage up to 10kV, multilevel topologies
have garnered the interest of the industry
and have found their way into the first real
applications. Dividing high-voltage into small-
er voltage steps with the multilevel approach
still allows for the use of classical silicon-
based semiconductors in several high and
medium voltage applications - like HV-DC
power transmission or large drives.
It seems that the multilevel technology got
lost in the shadow of the brilliant research on
power semiconductors with high breakdown
voltage. This allows a steady ongoing devel-
opment in the direction of industrial needs. It
may seem surprising that multilevel topolo-
gies are of interest even for the range of typ-
ical low-voltage applications (<1000V). While
a lot of optimised switches (e.g. IGBT) are
available, advanced multilevel topologies like
the Modular Multilevel Converter (M2C) are
starting to outperform the classical 2-level
solutions with fewer losses and a higher vir-
tual switching frequency. This is due primari-
ly to the ability to use highly optimised 100V
to 200V MOSFETs. The sum of losses
caused by the low Rds-on is less than the
losses caused by the classical saturation
effect of IGBTs. In addition, the switching
losses of a MOSFET-based multilevel solu-
tion will be much lower.
This takes us back to the aforementioned
research on wide-band gap devices. An ini-
tial handicap of GaN power semiconductor
was that they are suitable only for low-volt-
age applications but the combination of the
right advanced multilevel topology together
with GaN power semiconductors can totally
change the situation. Consequentially the
missing high-breakdown voltage capability
from GaN semiconductors is losing its impor-
tance in comparison to the benefit of the
lower Rds-on. A change of direction in power
semiconductor devices research could even
result.
What are the challenges for multilevel
topologies towards increased acceptance? It
might be the necessity for more than the
classical 2 switches per phase-leg and the
necessary additional control effort.
Comparing the development history of power
electronics with that of embedded systems,
we will realise that there was always a ten-
dency for more complexity, additional func-
tionality and switch functions in the typical
microprocessor or microcontroller area
(Moore’s law). For a long time, more than 2
switches per phase leg was considered by
power electronic engineers to be evil. A lot of
developers fear the additional complexity
and additional cost for components.
Now is the time to stop fearing a higher
complexity and start the next chapter of
more advanced power electronics, which
could lead to a real technological break-
through.
The European Center for Power Electronics
will discuss the latest achievements of
research and industrial applications in their
upcoming ECPE workshop on “Advanced
Multilevel Topologies“ on September 28-29,
2010 in Västeras (Sweden). You are wel-
come to participate and identify the potential
for your application and the future.
www.ecpe.org
G U E S T E D I T O R I A L
Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Advanced Multilevel Topologies:A Technological Breakthrough?
By Jochen Koszescha, Project Manager Research & Technology, ECPE European Center for Power Electronics e.V.
New High Power DriverLaunching the next generation of high voltage IGBT gate drivers, CONCEPT introduces two new top class products – 1SP0635 and 1SP0335 - with an outstanding performance to cost ratio. Consequent integration enables cost down by40%
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16 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
GENERAL
The European sover-
eign debt crisis is hav-
ing an impact on the
outlook for IT spend-
ing, so Gartner. World-
wide IT spending is
forecast to total $
3350 billion in 2010,
an increase of 3.9 per-
cent from 2009 spending. Gartner has low-
ered its outlook for the IT industry from the
first quarter of this year when it forecast
worldwide IT spending to grow 5.3 percent,
primarily due to the devaluation of the euro
versus the U.S. dollar since the beginning of
the year.
SEMICONDUCTORS
European semiconductor sales were € 2.386
billion in May 2010, up 4.4 percent on the
previous month and up 44.3 percent versus
the same month a year ago, so the WSTS.
On a YTD basis semiconductor sales
increased by 39.3 percent in 2010 versus
the same period in the year 2009. In Europe,
remarkable positive growth rates were
observed for some of the main product cate-
gories on a three month rolling average
measured in dollars. In particular optoelec-
tronics (up 8.9 percent), discretes and MOS
microcontroller need to be mentioned. The
lead time in June was 20 weeks for power
MOSFETs and small signal transistors, and
18 weeks for bipolar power devices and rec-
tifiers. In comparison, normal lead times for
such products typically run to approximately
10 to 12 weeks.
Semiconductor inventory remains at
extremely low levels: Global semiconductor
inventory amounted to $ 25.73 billion in the
first quarter of 2010, up by 1.0 percent from
the previous quarter, so iSuppli. Inventory in
the second quarter is forecasted to rise 3.3
percent to $ 26.60 billion. Days of Inventory
(DOI) actually measures 20 percent lower
than the seasonal average, iSuppli analysis
indicates.
National Semiconductor has acquired
GTronix, a fables semiconductor company
specializing in programmable and adaptive
analog sensory processing technology.
Gtronix proprietary technology provides very
low power solutions for noise cancellation in
mobile applications such as wireless hand-
sets and audio accessories.
Analog Devices Ireland is to invest € 23 M in
R&D at its Limerick facility, so IDA Ireland.
OPTOELECTRONICS
Sharp will invest 15 billion yen to start mass
production of blue LED chips at its Fukuya-
ma Plant in Japan within 2010. This will
boost Sharp’s production capacity of blue
LED chips to approximately five billion units
a year in fiscal 2011.
Panasonic has increased its ownership of
IPS Alpha Technology, a manufacturer of
large-sized LCDs, to 92 percent from 44.98
percent.
To accelerate LED product development, GE
Lighting, a unit of the General Electric, and
Rambus have signed a broad licensing
agreement for the use of Rambus’ patented
lighting innovations.
PASSIVE COMPONENTS
Germany's PCB industry revenues for March
were up 16.7 percent compared to the previ-
ous month, so the ZVEI. Sales were more
than 40 percent higher compared to the
same month last year and Q110 total rev-
enues were 29 percent higher. In March,
orders were up 19 percent, compared to the
previous month, and were 25 percent higher
over the average for the same month for the
past decade. Book-to-bill ratio was slightly
up at 1.29. The first quarter closed with a
gain of 113 percent compared to the same
period last year.
European Circuits Limited officially opened
its new manufacturing plant in Clydebank,
Scotland.
OTHER COMPONENTS
Munich-based electronics specialist Rohde &
Schwarz is now entering the global oscillo-
scope market. With this move, the 7400-
employee company - already an international
supplier of test and measurement equipment
to customers in several industries, especially
wireless communications - is expanding its
portfolio. Rohde & Schwarz achieved a net
revenue of € 1.2 billion in fiscal year
2008/2009 (July 2008 to June 2009).
Curtiss-Wright has acquired Specialist Elec-
tronics Services (SES) for £ 15 M, or
approximately $ 22 M. SES designs and
manufactures rugged, security encrypted
data recorders, processors, display media
and software for aerospace and defense
applications.
Chloride recommend acceptance of the cash
offer announced by Emerson Electric on 29
June 2010.
European Batteries, a Finnish supplier in
rechargeable lithium-ion based prismatic
cells and battery systems, has opened its €
40 M factory in Varkaus, Finland. European
Batteries employs 65 persons, 44 of which
work at the 10.000 square meter Varkaus
factory.
Aeroflex, a global provider of microelectronic
components and test and measurement
equipment, announced the acquisition of
Radiation Assured Devices (RAD).
DISTRIBUTION
The European Commission has cleared
under the EU merger regulation the pro-
posed acquisition of Bell Micro by Avnet.
Avnet and Bell Micro are both US-based dis-
tributors of information technology products.
After examining the operation, the Commis-
sion concluded that the transaction would
not significantly impede effective competition
in the European Economic Area.
Avnet Abacus announces its participation in
Tyco Electronics’ Vertical Lighting Program.
The Tyco Electronics Vertical Lighting Pro-
gram brings together the company’s exten-
sive portfolio of complementary components
for LED lighting installations, including con-
nectors, sockets, power components and cir-
cuit protection devices.
Anglia Components, a UK-based privately
owned component distributor, strengthened
its presence as a supplier of electronic com-
ponents to defence and aerospace cus-
tomers with the announcement that it has
been qualified by the British Standards Insti-
tution (BSI) for the supply of IECQ-CECC
approved product.
Batterien-Montage-Zentrum (BMZ), Europe
system supplier for rechargeable battery
packs and Cham Battery, a Chinese battery
manufacturer, have signed a cooperation
agreement.
This is the comprehensive power related
extract from the « Electronics Industry Digest
», the successor of The Lennox Report. For
a full subscription of the report contact:
or by fax 44/1494 563503.
www.europartners.eu.com
M A R K E T
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY DIGESTBy Aubrey Dunford, Europartners
Make a note in your diary now:HUSUM WindEnergy 2010, 21 – 25 September
A co-operation between
www.husumwindenergy.com
From 21 to 25 September 2010 Husum will once again be the centre of the wind energy world. 800 exhibitors and 31,000 wind energy experts from 70 nations is impressive proof of the importance of HUSUM WindEnergy as the world’s leading wind energy trade fair.
Plan your visit now, and be there when the decision makers from all branches of the wind industry come together in Husum.
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18 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Power supply sales are not driven by the same factors as many other
products – at least when it comes to technology drivers, Nearly all
electronic systems and components are subject to economic and
business constraints, including manufacturing, government regula-
tions, and pricing. These are the “bottom line” factors that most com-
panies must contend with in order to be competitive.
Power electronics technologies are undergoing a more rapid evolu-
tion today than at any time in the past 30 years, with the introduction
of new materials such as GaN, new system-on-chip packaging
options, a rapidly expanding applications universe, and even new
topologies enabled by digital power techniques. When it comes to the
technical features that lead to new (and successful) power supply
designs, what is most important?
Darnell’s Power Forum (DPF ’10) is addressing this question in a
Roundtable Discussion on Day One of the conference. This debate
will focus on four areas that often vie with each other as the most
“critical success factor” for power supplies: architectures,
topologies/packaging, materials, and applications. One could argue
that what is most important depends on the type of power supply (dc-
dc converters, ac-dc power supplies, ballasts, batteries, inverters,
battery chargers, and so on). But all of these still face the same four
technical challenges, even if the architectures, topologies, materials
and applications are different.
For example, imec introduced an “innovative, simple and robust”
GaN-on-Si double heterostructure field effect transistor (FET) archi-
tecture for GaN-on-Si power switching devices. High-voltage power
devices are traditionally based on Si-MOSFET structures; however,
for a number of applications, Si power devices have reached the
intrinsic material limits. Imec says that, “GaN-compounds are nowa-
days the best candidates to replace Si power devices… [but] the cost
of GaN power devices is high.” Therefore, an important goal of the
program is to lower GaN technology cost by using large-diameter
GaN-on-Si and leverage the scale of economics.
This example raises some of the issues likely to be debated on the
Roundtable panel. First, are such material-based solutions being driv-
en by applications? And does everything go back to cost as a driver,
even when technical solutions can solve critical problems in design?
All companies have their own perspectives on these issues, since no
single answer exists. In many cases, it comes down to trade-offs that
provide the most benefit at the least cost.
One of the strengths of the panel is that the individuals and compa-
nies represented have been in the industry for a long time and have
seen power supply trends come and go. The four factors mentioned
above have each played their part in the past of advancing power
electronics design and products. In some cases, these factors had
less of an impact than expected (such as the introduction of Li-poly-
mer batteries); in others, they had a tremendous influence (the intro-
duction of the full-brick dc-dc converter). Knowing what will be a
“game-changer” as opposed to “business as usual” is key.
For example, one of the panelists is Chris Young, from Intersil/Zilker
Labs. Zilker was one of the first companies to recognize the value of
digital power management and control and see its future as an “open
architecture” model. Digital power is now a given in many systems,
and it was truly a significant development in the power supply indus-
try. Bob White from Embedded Power Labs is also on the panel, and
he was instrumental in developing the PMBus™ communications pro-
tocol. Many people see such protocols and standards as “the”
enabling factor in the adoption of new power supplies.
Digital power is one trend that has proved itself in the marketplace. It
was an approach that could be offered alongside the existing solution
(analog power) and, therefore, be part of a more evolutionary
change. Materials solutions are slightly different, since they are actu-
al replacements for the legacy material. The imec GaN product dis-
cussed above is one example, but there are others, including SiC.
Alex Lidow from Efficient Power Conversion represents a GaN advo-
cate on the panel, and imec’s product raises another consideration in
this debate: How important is corollary research, benchmarking sys-
tems, and testing to the ultimate success of a new power supply
solution? Lidow states that, “The recent introduction of enhancement
mode GaN transistors as power MOSFET/IGBT replacements in
power management applications enables many new products that
promise to add great system value.” Still, he cites specific applica-
tions where such breakthroughs are expected to make a difference,
such as dc-dc conversion, class D audio and motion control. Similar-
ly, SiC is positioned for high temperature, harsh environments, so
does this limit their use?
Like applications, new architectures provide opportunities for power
supply manufacturers. But will these new architectures actually
become mainstream with widespread commercial adoption? The
intermediate bus architecture (IBA) did get adopted and paved the
way for intermediate bus converters. Texas Instruments is a company
that gets involved with almost all new power architectures, and Mark
Buccini will be representing the company’s experience in “extremely
low-power, embedded systems.” These are fairly new approaches
that can take advantage of thin-film batteries and energy harvesting
solutions. When a large company like TI takes notice of a technology,
it is often a good idea to check it out.
M A R K E T
Architectures, Topologies, Materials or Applications: What's Most Important?
By Linnea Brush, Senior Research Analyst, Darnell Group
19www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Some technologies are so new that viability
is possible but not yet a given. Power-Sup-
ply-on-Chip (PwrSoC) is one such trend that
Arnold Alderman, working with the Tyndall
National Institute, will address at DPF. This
is a packaging development that is still in a
“pre-commercial” phase, so it is worth watch-
ing. Power-Supply-in-Package (PsiP) and
PwrSoC are new, emerging devices that
address the need for close-proximity con-
verters to supply power to next-generation
microprocessors, graphics chips, ASICs,
DSPs, and other high-performance integrat-
ed circuits.
In this case, are the above-named applica-
tions driving the new packaging, or will the
new packaging actually be an enabler for as-
yet unknown power supply designs? This
example highlights how complex the drivers
are in the power supply industry. Does the
solution address a problem or provide a
totally new opportunity?
This question pushes the value of power
supplies onto a much higher level. System
makers have a strong say in what kind of
power supplies their products must have. As
a result, any advances in power supply
design are more the result of modifications
to existing products, often to reduce the cost.
Such systems can be part of a larger instal-
lation, however, and facility needs often dic-
tate how the systems themselves are
designed.
The current emphasis on energy efficiency is
driving the need for efficient data centers, for
instance. According to National Semiconduc-
tor, another Roundtable panelist, “Data cen-
ter manufacturers have a need to provide
power consumption data of servers to end
users and system managers.” Accurately
measuring this power consumption can be
accomplished via “server telemetry instru-
mentation.” This is a market solution that is
very different from the ones discussed previ-
ously, since it is almost totally application-
driven. No new materials or architectures are
needed; it is a truly an “evolutionary” rather
than a “revolutionary” development. Many in
the power supply industry believe this is the
most cautionary path for new power designs:
Assess the existing systems and provide a
product that meets the evolving needs at a
conservative price.
The power supply industry has moved along
for decades with both conservative and
aggressive market drivers. Each has had
their place, with a few introducing some truly
unique and impressive changes in the indus-
try. The panelists and companies represent-
ed on the DPF Roundtable have experi-
enced many of these changes first-hand and
are in a good position to evaluate the current
power supply landscape. The audience will
no doubt add to these conclusions, since the
whole purpose of the panel discussion is to
present differing opinions. Determining an
answer to what will drive the
power electronics industry in the
future may not be possible, but
delegates will at least come away with all the
information they need to evaluate their own
position on the subject.
M A R K E T
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High pulse loadability (10J)High total capacity (7W)Very low temperature dependency overa large temperature rangeLow thermoelectric voltageCustomer-specific solutions (electrical/mechanical)
Areas of use:
Power train technology (automotive andnon-automotive applications), digital electricitymeters, AC/DC as well as DC/DC converters,power supplies, IGBT modules, etc.
Telephone: +49 (27 71) 9 34-0 [email protected]
www.isabellenhuette.de
Innovation from tradition
http://dpf.darnell.com/index.php
20 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
To meet the requirements for the broad automotive electronics mar-
ket – ranging from fork-lift trucks, to hybrid and electric vehicles, to
large agricultural and construction vehicles – Semikron has estab-
lished its Systems Group, to bring all the necessary expertise into
one organisation. The Group works closely with customers to devel-
op power systems, which are then marketed under the SKAI brand.
The second generation of fully integrated and tested SKAI systems
are now available.
The Systems Group has been formed to build on Semikron’s many
years of experience in these markets. The company has offered inte-
grated power electronics to its customers for almost 20 years. Initially
just combining power silicon and drivers in custom-designed enclo-
sures, these have evolved to become more highly integrated, now
including control electronics designed to be ready to accept software
to produce a complete system.
The SKAI vehicle power systems boast a high level of integration and
offer major advantages over comparable competitor systems. They
are developed in line with the latest automotive standards and sys-
tem qualification standards, allowing short time-to-market and lower
development costs. The SKAI systems are supplied as standard plat-
forms with low-voltage MOSFETS or high-voltage IGBTs as the sili-
con base. SKAI systems can also be developed to meet individual
customer specifications. Semikron is a single-source supplier,
encompassing everything from feasibility and proof-of-principle stud-
ies, to the development of optimum system architecture, to electrical
and mechanical simulations, end qualification and complete-system
series production.
One system, three types
The high-voltage SKAI 2 is available as a water-cooled 600/1200V
IGBT inverter system, and has been optimised for use in applications
such as full-electric cars, plug-in hybrid cars and electric buses. This
system is based on the established sintered, 100% solder-free
SKiM93 IGBT modules, features a polypropylene film DC-link capaci-
tor, driver electronics, a latest-generation DSP controller, EMC filters,
and current, voltage and temperature sensors, and is supplied in an
IP67 module case. Communication with the vehicle master controller
is via a CAN bus. These systems are designed for outputs of up to
150kW (Figures 1 and 2).
C O V E R S T O R Y
High Currents Under Control Compact Vehicle Power Systems
Users of power control equipment have used third-party systems for many years, becausethey offer the benefits of reduced development costs, shorter time to market and ease ofmeeting qualification standards. As specifications have become more demanding, it has
become necessary to use higher levels of integration, with much tighter control of all theelements in the system.
By Paul Newman, Managing Director, Semikron UK Ltd
Figure 1: A typical SKAI system architecture
Poweroutputterminals
I
I
V
T
Heat sink
ProtectionGate driverPower supply
DSP controller
CAN comm., external I/O
TemperatureVoltage
Current
Aux. power
Power input terminals
Enclosure IP67
DC-linkcapacitor
(Water inlet) (Water outlet)
I
Power section• 3-phase IGBT inverter single/dual• 3-phase MOSFET inverter single/dual• DC-DC converter• Battery charger• Sensors I/T• EMI filter
Figure 2: The high-voltage SKAI system is available as a liquid-cooled 600/1200V IGBT inverter system, and has been optimised foruse in applications such as full-electric cars, plug-in hybrid cars andelectric buses.
Figure 3: The low-voltage version is available as an air-cooled or liq-uid-cooled 50/100/150/200V MOSFETsingle and dual inverter sys-tem, which is used in material handling and smaller vehicles.
www.bodospower.com
The low-voltage version is available as an air-cooled or liquid-cooled
50/100/150/200V MOSFET single and dual inverter system, which is
used for material handling and smaller vehicles. These systems are
suitable for a motor output power of up to 40kW. They incorporate
many of the same features as the IGBT-based systems and therefore
offer the benefits to customers that they behave in the same way,
use the same core control system and I/O connections, and the
same system structure (Figure 3).
The third type of SKAI 2 platform is a multi-converter box. These sys-
tems are also housed in liquid-cooled, IP67-protected cases and
communicate with the vehicle master controller via a CAN bus. The
signal interface features analogue and digital I/Os to allow for the
connection of a wide variety of sensors, such as temperature sensors
and resolver inputs. A typical multi-converter system would include a
three-phase 40kVA active front-end converter, a three-phase 20kVA
drive inverter, a three-phase 10kVA drive inverter, and a 14V/300A or
28V/165A DC/DC converter (Figures 4 and 5).
All SKAI 2 modules are fully qualified using test techniques such as
highly-accelerated life testing (HALT) and end of component-life test-
ing, with full failure-mode effect analysis studies conducted at all criti-
cal points of the design cycle, to ensure that they are in line with rele-
vant automotive standards. Thermal and electrical contact of the
power semiconductors is established by pressure contact technology,
which boasts extended service life and high load cycling capability.
The systems and semiconductor components are manufactured in
high-tech production processes that include end-of-line function tests
and, if required, 100% burn-in tests, ensuring a high degree of quality.
Novel technologies
There are many factors that affect the efficiency and reliability of
power systems.
Figure 4: Topology of a typical multi-converter system
Figure 5: The SKAI 2 highly integrated multi-converter system
national.com/led
High Performance.Low Power.
Energy-Efficient LED Lighting Solutions
National’s LM3424 constant-current LED driver offers integrated
thermal control to increase system reliability and extend the life
of LEDs in indoor/outdoor lighting and automotive applications.
Thermal ManagementThe LM3424’s thermal foldback feature eliminates the need for
external thermal management circuitry for a more robust and
reliable thermal system.
Easy to UseNational’s WEBENCH® LED Designer online tool lets designers
visualize the design’s behavior at user-selected LED temperature
breakpoints.
Flexible DesignThe LM3424 LED driver, with a wide input voltage range, can be
easily configured in buck, boost, buck-boost, and SEPIC topologies
with minimal adjustments.
LED
Cur
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NominalCurrent
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22 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
To achieve maximum energy, cost and space efficiency, coupled with
high reliability, it is important to combine the best silicon, packaging,
layout, thermal performance and control in the design and manufac-
ture of power systems. This can often be difficult if the designer has
to depend on off-the-shelf parts. It is very important to be able to opti-
mise the selection of silicon and to be able to connect it as needed
for optimum performance in a system.
Many suppliers of systems focus on a single technology, such as
MOSFET or IGBT, or may concentrate on applications at a single
voltage. However, the wide variation in requirements of today’s sys-
tems makes it important to be able to choose from the widest selec-
tion of semiconductor technology to achieve the best match to the
application. It is also important for the design process to take into
account the many issues dependent on the semiconductor technolo-
gy and the relationships between them, to ensure that the hardware
is optimised for the application. As Semikron is a major manufacturer
of power semiconductors, it can push boundaries in areas such as
temperature and size. For example, the company produces very
large volumes of IGBT and MOSFET drivers, and from this expertise
has developed optimised application specific integrated circuits
(ASICs) to significantly reduce component count and increase relia-
bility, while reducing size dramatically.
Current developments in power electronics aim to achieve higher current
densities, system integration and greater reliability. At the same time,
there is more call for low-cost, standardized interfaces, as well as flexible
and modular product series. Semikron has set trends in this area by the
use of spring contacts for the auxiliary and load connections.
The reliability of classical module designs is not sufficient for many
developing applications in power electronics. For example, these
modules are limited in their capability to withstand passive tempera-
ture cycles. It has therefore been necessary to develop new tech-
niques, which are capable of meeting the high-reliability requirements
of modern applications.
A major limitation of power module lifetime is the problem of solder
fatigue. In traditional constructions, this contributes to the end-of-life
failure of power modules, especially in the case of higher tempera-
ture swings, which are predominant in most applications. Several
new technologies have been developed to eliminate all solder inter-
faces. Each of these offers advantages compared with traditional
constructions, but in combination they offer significant benefits.
The most significant problem caused by higher temperatures and
larger swings of temperature is delamination of soldered joints. This
problem has been completely overcome in the latest SKAI systems
by using sinter technology to join the semiconductor chips to the
ceramic substrate instead of solder, meaning that higher operating
temperatures are possible with increased reliability. The sinter bond
is a thin silver layer that has a superior thermal resistance to a sol-
dered joint and contains far fewer, and smaller, voids. It is not subject
to the delamination that affects solder joints, resulting in a low ther-
mal resistance that remains low over many tens of thousands of
power cycles. The high melting point of silver also prevents prema-
ture material fatigue.
Another issue raised by increased junction temperatures is the
fatigue of the wire bonds used to join the chips to the substrate. This
has been minimised by a number of changes to production tech-
niques, including changing the geometry of welded joints and the
introduction of novel stress-relief techniques.
SKAI 2 systems are offered with or without control software. If
required, Semikron will work with its customers to develop software
or the customer may prefer to use its own. This gives the customer
much more versatility and the capability to produce systems with its
own custom features.
SKAI 2 system in tractor application
The system is also integrated in tractors. An example:
A tractor manufacturer was developing an electric power supply sys-
tem for its upper power-class tractors, with the aim of reducing fuel
consumption and noise emissions. The development was also intend-
ed to introduce the architecture needed for additional electric drive
applications in agricultural machinery.
Until now, secondary equipment in tractors has been connected to
the main drive mechanically via gears. This does not enable these
functions to operate at the optimum operating point, leading to poor
overall efficiency and consequently to increased fuel consumption
and pollutant emissions. The aim was therefore to disconnect the
secondary equipment from the main drive. For this purpose, a modi-
fied generator connected to the main drive would be used to gener-
ate electric power. This would then be electrically converted to
ensure optimum operation of the fan, air compressor, air conditioning
equipment and the 14V on-board power-supply.
A highly-integrated power electronics system from the multi-converter
system family was developed to meet the customer’s specifications.
The system comprises multiple converters used to control electric
current flow under harsh ambient conditions. Different operating
modes are possible, for example the system can be supplied with
electric power by way of a three-phase generator or an HVDC bus.
The system communicates with the vehicle master controller via a
CAN bus. The integrated semiconductor components come from the
tried and tested MiniSKiiP family (2nd generation). The signal inter-
face features analogue and digital I/Os to allow for the connection of
a wide variety of sensors, such as temperature sensors and resolver
inputs.
The new electric power supply system is the basis for the introduc-
tion of ultra-precise, highly efficient electric drives for attachment and
trailer equipment, as well in final drive systems. The combination of
different technological solutions results in far lower fuel consumption
and reduced noise emissions, and ensures that future emissions lim-
its are met. All of the power transmission components were devel-
oped or optimised in order to improve overall efficiency. In summary,
this constitutes a milestone on the path towards ultra-low consump-
tion in upper power class tractors, which are normally prone to high
consumption.
Integrated power systems
Many advances in the drive for higher integration of power systems
have been made. However, further advances in reliability, efficiency,
size and versatility will be needed to increase the market acceptance
of integrated power systems. By offering system-wide expertise in
one organisation, Semikron’s Systems Group is well placed to devel-
op higher levels of integration, improved cooling technologies, higher
silicon operating temperatures, higher performance from ASICs and
novel packaging techniques. New insulation systems, new methods
of silicon attach and, in time, the total removal of wire bonds, will all
improve efficiency and reliability still further.
www.semikron.com
C O V E R S T O R Y
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At the same time, this trend also creates tremendous challenges for
designers of these portable applications as they must now incorpo-
rate all of these disparate functions into a single space-sensitive
device while also differentiating their product from their competition.
In many cases, this is done by including higher quality audio, improv-
ing the user interface experience, reducing form-factor and increas-
ing battery life. Now, thanks to a new class of highly integrated intelli-
gent system power management solutions, designers have a tool that
will help give them the differentiation they’re after while, at the same
time, providing them with a flexible architecture that can be used
across multiple platforms and product generations.
Flexibility and Integration Reduce Time to Market
The need to incorporate a broad range of functions into a single
device not only highlights the need for a high degree of integration to
reduce form factor, but also a need for an intelligent, programmable
power management solution that can support the requirements of the
application’s processor, system memory and other peripheral compo-
nents, such as WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Today, many power man-
agement solutions are optimized to operate with a specific applica-
tion’s processor, which can make the design of a single system easi-
er. However, many OEMs that develop a broad range of products tar-
geted at a variety of geographic and demographic requirements can
benefit from a more flexible and integrated solution that can be
reused across multiple platforms and with different application
processors.
Recent offerings, such as the IDTP95020 intelligent system power
management solution, achieve this level of flexibility by adopting a
unique architecture that includes an embedded microcontroller (see
Figure 1). The embedded microcontroller is used to manage all the
on-chip resources and supports the dynamically programmable sys-
tem power regulation blocks and an on-chip power management
scheme that gives the solution its flexibility. In addition to its program-
mable switch-mode DC-to-DC converters and low-dropout (LDO) reg-
ulators, the IDTP95020 has also integrated battery charge manage-
ment, white LED drivers, low-power stereo audio and voice codecs
with a mixer function, Class-D amplifier and headphone driver, a PLL
for on-chip and off-chip clock generation, and a touch-screen con-
troller (see Figure 1). Each of these functional blocks is fully pro-
grammable and can be controlled by the embedded microcontroller
via predefined scripting sequences loaded to the internal memory or
external EEPROM. This allows the IDTP95020 to operate
autonomously from the application processor, reducing its need to
handle general housekeeping and the monitoring of real-time events.
The IDTP95020 also allows its functional blocks to be controlled by
the application processor through writes to registers via one of two
I2C interfaces.
This level of flexibility and programmability not only allows the
IDTP95020 to satisfy the dynamic voltage adjustments required by
various application processors, but it also enables designers to quick-
ly modify a single power management solution to address the differ-
ent peripheral requirements of products across their portfolio. The
ability to reuse a single solution across multiple products can signifi-
cantly reduce the design resources required to complete these proj-
ects and can help bring these products to market more quickly. More-
over, a reusable power management solution also helps to streamline
procurement and simplifies inventory management.
P O W E R M A N A G E M E N T
24 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Benefits in Portable ConsumerApplications
Using an Intelligent Power Management Solution
In today’s consumer electronics marketplace, it’s become increasingly difficult to separatedifferent classes of products. Users now demand more from their mobile phones than
simply making and receiving calls, and their portable navigation devices (PNDs) need todo more than just get them from point A to point B. This feature set convergence amongSmartphones, PNDs, mobile gaming platforms and other handheld consumer products isa huge benefit to consumers as it provides them with a wealth of feature-rich products to
choose from.
By Casey Springer, Senior Product Marketing Engineer, Analog Group, IDT
Figure 1: The IDTP95020 Intelligent Power Management Solution
System-Level Impact of Complex User Interfaces
Touch screens have quickly moved from a luxury feature to a stan-
dard feature across a variety of consumer products. Adopting an
intelligent power management solution, such as the IDTP95020 that
includes an integrated touch screen controller and WLED driver, not
only allows designers to quickly and easily add this feature without
the need for multiple discrete components but it also helps to reduce
the burden on the application processor and reduce system power
consumption (see Figure 2). By offloading the need to monitor the
touch screen, push buttons and other user inputs from the application
processor to the an intelligent system power management solution,
the application processor can use its high-performance processing
capabilities on more value-added functions or spend more time in idle
or full standby states that reduce total system power consumption.
The IDTP95020 also offloads the need to control the WLED backlight
from the application processor. By integrating the WLED driver and
touch screen controller, along with the ability to monitor other analog
system measurements using its 12-bit ADC, the IDTP95020 elimi-
nates the need for the application processor to be involved in waking
up the display or controlling its brightness.
Integrated Codec Makes Audio Easier
In many portable applications, particularly those based on discrete
application and baseband processors, there will be multiple audio
inputs and outputs that need to be merged and tuned. This creates a
need for a centralized audio mixer, and in many architectures, the
application processor is used to perform this function. However,
because audio mixing is very CPU-intensive, this can place a large
burden on the application processors’ resources and result in signifi-
cant power consumption. An intelligent system power management
solution with an embedded audio codec provides a better solution.
By offloading the audio mixing from the application processor, an
integrated power management solution, such as the IDTP95020,
reduces the processing burden on the application processor, which
allows those resources to be used on other functions or to reduce
system power consumption by putting the processor into a lower-
power standby state (see Figure 3).
Development Environment
While a fully programmable intelligent system power management
solution affords designers a great deal of integration and flexibility, it
also requires the creation of user-defined power sequencing and
scripts to respond to various interrupts and events. To ensure that the
creation of these sequences and scripts don’t have a detrimental
impact on a project’s time to market, it is imperative that any power
management solution come complete with a robust development
environment. The development tools for the IDTP95020 include an
evaluation board that can be connected directly to a designer’s PC.
The designer can then make use of the IDT GUI-based scripting tool,
which features a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface for defining
power rail sequencing and the ability to create and run TCL scripts to
put the IDTP95020 through a pre-defined sequence of actions and
settings. Once the designer has completed these scripting files, the
tool then allows them to be
loaded directly to the EEPROM
on the evaluation board (see
Figure 4).
Making Power Management a
Strategic Decision
Historically, power management
has been one of the last ele-
ments considered in the design
of many portable consumer
applications. While this approach
has historically served designers
well, the increasing complexity of
portable consumer devices and
the need to include a broad
range of features while still maximizing battery life places greater
importance on the selection of a power management solution. The
development of intelligent system power management solutions, such
as the IDTP95020, now enables designers to make the strategic
decision to adopt a flexible, integrated solution that can be used
across multiple product platforms and generation. Such a decision
can reduce the design resources needed to develop multiple prod-
ucts and reduce time to market while, at the same time, help to opti-
mize system performance and power consumption.
www.idt.com
25www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
P O W E R M A N A G E M E N T
Figure 2: Using an Integrated Power Management Solution Simplifies Design
Figure 3: Audio Routing and Mixing in the IDT P95020
Figure 4: IDT P95020 Development Environment
26 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Technological approach
With its memory LCD technology and line-up of mini solar panels,
Sharp has two key components for creating self-sufficient solutions.
Further, in order to operate the system, a processor is required which
can handle an extremely low power budget. With the LPC1114, NXP
has provided a device that includes one of the most efficient proces-
sors currently on the market and is therefore predestined to power
self-sufficient solutions.
Memory LCD
Memory LCDs (Figure 1) are a new type of LCD, which are based on
Sharp's proprietary Continuous Grain Silicon technology. Thanks to
this special coating method, compared to amorphous silicon, large
crystalline silicon domains appear on the display glass, the physical
properties of which closely resemble those of monocrystalline silicon.
This allows relatively complex, slender circuits to be integrated direct-
ly on the display glass, thus enabling additional functions to be imple-
mented directly onto it. In the case of memory LCDs, each pixel is
allocated its own memory of 1 bit, where the pixel status and thus
image information is stored. This means that image information only
has to be rewritten to the pixel in instances where there has been a
change in content compared to the previous frame. As a reflective
display, memory LCDs do not require backlighting either. When com-
bined, the result is that memory LCDs only consume 0.8% of the
power consumed by conventional displays of the same size. This is
because, in conventional transmissive LCDs, microcontrollers have to
rewrite the entire screen contents from frame to frame at a speed of
50 to 60 Hz, even though a large portion of the screen content has
not changed. In addition, backlighting represents a major part of the
power consumption.
The LS027B4DH01 2.7" memory LCD used for the electronic table of
contents has a power consumption of just 50 μW with constant
screen displayed and just 175 μW at a refresh rate of 1 Hz. In addi-
P O R T A B L E P O W E R
Memory LCDs are based onContinuous Grain Silicon
Technology. Low power application example: Solar reader
The Corporate Publishing division of a large German publisher has received an order todevelop a customer magazine on the topic of sustainability for a management consultancy
firm. For a small exclusive share of the circulation (approx. 700 copies), which the management consultancy firm will use to approach the top managers of DAX companies,
the plan was to integrate an electronic table of contents in the cover of the customer magazine. In line with the idea of sustainability, the electronic table of contents was to bedesigned as a self-sufficient solution to work under normal room/office light conditions.
In addition, there were specific requirements for its aesthetic and functional design. In order to retain the booklet-like look of the magazine in spite of the electronics, the
design was limited to a maximum installation height of just 2.5 mm. Furthermore, dualuse of the concept was required, which would ensure that the recipient would keep
returning to the magazine in the long-term.
By Sven Johannsen, Business Development Manager, Sharp Microelectronics Europe andPatrick Delmer, Supplier Business Manager, Arrow Central Europe GmbH
Figure 1: Memory LCDs. Sharp offers its new memory LCDs for lowpower applications in two technology versions: The high reflection(HR) models (left) are very easy to read from all angles, whereas thePNLC models (right) have a silver metallic appearance and are there-fore also suitable for fashionable applications.
P O R T A B L E P O W E R
tion, the display itself is just 1.53 mm thick and thus meets the speci-
fication with regard to the maximum design height. With 5 V supply
voltage, the memory LCD can also be supplied directly using solar
cells as the voltage source.
Furthermore, the memory LCDs feature a special type of image rep-
resentation. Unlike other reflective screens, this new type of LCD
does not require polarisers. Thanks to a special polymer network liq-
uid crystal material (PNLC), the image is generated by the status of
the pixels changing from transparent to white at reflectiveness of
50%. This gives the display a silver metallic appearance, which is
particularly suited to fashionable applications. In a somewhat more
conventional version of the memory LCD, polarisers and high reflec-
tion (HR) liquid crystals are used. They produce a pure black and
white image with excellent readability and a very large viewing angle.
NXP processor
The LPC1114 NXP processor with ARM Cortex-M0 core is a total
energy-saving wonder (Figure 2). As the control component for the
electronic table of contents, it requires just 500 μW at a clock rate of
up to 50 MHz. By comparison, with approx. 10 to 30 mW per MHz,
conventional PC processors require 20 to 60 times as much. Further-
more, the CPU has a deep power down mode, where all the process-
es are powered down until processor current consumption is just 240
nA in the standby state. There is also a deep sleep mode, which
reduces the current consumption of the LPC1114 to 6 μA.
Solar panel
With power output of up to 300 mW and a surface area of just 27.7
cm², the LR0GC02 solar panel (Figure 3) is one of the leading photo-
voltaic components when it comes to efficiency. The 12.8% efficiency
of polycrystalline silicon cells is almost double that of conventional
amorphous cells. Together the ten cells of the LR0GC02 solar panel
deliver an output voltage of 5 V at 60 mA, maximum – in theory,
enough to supply the electronic table of contents along with the
memory LCD, processor and peripheral units (realtime clock (RTC),
Flash memory, etc.).
Just 0.8 mm thick, the LR0GC02 is also the thinnest photocell cur-
rently on the market, and can therefore be easily integrated into the
cover of the booklet. It is also able to withstand high mechanical
loads. The substrate is not made from glass and thanks to double
wiring the photocell still delivers full performance even if a cell
breaks.
Circuit
Creating the electronic table of contents as a self-sufficient solution
(i.e. the solar reader) from these components was the achievement
of Arrow and Hitex.
At the heart of the circuit (Figure 4) is the LPC1114 low power
processor from NXP. Primarily it controls the display contents, which
are stored as graphics on the Flash memory. The solar reader has
two operating modes. In slideshow mode, the details of the magazine
contents are represented using a total of 22 charts, which are stored
Figure 2: LPC1114 block diagram
Figure 3: The mini solar panel of the LR0GC02 solar panel has12.8% efficiency, enough to supply portable self-sufficient applica-tions with power
Figure 4: The LPC1114 low power processor controls the displaycontents, which are stored as graphics on the Flash memory. In timemode, the corresponding images are clocked by the RTC.
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as black and white bitmaps with a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels in
the Flash memory. The screen is refreshed every 5 seconds. After
three cycles, the solar reader switches to time mode. This provides a
dual feature that induces the recipient of the booklet to keep looking
at the cover. In time mode, the corresponding images are clocked by
the RTC.
The built-in button can be used to manually switch back and forth
between the modes. It is also used to activate the solar reader from
deep power down mode or return it to deep sleep mode.
In order to optimise the current consumption of the circuit, the
processor goes into deep sleep mode between events (screen
refresh), which reduces the processor current consumption to 6 μA.
Since deep sleep mode can only be exited by a start logic (external
event), the RTC interrupt acts as a "wake-up signal" for the LPC1114.
The Screen refresh is set to 0.5 sec. in order to get a blending effect
between the pictures. In addition, the Microcontroller toggles the
power supply of the serial Flash to reduce overall power consump-
tion. The total setup consumes around 1170 μW in Slideshow Mode.
The challenge
The challenge in realising the solar reader was primarily the inconsis-
tent and generally rather mediocre light conditions present in offices.
Although the solar cells supply more than enough power to operate
the solar reader in bright daylight even indoors, on dull days, howev-
er, the cells only achieve an output power of a few hundred mA at a
voltage of 1 - 2 V.
Solution
Two approaches were adopted to ensure constant operation of the
solar reader (Figure 5) even under temporarily suboptimum, fluctuat-
ing light conditions:
Excess energy produced by the solar cell under favourable light con-
ditions must be temporarily stored as a reserve for periods when
there is insufficient light. The challenge was to find a storage cell that
would meet the requirements of the form factor (maximum total
height of 2.5 mm) and also provide sufficient capacity.
The entire circuit would have to be heavily fine-tuned to energy effi-
ciency.
The latest development from US battery specialists, Infinite Power
Solutions, emerged as the ideal power storage device. The Thinergy
MEC 101 battery cell has a capacity of 1.0 mAh with an output volt-
age of 4.1 V. This is sufficient to operate the solar reader for almost
19 hours in time mode without the solar cell having to supply addi-
tional energy. In addition, the Thinergy cell is just 0.17 mm high,
which meant that it could be easily integrated in the circuit.
In order to further optimise the circuit to low power demands, the
solar reader enters deep power down mode after 2.5 hours of opera-
tion, which in turn gives the Thinergy cell time to recharge. To protect
the circuit, deep power down mode is activated again if the solar
reader has been operating in poor light conditions for a long period of
time and the battery cells are no longer able to supply power. For this
the microcontroller regularly checks the voltage of the solar cells. If
this falls bellow a set threshold for longer than 2 minutes, it shuts
down.
When the solar reader is shut down, only the realtime clock and bat-
tery charging electronics continue to be supplied with power. In this
mode only 460 nA is required. If the solar reader is exposed to the
light, the energy cell recharges itself.
Another particular challenge of this project was power management.
Since the battery cell supplies 4.1 V, but the display requires 5 V and
the microcontroller 3.3 V, a boost function and an LDO controller
were also required.
The problem here is that many DC/DC boost converters are very inef-
ficient at low power levels. The LTC3525 from Linear Technology was
chosen for this project. With an average load of 140 μA in slideshow
mode, this DC/DC converter achieves efficiency of almost 90%.
The TPS780033022 from Texas Instruments was chosen as the LDO.
Here too the 0.5 μA loss at 0.7 V drop voltage is minimal. In total, the
two controllers together require a mere 61 μW.
In addition to generating the supply voltages, charging and monitor-
ing electronics were also required to operate the energy cell. The
expertise of Infinite Power Solutions, who contributed a patented
solution, was essential here. The advantage of this is that this part of
the circuit requires just 350 nA for its own needs.
Summary
With the solar reader Sharp and Arrow have shown that by using
suitable low power components (memory LCD, low power processor,
etc.) it is possible in principle to develop self-sufficient solutions for
portable applications that cover their own power requirements using
mini solar cells. Since incident light fluctuates greatly in practice,
these types of application require a power storage buffer to build up
energy reserves when there is a lot of light so that the applications
can also be operated when incident light is insufficient. Thanks to
their design height of just 0.17 mm, allowing of easy integration in all
situations, the Thinergy cells from Infinite Power Solutions show that
batteries do not have to have a detrimental impact on the form factor
of the application. As an alternative to the MEC cell, Infinite Power
Solutions does, however, also offer ready-made modules, which even
have the voltage monitoring and charging control electronics pre-inte-
grated.
The photovoltaic components also offer potential for optimisation.
The next generation of Sharp cells with monocrystalline silicon are
set to offer efficiency of up to 16.5%. Furthermore, the Japanese
company is planning the market launch of thin-layer solar cells for
portable applications, achieving enhanced power yield under artificial
light conditions.
28 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
P O R T A B L E P O W E R
Figure 5: The Thinergy MEC 101 battery cell (bottom right on thePCB) stores power for operation in poor light conditions.
M O T I O N C O N T R O L
30
Inverters are increasingly used in consumer appliances such as
refrigerators, washing machines and heating, ventilation and air con-
ditioning (HVAC) systems in order to improve efficiency, reliability,
and controllability of the system. While the sales volume of these
applications increases steadily, the price expectations are rather
decreasing. It is therefore a continuous optimization process ongoing
in the industry in order to align with this trend.
The trend covers on one hand the optimization of the functionality of
the end product. Refrigerators not only cool down and conserve food.
Meanwhile, they also produce ice cubes, they contain technologies,
which make defrost-cycles obsolete or they offer various sections
with different temperature inside the space optimized cabinet. On the
other hand, the space, which is available for the electric drive system
for the compressor, or the fan, or the washing machine drum, is
smaller and smaller due to the higher space utilization of modern
appliances. We can buy washing machines with a drum size of 12 kg
or even more today. There are the same trends in refrigeration and
freezer equipment, which offer today a larger cabinet size for the
same external form factor. More and more functions of the drive have
to be integrated, therefore.
This is the main motivation for converting even small power drives
from discrete semiconductor systems towards a setup with intelligent
power modules.
Package Concept
Most intelligent power modules (IPM) use a highly thermally conduc-
tive interface material to contact the power transistors to the heat
sink. This is usually quite expensive and requires a complex assem-
bly technology as shown in [1], [5] and [6]. It is the target of the pro-
posed IPM to use a lead frame construction only, which is supported
by a PCB substrate. The module is therefore overall molded, so that
the generated heat must pass an ideally thin mould compound layer
to get to the heat sink. It is easy to understand, that an extremely thin
layer of mould compound between the lead frame and the heat sink
is necessary in order to avoid excessive heating of the IGBT.
Figure 1 shows its cross-sectional structure where all the power com-
ponents are isolated each other from the heat sink. Clearance and
creepage distances of pin-to-pin are 2.6mm and over 3.0mm respec-
tively. In case of pin-to-heat sink, clearance distances are 1.6mm.
The low power components such as the gate drive IC and thermistor
are assembled on an internal printed circuit board (PCB). PCB tech-
nology allows flexible design and very easy routing with EDA tools as
they are commonly available. The lead frame style package is pro-
duced by a simple module assembly process and then the dual-in-
line structure can be soldered directly into the drive design board like
a through-hole integrated circuit.
The new CIPOS-mini in a fully molded package offers the smallest
module size (36 x 21 mm²) while providing high power density from 4
A, 600 V up to 30 A, 600 V by employing the RCD-IGBT and 6-chan-
nel gate driver. Furthermore, it offers enough space to implement an
input rectifier bridge for the current rating of 6 A as shown in figure 2.
This specific module (IGCM06B60HA), which contains the rectifier, is
discussed more in detail.
Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Rectifier Integration OpensDoor for High Power Density
Intelligent Power ModulesThe temperature increase of the case is moderate
High integration of power electronic systems requires optimized packages. This paperpresents an innovative, fully-molded intelligent power module for small power three
phase drives in a dual-in-line package. The package itself offers the possibility of integrating additionally the input bridge rectifier. The article discusses the thermal
performance of the module concept by working out the impact of the rectifier losses inrespect of case temperatures. The overall losses balance is calculated and the result is
compared with measurements while operating the module with and without input rectifier.
By D. Chung, J. Lee, J. Song, LS Power Semitech Korea and W. Frank, Infineon Technologies Germany
Figure 1: Cross-sectional structure
Effect of Rectifier Losses in Application
Calculation of losses
The loss balance consists of three major contributions:
- conduction losses of three phase inverter
- switching losses of three phase inverter
- conduction losses of input bridge rectifier
It is a well known technique to approximate the output characteristics
of IGBT and the forward characteristics of the freewheeling diode by
piecewise linear curves, which simplifies the calculation with accept-
able loss of precision. The characteristic is therefore given by the
threshold voltage VCE0 and VF0 and the differential resistance rCE and
rdD of the transistor and diode, respectively. All values can be derived
out of the characteristics given in the datasheet. We can calculate
now the conduction loss per one pair of IGBT and diode of a continu-
ous sine wave modulation with the modulation index m and the
power factor cos φ:
(1)
where Ipk is the peak value of the motor phase current.
The switching losses can also be derived from datasheet characteris-
tics by assuming their linear dependency on switched current :
(2)
where EON is the turn on energy of the IGBT per Ampere
[Joule/Ampere], EOFF is the turn-off energy of the IGBT per Ampere,
and EREC is the recovery energy per ampere of the diode. The losses
are scaled by the ratio between the actual DC bus voltage VDC and
the nominal DC bus voltage of the datasheet test condition Vnom.
The calculation of the conduction losses of the bridge rectifier is simi-
lar to the calculation of conduction losses of the IGBT. The forward
characteristics is approximated piecewise, which results in parame-
ters VF0,rect and rd,rect for the threshold voltage and the differential
resistance of the rectifier diodes. The integrated rectifier diode has
therefore a threshold voltage VF0,rect = 0.8 V and a differential resistor
rd,rect = 0.027 Ω at a junction temperature of TJ = 25°C. The conduc-
tion losses of a rectifier diode is therefore
(3)
where Iin,avg is the average value and Iin,rms is the rms value of the
input rectifier current. The capacitive load of the rectifier by means of
the DC bus capacitor leads non sinusoidal input current in respect to
the input voltage. It can be shown analytically, that the rms value of
the input current equals to
(4)
where Iin,pk is the measured peak current, t1 is the conduction period
of the input rectifier and T is the input voltage period. The average
current equals to
TtII pkinrmsin2
1,, =
rectdrmsinrectFavginrectd rIvIP ,
2
,,0,, +=
pkSWRECnom
DCDiodeSW
pkSWOFFONnom
DCIGBTSW
IfEVVP
IfEEVVP
π
π1
)(1
,
,
=
+=
pkFpkdDDiodecon
pkCEpkCEIGBTcon
IVmIrmP
IVmIrmP
0
2
,
0
2
,
cos82
1cos
38
1
cos82
1cos
38
1
⎟⎠⎞
⎜⎝⎛ −+⎟
⎠⎞
⎜⎝⎛ −=
⎟⎠⎞
⎜⎝⎛ ++⎟
⎠⎞
⎜⎝⎛ +=
φπ
φπ
φπ
φπ
M O T I O N C O N T R O L
31www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Figure 2: Internal schematics of IGCM06B60HA including threephase inverter (green shaded) and input rectifier bridge (blue shad-ed)
(5)
We investigate a commercial refrigeration application case with the
following conditions:
- AC input voltage Vin,ac = 220 V
- line frequency f = 60 Hz
- ambient temperature Tamb = 26 °C
- thermal resistance of heat sink Rth,h-a= 5 K/W
The thermal resistance of the heat sink is given by the application
itself and is verified by measurements under application related con-
ditions.
The different behaviour of the two configurations can now be defined
as the additional power dissipation caused by the rectifier. The dissi-
pation of the inverter part is the same in the same application and
must not be considered for a relative comparison of both configura-
tions.
Figure 3 shows the correlated wave forms of the application and the
following data are derived:
- duration t1 = 2.4 ms
- average DC voltage under full load VDC = 300 V
- 3 phase inverter power Iout,inv = 0.5 A
- switching frequency fP = 3.8 kHz
Therefore the rms value of the input current Iin,rms is
(6)
The average current results in 0.33 A. The overall losses are giving
with equation (3) a total of 1.1 W for the rectifier. The contribution of
the input rectifier is very small.
The higher power dissipation leads accordingly to a proportionally
higher case temperature of .
(7)
Verification and measurement
The module is first operated by using the inverter only. The rectifier is
outside the module. Additionally, a measurement was done by using
also the rectifier part. A reference measurement with a commercial
low cost module is also performed. The commercial module does not
contain a bridge rectifier. It utilises a larger package (44 mm x
26.8mm), which allows a better heat flow to the heat sink.
The lead frame is here designed in a way that the heating of all
power semiconductors, i.e. rectifier diodes and RCD-IGBT, is almost
equal during full load. The application requires a single shunt only,
which is sufficient for simpler control methods, such as v/f-control or
trapezoidal waveform control of BLDC motors.
Figure 4 shows the test setup for the verification measurements. The
tested module is mounted on a heat sink. A spring presses the tem-
perature sense onto the case with a defined and constant pressure.
This ensures the reliability of the contact conditions during the meas-
urement process. The module and the heat sink are assembled on a
test PCB as shown in figure 5. The test conditions are set to values,
which are mentioned before.
The relevant parameters for the measurement are the ambient tem-
perature Tamb and the case temperature TC. Table 1 shows the peak
values of these parameters during an initial start-up procedure.
CWWKPRT dahthC °=⋅=Δ⋅=Δ − 5.51.1/5)(
Ams
msAI rmsin 72.067.162
4.27.2, =
⋅=
rmsinavgin II ,,
2
π=
M O T I O N C O N T R O L
32 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Figure 3: Rectifier and inverter wave forms
Figure 5: Practical setup for temperature measurements in applica-tion
Figure 4: Mechanical setup for temperature measurements
The difference between both operating modes is 18.0°C – 11.9°C =
6.1°C. This is slightly higher than expected, which was 5.5°C. How-
ever, the mismatch of 0.6 °C between measurement and calculation
is acceptable.
The measurement confirms that the temperature adder in respect of
the case temperature TC for operating an input rectifier bridge inside
an intelligent power module is moderate. This makes the module
highly applicable for all systems, with a power rating below 300 W.
Conclusion
A new concept of intelligent power modules for low cost home appli-
ances has been discussed. The module includes an input bridge rec-
tifier for single phase input. Measurements under typical application
conditions show, that the temperature increase of the case is moder-
ate while using also the rectifier part. Therefore, the module offers
advantage for all space sensitive applications, that the rectifier is
connected in best way to the heat sink, because it shares the same
heat sink. The overall space consumption is less and the module
provides the highest power density.
References
[1] W. Frank, J. Oehmen, A. Arens, D. Chung, J. Lee, “A new intelli-
gent power module for home appliances”, Power electronics,
intelligent motion, power quality, Conference proceedings, May
2009.
[2] D. Chung, S. Sul, “Minimum-loss strategy for three-phase PWM
rectifier”, IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, Vol.46, No.3,
Jun, 1999
[3] K. Ammous, S. Abid, A. Ammous, “Thermal modeling of semi-
conductor devices in power modules”, in Microelectronics Inter-
national, vol. 24 issue 3, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2007, pp.46
[4] T Kojima, Y Yamada, M Ciappa, M Chiavarini, A novel elec-
trothermal simulation approach to power IGBT modules for auto-
motive traction applications, vol. 39 no. 4, R&D Review of Toyota
CRDL, Toyota, 2004
[5] M. Kato, T. Nagahara, H. Kawafuji, T. Nakano, M. Honsberg:
“New Transfer Molding PFC series with Compact Package”,
Power electronics, intelligent motion, power quality, Conference
proceedings, May 2009.
[6] K. Satoh, T. Iwagami, H. Kawafuji, S. Shirakawa, M. Honsberg,
E. Thal: “A new 3A/600V transfer mold IPM with RC(Reverse
Conducting) –IGBT”, Power electronics, intelligent motion, power
quality, Conference proceedings, May 2006.
www.Lsis.biz
www.infineon.com/power
33www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Table 1: Measurement Results
Measurement Case temperature TC
Amb. temperature Tamb
�T
without rectifier 38.2°C 26.3°C 11.9°C with rectifier 43.7°C 25.7°C 18.0°C
reference measurement 39.5°C 26.3°C 13.2°C
Efficiency Through Technology
USAIXYS [email protected]+1 408 457 9004
ASIAIXYS [email protected]+886 2 2523 6368
EUROPEIXYS [email protected]+41 (0)32 37 44 020
PartNumber
Vdss(V)
ID(A)
RDS(on)(mΩ)
Qg(nC)
Trr(ns)
RthJC(οC/W)
PD(W)
PackageType
IXTK600N04T2 40 600 1.5 590 100 0.12 1250 TO-264IXTX600N04T2 40 600 1.5 590 100 0.12 1250 PLUS247IXTK550N055T2 55 550 1.6 595 100 0.12 1250 TO-264IXTN550N055T2 55 550 1.3 595 100 0.16 940 SOT227IXFK520N075T2 75 520 2.2 545 150 0.12 1250 TO-264IXFX520N075T2 75 520 2.2 545 150 0.12 1250 PLUS247IXFN240N15T2 150 240 5.2 460 140 0.18 830 SOT-227IXFX240N15T2 150 240 5.2 460 140 0.12 1250 PLUS247IXFN320N17T2 170 260 5.2 640 150 0.14 1070 SOT-227IXFX320N17T2 170 320 5.2 640 150 0.09 1670 PLUS247
THINK POWER
FEATURESHigh current capability (up to�600A)Low Rds(on)�HiPerFET� TM versions available for fast power switching performanceAvalanches capabili�es�
APPLICATIONSSynchronous rec�fica�on�DC-DC converters�Ba�ery chargers�Switch-mode and Resonant-�mode power suppliesDC choppers�AC motor drives�Uninterrup�ble power supplies�High speed power switching �applica�ons
Just how small a microcontroller can control a 3 phase BLDC motor?
Well to answer that question requires the chip resources to be identi-
fied which align with the external BLDC motor control topology and
functionality for the intended application. If at the outset we address
the low cost volume market for speed control applications used in
fans and pumps the problem narrows down. In relation to this type of
system there are those with sensor and sensor-less configurations
(for determining rotor position) which both offer pros and cons but in
terms of I/O count if the rotor position sensing can be done on one
pin we are off to a good start. Also if multi function pins can be
deployed for a simple user interface and logic minimization tech-
niques can reduce the pin count further then the minimal resource
map for a suitable device can be approached.
BLDC Motor Control System
In Figure 1, the block diagram illustrates a system using a single Hall
sensor for rotor position feedback (many systems use 3 for this pur-
pose), a potentiometer for speed setting, a start and stop switch, a
motor over current trip and a 3 phase power bridge to drive the
motor. The resulting amount of independent connections to the
microcontroller shown between the system sub components is 11 (5
inputs and 6 outputs). However, minimisation can be accomplished if
the microcontroller supports multi function pins and ubiquitous periph-
erals.
Resource minimization techniques
Considering the microcontroller output signals to the 3 phase power
bridge, if the BLDC six step control algorithm is deployed then only
two transistors are ON at any time during normal running i.e. one
high side and one low side transistor and these are driven in non
complementary fashion. So the high and low side transistors are from
different half bridge configurations and are driven in the so called
diagonal mode. This is advantageous from a logic minimisation per-
spective because when two of the three high side devices are OFF in
run mode, the third should be ON. Hence the third high side output
signal can be reconstructed from the other two via a few resistors
and transistor inverter which connects to the third High side power
bridge input (ref Figure 4 - Circuit diagram). This leads to a reduction
of microcontroller pins. So we have gone from a system requiring 6
outputs to one requiring 5.
With respect to the five system inputs for a Hall sensor, potentiome-
ter, motor current trip and start/stop switches there are various possi-
bilities. Firstly the Hall sensor(s) are commonly built into the BLDC
motor assembly and these tend to have also integrated circuitry for a
digital interface to the microcontroller. This can take the form of open
collector style transistor outputs and a pull up resistor is provided at
the external motor controller end for signal detection. In this applica-
tion one Hall sensor is required and the PIC12F device family feature
one digital input only pin that can be used for this purpose.
For the motor start and speed setting function, at power up one of
the 3 phase power bridge high side drive pins can be configured as
an analogue input. This pin is connected to a resistive divider and
potentiometer. Hence before the motor is run the speed can be set
and read. In addition the addition of a start switch which can reduce
the speed setting below a minimum can also enable motor starting.
In this analogue input mode, although the connected high side drive
transistor is turned on this does not result in motor energization as all
the low side drive transistors are off at this time. Subsequently, in run
mode the pin is configured as an output for motor high side transistor
driving and then the resistive divide chain effectively becomes a pin
pull up/down function.
M O T I O N C O N T R O L
34 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Low Resource Microcontroller- 3 Phase BLDC Motor Speed
ControllerThis could form the basis where high performance is not required
This article focuses on a minimal resource microcontroller implementation for a 3 phaseBLDC motor, closed loop speed motor controller application based on a Microchip
PIC12 device. It shows how minimisation techniques can reduce the number of I/O pinsto just 6 for this type of application. It assumes the reader understands the commutation
sequence for the aforementioned type of motor.
By Martin Hill, Microchip
Figure 1 – BLDC Motor Control Block diagram
The stop function is best implemented separately when the motor
has started and not by using the start switch as a combined start/stop
function during the commutation sequence. Hence the stop function
is implemented in firmware via a rotation timeout i.e. when the stop
switch is pressed in run mode the high side drive signals are all dis-
abled and the firmware can detect the subsequent motor stall condi-
tion and place the application into stop mode. An even more elemen-
tary motor stop function could be implemented by using a normally
open switch in parallel with the over current trip circuit described
below.
The over current trip does not use any of the microcontroller I/O pins;
instead it makes use of the high voltage PIC12 family variant’s power
supply connection in order to reset the device due to motor over cur-
rent. This type of PIC deploys an internal shunt regulator which is
connected to the application power supply via a resistor. The resistor
is sized according to the application requirements. Hence the supply
can be interrupted to the PIC via the over current trip circuit which is
effectively connected in parallel with the internal supply regulator.
So we now have a system that requires microcontroller I/O pins with
1 dedicated digital input, 1 digital/analogue and 4 digital output func-
tions. However, we have ignored the fact that for speed control we
will need to modulate the applied voltage to the BLDC motor and for
this we require some PWM signals to be applied to, in this case, the
low side drive transistors. In fact, because six step control is imple-
mented, the requirement is to have any one of the three low side
drivers supplied with a PWM signal at any instant in time during the
motor commutation sequence. Some PIC devices feature a specific
Motor Control PWM peripheral for this purpose whereas others have
PWM signal steering capability to 1 of n outputs to basically achieve
the same via for example an ECCP (Enhanced Capture/Compare
Peripheral). On a PIC12F we have a combination of PWM signal
steering in the ECCP and alternative pin configuration modes avail-
able (APCFG). This is extremely convenient because the PWM steer-
ing can only be done on two pins via the ECCP and the application
requires three (via the APCFG mode). Only the PIC12F615 and
PIC12HV615, currently, have this capability.
Firmware
The firmware uses the uses the single Hall sensor to synchronize the
motor commutation upon signal transitions and also determines when
to commutate between single Hall sensor transitions using a dead
reckoning technique. In addition it implements closed loop speed
control through speed error calculation and a simple
proportional/integral form of control. The output of the PI controller is
loaded into the CCPR1 PWM duty cycle register, most significant 8
bits, and the final output from the PWM sub system is switched in
turn to one of the 3 low side power bridge transistors in order to com-
mutate the motor and control the speed.
The 3 PIC12 internal timers are used to measure the motor speed
derived from the Hall sensor signal (TMR1), set the PWM period
(TMR2) and generate a commutation interrupt after a pre-calculated
period (TMR0).
At power up the speed setting is read and run mode is entered when
the start switch is pushed.
When motor run mode is entered the rotor position is initially estimat-
ed and a short open loop commutation sequence is performed until
the next Hall sensor signal transition is detected, at which time the
commutation sequence is synchronized with rotor position. After 2
successive Hall sensor signal transitions are detected the application
firmware enters closed loop speed control mode.
An over current trip effectively causes a device POR (Power On Reset).
Summary
This outline motor controller design has been demonstrated to work
with a Hurst 3 phase motor, low voltage power module and
PIC12F615 connected to a modified starter board all of which can be
purchased from Microchip. It shows that that this form of motor con-
trol can be reduced down to a 6 I/O pin microcontroller with multi
function pins and internal resources/peripherals. The PIC12HV615
flexible internal peripherals and internal regulator further enable cir-
cuit integration for this application and an example circuit is shown in
Figure 4. This could form the basis of a low cost design for some
motor control applications where really high performance is not
required.
www.microchip.com
M O T I O N C O N T R O L
35www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Figure 2: System test arrangement
Figure 3 – Motor speed control and commutation implementation
Figure 4: Circuit diagram (of PIC12HV615 implementation)
Siemens engineers have developed a galvanic isolated current sen-
sor that operates on the principle of the GMR-effect (giant magneto
resistive effect). The sensor is designed for good accuracy (error less
than 0.3 %) in the industrial temperature range. It is capable of meas-
uring DC, AC and pulse currents up to 20 MHz. The whole measure-
ment system can handle three different currents at the same time. It
consists of three GMR-sensors, several ΔΣ modulators and one
FPGA for digital signal conditioning. Due to the exceptional large
bandwidth from DC to 20 MHz, it could also enable new applications
in the field of renewable energies. Beside the accuracy, the low
power consumption compared to a conventional Hall based closed-
loop current transducer makes the system very promising for applica-
tions where power efficiency is a key advantage to the customer.
The GMR-effect
For discovering the GMR-effect, the French researcher Albert Fert
and the German researcher Peter Gruenberg were awarded with the
Nobel Prize in 2007. The first commercial application of the GMR
technology as read head sensor for hard drives addresses the multi
billion dollar market for information technology and pushed the GMR
technology to an extraordinary level during the last decade.
Due to the improvements in GMR-material quality and the cost com-
petitive availability of large scale production processes, the new tech-
nology is now ready to enable new applications in the field of industry
and automotive sensing applications.
Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is observed in structures which exist
of alternating ferromagnetic and non-magnetic layers with a thickness
of few nanometers. The effect allows to alter the electrical resistance
of the entire layer structure through a change of the mutual magneti-
zation orientation of the magnetic layers. If the layers are magnetized
in opposite directions, the resistance is significantly higher than with
magnetization in the same direction. The reason for that is the spin
dependent scattering of electrons in ferromagnetic materials which is
a well known quantum mechanical phenomenon.
Figure 1 gives an example of typical resistance alteration ΔR/R in a
Fe/Cr structure, dependent on the mutual magnetization orientation
of the Fe layers. To point out the enormous influence of variations in
the layer thickness, different Cr layers from 9 to 18 Å thickness are
opposed.
The distinctive relationship between the magnetization orientation of
the magnetic layers and the electrical resistance is perfectly applica-
ble for measuring external magnetic fields. The GMR sensor present-
ed here is made up as a so-called spin valve system. It consists basi-
cally of two ferromagnetic layers, separated by a diamagnetic metal-
lic layer. As shown in Figure 2, an additional anti-ferromagnetic layer
is attached to one ferromagnetic layer (the reference layer) in order
M E A S U R E M E N T
36 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Precision Current Sensor withExceptional Large Bandwidth
With the information about the temperature, digital signal correction is improved remarkably
In the field of power efficient solutions, the precise knowledge about the flow of electricalpower over a broad spectrum is indispensable. Without this knowledge, no decision couldbe taken about how to save electrical power without loss of functionality and comfort. A
high quality low-cost solution for current measurement is therefore an important steptowards electrical power efficiency and could play a significant role in photovoltaic,
green building and green hospital applications.
By R. Weiss and K. Behringer, Senior Research Engineers Siemens AG,C. Bluemm and R. Weigel, Friedrich Alexander University/
Lehrstuhl für Technische Elektronik
Figure 1: Magneto resistance of a Fe/Cr layer structure with differentCr thickness at 4,2K (from M. N. Baibich et al., Phys. Rev.Lett. 61,2472 (1988))
to pin its magnetization direction. In spite of that, the other ferromag-
netic layer features a relatively free moving magnetization direction
(the free layer). The spin valve system shows an approximately linear
resistance change of typically 10%.
Measuring magnetic fields is of course not the only way to exploit the
GMR-effect for sensor technology. The application spectrum covers
any physical variable that can be technically associated with a mag-
netic field, such as position, velocity or current.
GMR-based current sensor
The set-up of a spin valve GMR element which is used for current
measurements is shown in Figure 3. According to Ampère's
circuital law, the primary current causes a magnetic field H
around the conductor, it passes through. This conductor is
attached to the GMR element with an isolation layer in-
between, made of PCB material. A change of the current
alters the magnetic field, which in turn results in a rotating
magnetization of the free layer of the spin valve GMR ele-
ment.
The GMR sensor presented here features four GMR ele-
ments. According to Figure 3, they are arranged in a Wheat-
stone configuration to enable differential measuring. This
helps to compensate foreign magnetic fields with identical
impact on all GMR elements and even temperature influ-
ence to some extent. As output, a single voltage signal
UGMR is provided, which equals ideally zero when no cur-
rent flows.
Adapting the GMR sensor for high accuracy current measurements
Compensating perturbations is not the only benefit of the Wheatstone
configuration. The voltage drop over a simple shunt, to be connected
in series with the Wheatstone bridge, allows to measure the tempera-
ture of the GMR elements. With the information about the tempera-
ture, digital signal correction is improved remarkably, as will be
shown later.
A shunt is needed, since the total bridge resistance RWS, and there-
with the feeding current IWS depends on temperature changes. On
the other hand, RWS and IWS are independent of the stimulating
magnetic field, due to the special arrangement of the GMR elements.
Consequently, two independent output signals are provided by the
wheatstone/shunt combination: UGMR to represent the external mag-
netic field and UShunt to represent the temperature. As soon as
these signals are digitalized, they can be conditioned with the FPGA.
In the sensor system presented here, the ΔΣ modulators AD7401
from Analog Devices are used for digitalization.
37www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
M E A S U R E M E N T
Figure 3: Basic layer structure of a spin valve system (Current-in-plane setting)
Figure 4 GMR sensor system for a one-phase current
Figure 2: A Wheatstone bridge of four GMR elements, stimulated bya current-carrying U-shaped conductor
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Figure 4 depicts the circuit of a GMR sensor system, as used for a
one-phase current. The capacitors and resistances, which were not
mentioned before, work as follows:
R1/R2/C1: used for bandlimitation
R3/C2 : low-pass filter with 100 kHz cut-off frequency
C3, C4, C5, C6 : decoupling capacitors for power supply
R5/C7 , R6/C8, R4 : used for impedance matching,
against overshoots
Actually, the original Siemens sensor system can handle three-phase
instead of one-phase currents. Thus, all circuit elements of Figure 4
are tripled, except for the FPGA.
Digital signal conditioning
Typical uncorrected output values of the Siemens current sensor are
presented in Figure 5. Therefore, DC currents in the range of ±100 A
at temperatures from -10°C to 70°C are applied. Compared to other
current sensing elements, the sensor characteristics are already con-
siderable. Yet, there is still room for digital improvement. For the
three most critical sources of inaccuracy, namely the GMR sensor`s
nonlinearity, the offset and the influence of temperature, solutions are
provided. A less severe, but still noticeable problem is a certain hys-
teresis behavior.
For improving the accuracy of a measured value e.g. a current value,
a digitally memorized model of the inversed sensor transfer charac-
teristics can be exploited. This is a well-known technique, traditionally
based on polynomials of an arbitrary degree for the sensor model.
However, polynomials lack of accuracy, due to inevitable ripples,
which increase with higher polynomial orders. Furthermore, it is very
difficult to implement involved polynomials with low-cost hardware
like DSPs or FPGAs.
For these reasons, a new innovative digital modeling method is
implemented, which comes with the huge advantage of maximum
flexibility in combination with minimal computational effort and memo-
ry usage: Derived from the computer science subfields of computer-
aided design and computer graphics, the numerical technique of B-
spline interpolation can be perfectly adapted to correct sensor nonlin-
earities, offset and temperature.
The nature of interpolation is to construct new data points within the
range of a discrete set of known data points. This set must be deter-
mined before measuring through a calibration process. Therefore, the
response signals of the GMR sensor plus the response signals of the
additional shunt to well-defined input stimuli are taken and analyzed.
It is essential to stimulate just within those temperature and current
ranges, which are important for later measurements. In order to use
this data for B-spline interpolation, some post-processing is neces-
sary, resulting in a grid of few, uniform spread data points. As soon
as these points are hard-coded as constants in a look-up table, the
FPGA is ready for measurements:
Based on the actual output variables of the GMR sensor and the
shunt, the position within the grid of constants is localized and an
according intermediate value (the measurement value) is gained
through B-spline interpolation.
Since the memorized sensor model is of static nature, dynamic
effects like hysteresis are not correctable with the B-spline approach.
Nevertheless, an upgrade with additional signal correction techniques
is conceivable, if further measurement improvement is desired.
Examples of measurements
Just as Figure 5 depicts typical raw sensor values, Figure 6 gives an
impression of the same data after digital correction. Now, the axis of
ordinate no longer displays voltage values, but the interpolated cur-
rent.
For a quantitative evaluation, Figure 7 gives the corresponding
absolute measurement error. All measurement operations were run
from the minimal to the maximal current value and back. In doing so,
the hysteresis behavior of the GMR sensor shows its ultimate occur-
rence, clearly noticeable in Figure 7. This means that the resulting
error plots are the worst-case scenario. In real measurements, how-
ever, less hysteresis impact can be expected and therewith higher
accuracy.
www.siemens.com
M E A S U R E M E N T
Figure 5 Typical input-output interrelation of a Siemens GMR currentsensor
Figure 6: Linearised measurement (with B-spline interpolation)
Figure 7: Absolute error of the linearised measurement
40 Bodo´s Power Systems® August 2010 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® July 2010 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® July 2010 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® July 2010 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
These multiple measurements are needed to obtain easier and quick-
er insight into the total behaviour of the power inverter system, which
involves looking not only at input and output waveforms but also at
control signals and environmental parameters such as temperature.
Against this background, Yokogawa has introduced the DL850
ScopeCorder (Fig.1), a plug-in module–type signal waveform record-
ing and measurement instrument with eight module input slots. Users
can mix and match any of 15 modules (including a new high-voltage
isolated module) best suited to the circuit under test and connect a
variety of sensors directly to the inputs for measurements of physical
quantities including temperature.
The DL850’s basic performance characteristics include high-speed
sampling (100 MS/s), long memory (two gigapoints), and voltage
measurements on up to 128 channels, allowing measurement over
long durations at high-speed sampling on multiple channels in a sin-
gle unit.
The multi-channel aspect is important because, with inverter meas-
urements, more than four measurement channels are typically
required in the development process. Most oscilloscopes offer only
four channels, and have a further limitation since an oscilloscope’s
inputs share the same ground, making it impossible to offer the isola-
tion needed to measure floating voltages.
Isolated inputs
Traditional waveform measuring devices like digital storage oscillo-
scopes have limited capability for high-voltage inverter measure-
ments because they lack the separately isolated inputs together with
high-voltage isolation and high 12-bit resolution. Other waveform
measuring solutions often require external (active) signal conditioning
to achieve high-voltage isolation.
The DL850 ScopeCorder, on the other hand, uses a technology
known as isoPRO® in its high-voltage measuring module to provide
100MS/s sampling with 1 kV isolation and 12-bit resolution with no
need for external active signal conditioning devices. isoPRO® tech-
nology employs a system whereby digital data is converted to optical
signals using a semiconductor laser diode, with the data then being
transferred via optical fibre to the instrument (Figure 2). As the data
transfer rate of the semiconductor laser diode is extremely high, large
amounts of data can be transferred on a single device, and as a
result the area of isolation becomes very small. Also, because optical
fibre itself is an insulator, and the distance of signal transfer along the
M E A S U R E M E N T
ScopeCorder Measurements AidHigh-Speed Inverter TestingIt is important to have more than four measurement channels
High-speed inverters incorporating faster, higher-voltage devices are increasingly beingused in areas such as transport – both automotive and rail – and renewable energy
including solar and wind power. R&D laboratories devoted to such products are seekinghigher performance while reducing development costs, and increasingly require isolatedhigh withstand voltage measurements at higher sampling rates, as well as the ability to
simultaneously measure greater numbers of signals for longer periods of time.
By Kelvin Hagebeuk, Yokogawa Europe
Figure 1: The Yokogawa DL850 ScopeCorder signal waveformrecording and measuring instrument
Figure 2: Schematic and hardware for the isoPRO® technology usedin the Yokogawa DL850 ScopeCorder
41www.bodospower.com August 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®www.bodospower.com July 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®www.bodospower.com July 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
M E A S U R E M E N T
optical fibre is sufficient to provide the appropriate insulation, an insu-
lating distance between the signal input and the main unit is provided
even at a high voltage of 1 kV. Using isoPRO® technology, it
becomes possible to package two channels of 100 MS/s, 1 kV high
withstand voltage isolation measurement circuits in a compact mod-
ule measuring approximately 100 × 200 mm.
Figure 3 shows a pulse waveform of an inverter signal using this
module. On the left is the measured result at 100 MS/s, and on the
right is the result using the predecessor 10 MS/s module. It is clear
that measurements with the 100 MS/s high-speed isolation module
provide more pulse details.
Figure 3: Comparison of measured inverter pulse waveforms using100 MS/s and 10 MS/s sampling
NDM1-12
NDM1-25
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Noise rejection
Because the high voltage of inverters is switched at high speed,
noise is necessarily introduced along the path of measurement.
In the high-voltage isolation module, however, excellent noise rejec-
tion performance results in good CMMR (common-mode rejection
ratio) values and also means that the floating voltage switching wave-
forms which are typical for inverters and devices such as IGBTs can
be captured with high precision.
The structure of the module shown in Figure 4 offers high noise
rejection. The module enclosure includes shielding that constitutes
the electrical potential of the case, and external noise is initially
absorbed by this shield. Next, the measurement circuit area is shield-
ed at measurement circuit ground potential, and is furthermore struc-
tured to limit the propagation of noise. With regard to the measure-
ment circuit area’s shielding in particular, the adjustment hole is
sealed during assembly. This double shielding achieves a high
CMRR of approximately 90 dB at 10 kHz (Figure 5). In addition,
when the module is inserted into the main unit, its case potential
shielding is introduced between neighbouring channels. As a result,
even if high voltage enters one of the channels, it is difficult for it to
affect the adjacent channel.
High-speed processing
As indicated above, advances in switching devices have made invert-
er devices faster and higher in carrier frequency. As a result, higher-
speed sampling of switching and output waveforms is necessary for
inverter evaluation. Moreover, because it is also necessary to meas-
ure how inverter operating conditions change with fluctuations in sys-
tem load conditions over long periods of time, there is a tendency for
the amounts of data per measurement to be larger than before. The
evaluation test cycle is a repetition of the following processes: data
acquisition; measurement evaluation; change conditions; data acqui-
sition. Therefore, to reduce cycle times and raise efficiency, it is cru-
cial to shorten the time required for data verification.
To meet this requirement, the DL850 ScopeCorder incorporates a
high-speed data processing system to provide a set of powerful
analysis tools supporting the instant analysis of acquired waveforms.
One of these tools, known as the GigazoomEngine®2, uses a propri-
etary data processing algorithm for high-speed sampling and multi-
channel measurements.
This means that, even during acquisition of data into the two giga-
points of long memory, it is possible to instantly display waveforms in
two additional screens at any zoom factor, allowing quick insight into
the details of waveforms. Other functions that reduce the time
required for data verification within the evaluation test cycle are auto-
matic waveform parameter measurements, providing calculation of
any of 26 waveform parameters automatically. Examples are ampli-
tude, frequency, rise-time, period and more.
After data acquisition, the inverter waveform can be analysed using a
time-saving function called ‘cycle statistics’, which automatically cal-
culates waveform parameter measurements on each cycle/period in
the waveform and presents the final result in statistical form.
The fact that all analysis tools are ‘on board’ the instrument is partic-
ularly useful for directly measuring device behaviour under rapidly
changing operating conditions, as there is no need to download data
to a PC to carry out analysis (although this is still possible for subse-
quent storage and evaluation).
Applications
The DL850 ScopeCorder, because of its multi-channel synchronisa-
tion, is the ideal tool to capture signals coming from power inverters,
power electronics and control signals and combine these signals in a
single measurement. Using on-board analysis tools like cursor and
waveform parameter measurements provides direct insight into the
behaviour of the system. Combining the 100 MS/s isolated acquisi-
tion module with a temperature module and logic inputs to measure
control signals, the instrument can measure all the relevant signals in
a single box, giving easier and quicker insight into the behaviour of
the inverter and its components with reduced costs and improved
quality.
Conclusion
The DL850 ScopeCorder achieves high-speed sampling (100 MS/s),
high withstand voltage isolation (1 kV), multichannel measurement
(up to 128 channels), and long-duration measurements (up to two
gigapoints) in a single unit. Since users can mix and match modules
to best suit the application, this single measuring instrument can
adapt flexibly to any measurement challenge. Moreover, with its high-
speed data processing technology including the GigazoomEngine®2,
waveform parameter measurements and cycle statistics, engineers
will save time and money on the confirmation and analysis of meas-
ured data. The result is that engineers are taken to a new level of
efficiency in the development of the high-speed inverters needed to
support today’s energy-saving technologies.
www.tmi.yokogawa.com/ea
M E A S U R E M E N T
42 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Figure 5: CMMR characteristic: the double shielding achieves a high CMRR of approximately 90 dBat 10 kHz (701250 High-Speed module)
Figure 4: Module shield structure for noise rejection
The noise from switching DC/DC regulators encompasses both con-
ducted and radiated noise. The conducted noise travels over printed
circuit board (PCB) traces and can be attenuated with filters and
proper layout. Experienced system designers resolve this issue by
adding input and output filters such as ferrite beads (pi-filters) and via
careful layout of the PCB. Often a linear post regulator is used after a
switching regulator’s output to filter some of this energy. This is a
common practice when powering RF power amplifiers, for example.
The radiated noise, also referred to as electromagnetic noise, travels
through air (space) and is often more difficult to tame. This must be
resolved at the source and the source can be as obvious as multigi-
gabit transceivers or as elusive as DDR memory or the overlooked
DC/DC switching regulator.
Raise Some Noise
There are many categories of EMI. An engineer has to worry about
both susceptibility and emissions. Susceptibility refers the amount of
noise that can be thrown at the design without malfunction or
destruction, such as ESD spikes, AC riding on a DC line and even
lightning strikes. Emissions refer to the amount of noise that the
design throws out at other products.
In general, a designer worries mostly about emissions. With few
exceptions, most systems operate in an environment where the emis-
sions of each product must not exceed some predefined level. In
theory, if each product complies with these emission levels, the noise
level running throughout the system is low enough that there is no
worry about susceptibility.
Switching DC/DC regulators, by nature, dissipate energy. It is the
strongest at the switching frequency of the regulator (switching of
gate of MOSFET, for example, is one source). Depending on the fre-
quency, the harmonics or the strength of the energy, a DC/DC
switching regulator can disrupt data integrity or at times prevent a
system from passing EMI standards such as EN55022 or CISPR22
class B or A.
Often, systems engineers who have been burned by previous last
minute EMI issues, decide to over-filter a regulator’s circuit. The fear
of not passing a test due to EMI noise is far greater than the cost or
wasted PCB area. And no one can blame them for their concern.
There are several common methods to alleviate noise. Here is a list:
Bypassing
Bypassing is used to reduce the flow of high switching current espe-
cially in high impedance PCB traces. It is often accomplished by
shunting the path by a capacitor.
Decoupling
Decoupling in a power supply circuit refers to the isolation of two cir-
cuits on a common line. As was mentioned before, low pass filters
are very effective.
di/dt
Know the sources of fast derivative current sink or source and deter-
mine their return paths. Make sure to bypass all of them.
Layout
Make sure your small signal, ground and power planes are properly
placed. Keep small signals and power planes separated from one
another. Minimize inductance in your traces.
Shields
To contain and reduce emanated energy from a DC/DC regulator (if
it’s “noisy”), you may need to add metallic shields around the circuit.
Use shielded inductors.
Adjust the frequency
Does the switching regulator have an adjust pin, PLL (phase lock
loop) or SYNC pin to set the switching frequency to a desired value?
It’s a good idea to choose a switching regulator with PLL capability. It
may come in handy later on during final testing of your board.
Spread Spectrum Frequency Modulation (SSFM)
Some modern switching regulators come with an on-board SSFM
E M C
44 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
Minimizing ElectromagneticInterference When PoweringDensely Populated Systems
Ultralow EMI DC/DC Regulator System Meets EN55022 Class B Standard
Systems incorporating sophisticated high frequency functionality are consuming morepower and are increasingly assembled on denser circuit boards. Higher power
consumption and close proximity of components increase the risk of point-of-load switching regulator’s electromagnetic energy interfering with RF circuitry.
By Afshin Odabaee, μModule Product Marketing Manager, Linear Technology Corporation
feature. Or you can buy an SSFM clock generator if the regulator
lacks this function. With SSFM you can reduce the energy level by
spreading it across wider frequency range, thus preventing a strong
level concentrated at a particular frequency value. Be sure that the
switching regulator has SYNC or PLL capability.
Let someone else worry about it
If the switching regulator circuit is designed cleverly, its layout optimized
and most importantly already tested under strict industry EMI standards,
then someone else has already done the job. These products do exist.
We Failed the EMI Test
There are three little words that design engineers dread: “We failed
EMI.” There are four little words that are even worse: “We failed EMI
again.” Many a seasoned engineer is scarred with dark memories of
long days and nights in an EMI lab, struggling with aluminum foil,
copper tape, clamp-on filter beads and finger cuts to fix a design that
just won’t quiet down.
There are two types of emissions: conducted and radiated. Conduct-
ed emissions ride on the wires and traces that connect up to a prod-
uct. Since the noise is localized to a specific terminal or connector in
the design, compliance with conducted emissions requirements can
often be assured relatively early in the development process with a
good layout or filter design.
Radiated emissions are another story. Everything on the board that
carries current radiates an electromagnetic field. Every trace on the
board is an antenna, and every copper plane is a resonator. Anything
other than a pure sine wave or DC voltage generates noise all over
the signal spectrum. Even with careful design, no one really knows
how the bad the radiated emissions are until the system gets tested,
and radiated emissions testing cannot be formally performed until the
design is essentially complete.
So what is a design engineer to do? One approach is to use parts
that are pre-tested and known to have low emissions. Using these
“verified and certified” parts greatly increases design success.
In the United States, radiated emissions and testing are regulated by
the Federal Communications Commission. The most commonly
encountered specification is the Federal Code of Regulation (CFR)
FCC Part 15. CFR FCC Part 15 regulates all radio frequency
devices, whether or not they are intentional emitters. It defines two
classifications of unintentional radiating digital devices, A and B.
Class B is stricter, defining limits around 10dB lower than class A.
Don’t get confused by the term “digital device.” In the FCC’s eyes, a
digital device is anything that generates and uses timing signals of
frequency greater than 9kHz. Today, that covers a lot of products,
including most switching power supplies.
Class A devices are used in commercial, industrial or office environ-
ments. Class B devices are residential. An example of a class A
device is a mainframe computer, seldom seen in a home. A monitor,
while certainly used in offices, is also used in private homes, so it is a
class B device.
In order to be useful in a class B device, a component should radiate
less noise than the specified limit. How much less is dependent on
the other components in the system. If the device emits more than
the class B limit, some means must be devised to reduce the noise,
such as shielding or slew rate limiting.
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46 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
E M C
Meeting EMI Regulatory Standards
In Europe, allowable electromagnetic emissions are generally defined
by EN55022. Another commonly encountered specification is CISPR
22, which comes from the international agency Comite International
Special des Perturbations Radioelectriques (International Special
Committee on Radio Interference). These two specifications are sim-
ilar to FCC part 15, defining similar (but not identical) limits and divid-
ing them into the two A and B emissions classes.
In today’s modern designs, switching power supplies can make a sig-
nificant contribution to the radiated noise coming from a system. To
date, there are three products that have radiated EMI emissions com-
pliant with CISPR 22 class B: LTM8020, LTM8021and the LTM8032
μModule® DC/DC regulators.
Each of these units was tested at the MET Labs facility in Santa
Clara, California. MET Labs is accredited by numerous agencies,
including NIST and A2LA for EMI testing. A complete listing of MET’s
credentials is given on their website:
www.metlabs.com/pages/emcaccred.html
Radiated emissions testing is highly regulated, and the test method
specifications are very detailed. There is no means by which a
design engineer can influence the measurement technique or
method. When asking a lab to perform radiated emissions testing, an
engineer chooses only the test specification; the lab handles the rest
and the design engineer is not invited to participate in the measure-
ment process. In the case of the LTM8000 series μModule devices
listed above, the chosen test specification is CISPR 22 class B.
Of the three products under discussion, the LTM8032 is built specifi-
cally for low EMI. It is rated for up to 36VIN, and 10VOUT at 2
Amps. It was tested in MET Labs’ 5 meter chamber set up as shown
in Figure 1. The LTM8032 is mounted on a circuit board with no bulk
capacitance installed. The input and output capacitance are the mini-
mum ceramic values specified in the data sheet for proper operation.
The assembled unit is placed atop an all-wooden table. The all-wood
construction ensures that the test set-up does not shield or shadow
noise emanating from the device under test (DUT). The power
source, a linear lab grade power supply, is on the floor. The load for
the LTM8032, with its heat sink, is also on the table top.
Measuring EMI from the LTM8032
Before measuring the emissions from the LTM8032, a baseline
measurement is taken to establish the amount of ambient noise in
the room. Figure 2 shows the noise spectrum in the chamber without
any devices running. This may be used to determine the actual noise
produced by the DUT. Ignore the red lines in the Figure 2 graph, as
they are not relevant to this discussion.
Figures 3a and b give the LTM8032 emissions plots for maximum
power out, 10V at 2A, for 24V and 36V inputs, respectively. There is a
slight discrepancy to note between the spectrum plots and the CISPR
22 class B limits. The CISPR 22 class B limits shown in Figures 3
through 7 are for quasi-peak measurements, which take the peak
noise emissions and calculate the integral average of the noise signals
over time. The time of the averaging is based on the frequency at
which the noise is detected. The noise measurements in Figures 2
through 6, however, are simply peak measurements, as indicated in
the upper right corner of the spectrum plot, so the design margin indi-
cated in the plots is even greater than what is graphically indicated. A
copy of this report is available on www.linear.com/umodule.
There are two traces in the plot, one each for the vertical and hori-
zontal orientations of the test lab’s receiver antenna. The LTM8032
easily meets the CISPR 22 class B limits by a wide margin.
Figure 2: LTM8032 baseline: Ambient noise in the 5 meter chamber(no devices operating)
Figure 3a: LTM8032 emissions for 20 Watts out, 24Vin
Figure 3b: LTM8032 emissions for 20 Watts out, 36Vin
Figure 1: The test set-up. The power source, a linear lab gradepower supply, is on the floor
E M C
47www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
Figure 4 shows the emissions at 10Watts out, 5V at 2 Amps, from
12Vin. Once again, the emissions are very low.
Two other parts are also CISPR 22 class B compliant, the LTM8020
and LTM8021. The LTM8020 is rated for up to 36Vin and up to
5Vout at 200mA, while the LTM8021 is rated for 36Vin, 5Vout at
500mA. These two devices were tested in MET Lab’s 10 meter
chamber. This chamber is a bit noisier than the 5 meter chamber, as
shown in Figure 5. As in the case of the LTM8032, the red lines are
the quasi-peak limits, while the spectrum plot displays the peak
measurements. The actual noise margin is greater than what is
shown in Figures 5 and 6.
The DUT configuration is similar to the LTM8032. They are assem-
bled on circuit cards with no bulk capacitors and only the minimum
required ceramic capacitors. They are mounted on a wooden table-
top, along with the load, and the power source is on the floor.
Emissions spectrums for the LTM8020 are given in Figure 6 for input
voltages of 12V (data for 24V and 36V inputs are available at
www.linear.com). The output power is 1W, 5V at 200mA.
Emissions spectrums for the LTM8021 are given in Figure 6 for input
voltage of 12V. The output power is 2.5W, 5V at 500mA.
Summary: Ultralow EMI, Low Heat Dissipation and Compact DC/DC
Systems-in-a-Package Solve EMI Issues in RF Systems
An innovative family of DC/DC μModule regulators has been
designed for noise sensitive electronic systems such as RF systems
that are concerned with EMI. These devices have been tested by a
certified test lab for EMI evaluation.
These μModule regulators provide ultralow noise performance with
high efficiency, compact package and a simple design similar to a lin-
ear regulator because of:
• Shielded inductors
• Careful layout
• On-board filters
• Controlled MOSFET gate drive
• Low input and output ripple
• Complete DC/DC circuit in a surface-mount package
This family of DC/DC μModule regulators brings peace-of-mind to all
system designers concerned with noise. The LTM8020, LTM8021
and LTM8032 are quiet and provide complete power supply solutions
for wireless systems.
www.linear.com
Figure 4: LTM8032 emissions for 10 Watts out, 12Vin
Figure 5: LTM8020 emissions for 12Vin, 5Vout at 200mA
Figure 6: LTM8021 Emissions for 12Vin, 5Vout at 500mA
Design Toolsfor engineers and developers
� www.we-online.com/toolbox� One source – plenty of R&D support tools� Free of charge & offline processable� Spice simulator� Component libraries� IC reference design search� Application notes
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N E W P R O D U C T S
www.apec-conf.orgwww.apec-conf.org
2011March 6–10, 2011
Ft. Worth, Texas
THE PREMIER
GLOBAL EVENT
IN POWER
ELECTRONICSTM
THE PREMIER
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SPONSORED BY
Visit the Apec 2011
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48
Mitsubishi Electric is introducing two 12.5V
high power metal oxide semiconductor field
effect transistor (MOSFET) devices. The two
discrete devices, RD70HUF2 and
RD35HUF2, are designed for use as high
frequency power amplifiers in 2-way com-
mercial radios operating at 25W and 50W
respectively. Both models are available in
VHF und UHF bands and compatible
with/conform to surface mount technology
(SMT) requirements.
The two devices both feature high output
powers and high efficiency. The RD70HUF2
has an output power of 75W at UHF and
84W at VHF and is optimized for 50W class
radios. The RD35HUF2 offers an output
power of 43W at UHF and 45W at VHF and
is optimized for 25W class radios. The high
drain efficiency, (the rate of electricity con-
verted to RF power by amplifiers) of at least
60% at UHF and 70% at VHF for both
devices will enable the next generation of
commercial radios to offer a lower power
consumptions than at present.
www.mitsubishichips.eu
12.5V High Power MOSFET Modules for Commercial 2-way Radios
Summit Microelectronics has announced
programmable power manager (PPM) inte-
grated circuits that will bring sophisticated
digital power control and programmability to
a much wider range of high-volume con-
sumer applications than previously available.
Summit’s new SMB20X family supports
advanced power management for “green”
and EnergyStar® applications, including digi-
tal LCD/LED televisions, cable/satellite/IP
set-top boxes, and other multimedia, broad-
band and small-office-home-office (SoHo)
communications equipment.
The new family members include the
SMB207/207A/208/208A/209/209A sin-
gle- and dual-output integrated DC-DC
buck regulators. The SMB20X family
combines Summit’s digital programma-
bility with dense integration, ultra-com-
pact size, and cost-effective bill-of-mate-
rials (BoM) necessary for mass-market
consumer products.
www.summitmicro.com
Integrated Buck Regulators Support Green Standards
49www.bodospower.com September 2010 Bodo´s Power Systems®
N E W P R O D U C T S
www.circuitprotection.com© 2009 Tyco Electronics Corporation. All rights reserved. www.tycoelectronics.com PolySwitch, PolyZen, TE (logo) and Tyco Electronics are trademarks of the Tyco Electronics group of companies and its licensors.
SuperSpeed USB Circuit Protection Solutions
USB 3.0 delivers 10 times the data rate of USB 2.0 and canuse nearly twice the power. So protecting your circuit from
overcurrent, overvoltage and ESD damage is all the more critical to help assure reliable performance.
You can rely on Tyco Electronics Circuit Protection for a complete range of products and the applications expertise
you need.
• Innovative PolyZen overvoltage protection• The latest in silicon-based and polymer ESD protection
• Industry-leading PolySwitch resettable overcurrent protection
For the latest information, go to www.circuitprotection.com/usb3
Texas Instru-
ments intro-
duced a 200-mA
dual output
power supply
designed to pro-
vide improved
picture quality for active matrix OLED
(AMOLED) displays that require positive and
negative supply rails. The TPS65137 uses a
low dropout (LDO) post regulator for line and
load transient response with minimum output
voltage ripples to provide stable picture qual-
ity. With its wide input range of 2.3 V to 5.5
V and small solution size of 3-mm x 3-mm
QFN package and small external component
count, the TPS65137 is suited for AMOLED
displays in portable devices, such as mobile
phones and smartphones.
Advanced power save mode with out-of-
audio control reduces switching frequency
as the load current decreases and maintains
high efficiency over the entire load current
range without audible noise.
www.ti.com
Dual-Output 200-mA Power Supply Improves Picture Quality
Micrel expanded its family of Hyper Speed
ControlTM Synchronous DC-DC controllers
with the introduction of the MIC2166. The
device is a wide input voltage range, high
performance, adaptive on-time DC-DC con-
troller capable of driving up to 25A of load
current. Built into MIC2166 is an internal
VDD regulator that enables single-supply
operation. Micrel’s unique Hyper Speed
ControlTM architecture significantly reduces
the required output capacitance and allows
for excellent transient response, while mak-
ing high delta-V operation (VIN=28V,
VOUT=0.8V) possible. The solution is ideal
for set-top boxes, gateways, routers, com-
puter peripherals, and applications with low
voltage distributed power requirements. The
MIC2166 is currently available in volume
quantities with pricing starting at $0.93 for
1K. Samples can be ordered on line at:
http://www.micrel.com/ProductList.do.
The MIC2166 operates at 600 kHz switching
frequency, operates over a supply range of
4.5V to 28V and can be used to provide up
to 25A of output current. The device
achieves up to 95 percent efficiency, while
still switching at high frequencies over a
broad load range. An UVLO feature is pro-
vided to ensure proper operation under
power-sag conditions which prevents the
external power MOSFET from overheating.
A digital soft start feature is included to
reduce the inrush current. Short Current
Sensing on the Bottom MOSFET with hiccup
ensures protection in case of output short
circuit. The MIC2166 includes an enable
(EN) input to shutdown the converter and a
Power Good output that allows simple
sequencing. The device is stable with any
output capacitor (zero to high ESR). The
MIC2166 is available in a 10-pin ePad
MSOP package with a junction operating
range from –40 ºC to +125 ºC.
www.micrel.com
Hyper Speed
ControlTM,
Synchronous
DC-DC Controllers
N E W P R O D U C T S
You receive more information at Tel. +49 711 61946-828 or [email protected]
Products and Solutions,Innovations and Trends
y Control Technologyy IPCsy Drive Systems and Componentsy Human-Machine-Interface Devicesy Electromechanical Components and Peripheral Equipmenty Industrial Communicationy Industrial Softwarey Interface Technologyy Sensor Technology
ElectricAutomationSystems and ComponentsExhibition & Conference23 – 25 Nov. 2010Nuremberg
SPS/IPC/DRIVES/
Experience at Europes # 1 platform for electric automation...
www.mesago.com/sps
SMP’s chokes for inverters in wind turbines are now also approved
for use in offshore installations. These inductive components feature
low losses, very low stray fields and a highly compact design. The
chokes’ cores consist of powder composites, which SMP has specifi-
cally engineered for this application.
The direct current from the wind turbines must be converted into a
sinusoidal waveform with the values required by the grid. The con-
verter’s filters, which consist of capacitors and filter chokes, ensure
that the current being fed into the grid exhibits a near sinusoidal
waveform. To maximize the inverter’s efficiency, its components must
exhibit low losses. The materials that SMP developed especially for
use in its energy-efficient, high-performance chokes have low magne-
tostriction and exceptionally low eddy current and hysteresis losses.
Their encapsulated design ensures that the power converters emit
only low-intensity stray fields, so that they do not affect other compo-
nents. The chokes have a space-saving compact design, are mainte-
nance-free and have a long lifespan – a significant contribution to
cutting the maintenance costs for offshore wind turbines.
Offshore wind turbines are prone to corrosion. To protect them from
the corrosive action of the sea water, special salt-resistant materials,
additional corrosion protection and a complete encapsulation of cer-
tain subassemblies are necessary. SMP’s inductive components for
wind turbine inverters are now certified IP66 and approved for use in
offshore installations. Because of their high protection class of IP66,
these chokes can be fitted outside the inverters, which means that
the heat generated by the choke is not discharged inside the inverter.
This results in a lower internal inverter temperature, which removes
the need for cooling fans, saving both energy and installation space.
Placing the choke outside the inverter has the further advantage of
reducing the inverter’s overall dimensions, which further cuts space
and energy demand. To simplify mounting outside the inverters, SMP
provides the chokes with special mounting fixtures. The choke and
the mounting plate are fitted on the device’s outside and the connect-
ing cables pass through a sealed opening.
www.smp.de
Inductive Components for Offshore Wind Turbine Inverters
N E W P R O D U C T S
Exhibitors Media Partners
25-27 October 2010. Maritim Pro Arte Hotel, Berlin, GermanyThis detailed technical conference examines how to make substations more cost-effective, smart, safe, reliable andenvironmentally sustainable. You will also gain practical solutions to the challenges of transmission station operationin a time of economic difficulty and technological change through real life examples.
Hear from leading transmission and distribution specialists, including ABB AG, Siemens AG, transpower, Stedin,E.ON Westfalen Weser, Cisco Systems, EA Technology Ltd and Locamation.
Sessions include:� implementation of condition monitoring technologies� substation automation project within a potential smart grid� transmission station design and protection� IEC 61850 as an asset management model and much more...
Register your place online at www.theiet.org/substation
Improving transmission station efficiency and security through new technologies and management techniques
Image ©
AREVA T&D
Maxim Integrated Products introduces the
MAX5974, a high-frequency, current-mode
PWM controller with an active-clamp archi-
tecture and spread-spectrum operation. The
device's active-clamp topology delivers bet-
ter than 90% efficiency, thus reducing power
consumption in synchronous forward/flyback
power supplies targeting IEEE(R) 802.3af/at
power devices (PDs). The
MAX5974A/MAX5974C versions are well
suited for universal rectified offline (85V to
265V) or telecom (36V to 72V) input volt-
ages. The MAX5974B*/MAX5974D* also
accommodate input voltages as low as
10.5V (e.g., wall adapters). Targeted applica-
tions include PoE PDs such as IP phones,
IP cameras, and wireless LAN access
nodes. The MAX5974 is also well-suited for
universal and telecom input ranges.
www.maxim-ic.com
Active-Clamped, Current-Mode PWM Offers > 90% Efficiency
ROHM has announced the development of
next-generation SiC (Silicon Carbide) Schot-
tky barrier diodes (SBD), featuring lower loss
and higher voltage capability compared to
silicon-based SBDs. In addition, the
SCS110A series provides advantages over
even other SiC SBDs currently on the mar-
ket regarding forward voltage and operating
resistance. This makes them ideal for a wide
range of applications, including PFC (power
factor correction) circuits, converters, and
inverters for power conversion such as those
used in EV/HEV and air conditioning units.
In the power electronics sector, conversion
losses generated in conventional (Si-based)
semiconductor devices have become
increasingly problematic, prompting a search
for a viable alternative. Silicon carbide (SiC)
has emerged as the most promising candi-
date due to its superior material properties,
in particular lower loss.
The SCS110A series of SiC SBDs feature a
reverse recovery time (trr) of 15nsec – much
less than the 35nsec to 50nsec of conven-
tional Si-based FRDs. As a result, recovery
loss is reduced by as much as 2/3rds,
decreasing heat generation as well. In addi-
tion, the products ensure more stable opera-
tion during temperature changes than silicon
FRDs, contributing to smaller heat sinks.
www.rohmeurope.com
High Efficiency SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes
www.bodospower.com September 2010
The low profile restriction for components
needed in the flat screen industry has chal-
lenged Payton to develop a standard line of
8mm height pfc inductors. Our 300uH/6A
(35mm x 35mm x 8mm) is used in PFC
boost pre-regulators at over 200 watts. The
peak current is 6Amps at 120khz, and the
inductance is 300uH. The total power losses
are under 2.5 watts with 45°C temperature
rise with no additional cooling. The efficien-
cy of this magnetic is the 99% range. Mod-
els are available with a separate bias wind-
ing, lower and higher inductance with appro-
priate currents. The parts can be used with-
out a heatsink.
www.paytongroup.com
Low Profile PFC Inductors
Ready formass production
Taking open loop technology to the next level: introducing a surface mount device.
HMS
Automatic assemblyDedicated LEM ASIC insideCompatible with themicrocontroller or A/D converter, reference provided outside or forced by external reference, 5 V power supplyImproved offset and gain drifts and enhanced linearity over traditional open loop designsVRef IN/OUT on the same pin8 mm creepage and clearance distances + CTI: 600No insertion lossesSeveral current ranges from 5 to 20 ARMS
CUI Inc’s power line, V-Infinity, announced
the release of a new series of convection
cooled DIN rail mounted ac-dc power sup-
plies. The VDRS series is available with
output power of 10, 20, 40, 60, or 100 W.
The power supplies accept universal input of
88-264 Vac and offer output voltages of 12,
15, 24, and 48 Vdc (depending on model).
The power supplies are ideal for industrial
applications such as automation, machine
control, and process control equipment. The
VDRS series is compact, with the 60W ver-
sion measuring only 1.6 inches in width.
Standard features include brown out, short
circuit, over load, and over voltage protec-
tion. Operating temperature range is -20 ~
70°C, derating from full load at 50°C to 50%
at 70°C. Safety approvals include UL 508,
UL1310 (NEC NFPA70 Class 2 Output), and
TUV EN60950-1. An LED indicator gives
the user an immediate visual indication of
the output status and the output voltage can
be easily adjusted via the front panel poten-
tiometer. The VDRS series is available
through Digi-Key starting at $22.97 for the
10 W per unit.
www.cui.com
10-100 W DIN Rail Power Supply Series
CUI Inc’s power line, V-Infinity, announced
the addition of 10 and 15 W models to their
VOF series of low cost open frame ac-dc
power supplies. The VOF series has a low
no-load power consumption of <0.5 W and
efficiencies up to 83%. The combination of
efficiency and competitive pricing makes this
series ideally suited for use in ITE, industrial,
and consumer electronics applications.
The VOF-10 and VOF-15 provide continuous
output power, universal input (85-264 Vac),
and are offered in 3.3, 5, 12, 15, 24, and 48
Vdc output voltages. The VOF-10 measures
2.6” x 1.8” x 0.9” and the VOF-15 measures
2.8” x 1.9” x 0.9”. Protections for over volt-
age and over current conditions are includ-
ed.
“The addition of the VOF-10 and VOF-15
series expands our offerings of open frame
power supplies to address the needs of cus-
tomers designing in small, compact solu-
tions,” stated Kraig Kawada, CUI’s V-Infinity
Product Manager. The VOF-10 is available
immediately through Digi-Key with prices
starting at $16.98 per unit. Please contact
CUI for OEM pricing.
www.cui.com
10 and 15 W Models Added to Low Cost
Power Supply Line
N E W P R O D U C T S
Power Your Recognition InstantlyBased in Munich, Germany, ITPR Information-Travels Public Relations is a full-service consultancy
with over a decade of experience in the electronics sector.
As a small exclusive agency, we offer extremely high ROI,
no-nonsense flexibility and highest priority to only a handful of companies.
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Media Training, Business Development, Partnerships, Channel Marketing, Online Marketing
Tactical PRWriting: Press Releases, Feature Articles, Commentaries, Case Studies, White Papers
Organizing: Media Briefings, Road Shows, Product Placements in Reviews and Market Overviews,
Exhibitions, Press Conferences
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DC-DC designers need MOSFET solutions
that offer lower switching losses and less
noise in a compact footprint. Leveraging its
advanced process and packaging technolo-
gies, as well as system expertise, Fairchild
Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) has released a
150V MOSFET with low RDS(ON) (17mOhm
MAX) and an optimized Figure of Merit
(FOM) (17mOhm * 33nCº Max) to bring high
efficiency, lower power dissipation and less
heat in a 5mm x 6mm MLP footprint.
The FDMS86200 is designed using shield-
ed-gate MOSFET technology that brings
lower switching noise and ringing to the
design, contributing to lower EMI. Without
this proprietary technology feature, a design-
er would be forced to choose a 200V MOS-
FET, which would double the RDS(ON) and
lower the overall efficiency. Fairchild’s
FDMS86200 also features an improved body
diode that boosts switching performance by
reducing losses.
Fairchild offers the broadest MOSFET port-
folio in the industry, so a designer can
choose multiple technologies for the right
MOSFET for the application. This unique
combination of functional, process and pack-
aging innovation and overall system expert-
ise enables greater innovation for electronic
manufacturers. Fairchild’s MOSFET portfolio
has a wide range of breakdown voltages
(20V-1000V) and advanced packaging tech-
nologies ranging from 1mm x 1.5mm WL-
CSP to 20mm x 26mm TO264 packaging.
www.fairchildsemi.com
150V MOSFET for Isolated DC-DC Applications
Intersil Corporation added to its growing
family of compact, fully integrated battery
chargers by introducing the new ISL9220.
The new device is based on a true switched-
mode topology that ensures the highest
operating efficiency and lowest power dissi-
pation for 1-cell and 2-cell Li-ion and Li-poly-
mer based portable applications such as
smartphones and tablet computers.
The ISL9220 minimizes charge time while
providing maximum power efficiency and
heat reduction using synchronous pulse
width modulation technology with integrated
MOSFETs. The device's 1.2MHz switching
frequency allows the use of small external
inductors and capacitors. The device pro-
vides up to 2A charge current and charge
voltage accuracy is 0.5 percent. Integrated
overvoltage protection on the adapter/USB
power input protects both the battery and cir-
cuitry from damage due to excessive voltage
on the input. A programmable safety timer is
provided to terminate charging if the battery
fails to charge in the programmed period.
The ISL9220 can also monitor the battery
temperature and discontinue charging if the
temperature becomes unsafe.
www.intersil.com/power
Most Efficient for 1- and 2-Cell Li-Ion/Li-Polymer Batteries Charger
N E W P R O D U C T S
International Rectifier has introduced a new
online Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
(IGBT) selection tool that enables design
optimization in a wide range of applications
including motor drives, uninterruptable power
supplies (UPS), solar inverters, and welding.
IR’s new IGBT Selection Tool evaluates
application conditions including bus voltage,
switching frequency, and short circuit protec-
tion requirements. Located at
mypower.irf.com/IGBT, the online tool pro-
vides an estimate of losses and suggests
parts that can function within the given con-
straints. The tool also provides pricing for
each part to enable designers to consider
the effects of device choice on system cost.
IR offers a broad array of IGBT products
enabling optimized inverter designs for dif-
ferent applications. The new online selection
tool enables engineers to quickly and easily
compare choices to select the optimal IGBT
for their design
IGBT selection requires evaluation of many
parameters that cannot be simplified into a
single metric. As switching losses can be
traded for conduction losses, for example,
calculating operating losses requires both
operating frequency and bus voltage param-
eters, in addition to operating current. Also,
the requirement of some motor drive invert-
ers for minimum short circuit withstand time
comes at the expense of higher losses.
IR offers a wide selection of IGBTs offering
various tradeoffs in switching speed as well
as devices designed for applications that do
not have minimum short circuit requirements.
The new selection tool helps designers
make use of IR’s broad IGBT portfolio and
weigh the performance tradeoffs.
www.irf.com
Online IGBT Selection Tool to Optimize Design
Independent Testing of Protect PV.250
Inverter Yields Remarkable Performance
Results - 40 megawatts already ordered.
A report jointly issued by the Fraunhofer
Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) and
Bureau Veritas shows that AEG Power Solu-
tions’ Protect PV.250 solar inverter offers
remarkable efficiency. Energy conversion
efficiency testing conducted according to
European Standard EN 50530 yielded a very
high efficiency grade of 98.7%.
Energy conversion efficiency testing was
conducted at eight different power levels,
nine DC voltage levels and for two module
technologies (thin film and crystalline tech-
nology, both used in solar farms). MPPT
testing, performed by ISE according to the
same European EN 50530 standard, yielded
a Maximum Power Point (MPP) efficiency
grade of 99.99%. ISE also reported that the
PV.250 inverter, launched in Sept. 2009,
successfully complied with EN 50530
dynamic requirements.
Testing was conducted by Fraunhofer ISE,
the largest solar energy research institute in
Europe, and by Bureau Veritas, an interna-
tional group specialized in the inspection,
analysis, audit, and certification of products,
infrastructure and management systems
according to regulatory or voluntary stan-
dards. Designed for power plants generating
from one to several hundred megawatts, the
AEG Power Solutions Protect PV.250 invert-
er was developed and is manufactured in
Warstein-Belecke, Germany.
Orders totalling 40 MW were already booked
at the end of the second quarter, mainly for
Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy, but
also for Belgium and France. Certification for
Italian grid operator ENEL has also been
achieved. This means PV 250 will soon be
included in the ENEL listing, a very promis-
ing achievement for AEG Power Solutions
on this market.
www.aegps.com
Solar Inverter for Megawatt Applications Achieves Shining Efficiency
56 Bodo´s Power Systems® September 2010 www.bodospower.com
N E W P R O D U C T S
ABB France 13
ABB semi C3
APEC 48
Bicron 37
CT Concept Technologie 15
CUI 41
Danfoss Silicon Power 45
Darnell 39
electronica 23
Fuji 5
Husum Wind 17
infineon 9
International Rectifier C4
Isabellenhütte 19
ITPR 54
IXYS 11+33
KCC 1
Lem 53
LS Industries 55
Microchip 3
Microsemi 13
Mitsubishi C2
National 21
NDT 43
PEM UK 41
Power E Moskow 51
Powersem 7
Semicon Europa 29
sps ipc drives 50
Substation IET 52
Toshiba 27
Tyco 49
VMI 31
Würth Electronic 47
ADVERTISING INDEX
The demand for high voltage components,
particularly for high reliability applications, is
increasing. In many industries, high voltage
power supplies are essential, especially in
the medical, telecoms, communications, mili-
tary and aerospace sectors. To meet this
expanding demand, Syfer Technology has
extended its range of high voltage radial
capacitors.
In addition, for long term reliability and prod-
uct continuity reasons, traditional and new
designs are often manufactured using con-
ventional through-hole assembly techniques.
Although larger in size than equivalent sur-
face mount devices, radial capacitors can
take less board space as they are side
mounted. They can also be less susceptible
to mechanical damage and vibration.
Devices are offered in both C0G/NP0 and
X7R dielectrics, and take advantage of
Syfer’s expertise in multilayer ceramic tech-
nology. The range starts with the 8111M
series, in voltages up to 630V offering
capacitances from 4.7pF to 270pF (C0G)
and up to 500V in capacitances from 100pF
to 8.2nF (X7R). At the top of the range is the
8171M series extending to 5kV with capaci-
tances of 3.3nF (C0G) and 18nF (X7R). For
specialist applications, Syfer offers custom
designs up to 10kV, on demand. Such high
voltage parts are essential for some medical
equipment, for example, such as X-ray and
scanner systems.
www.syfer.com
High Voltage, High Capacitance Radials
The ultra-fast settling time, high isolation
MASW-008543 SPDT RF Switch improves
the performance of 3G/4G infrastructure,
instrumentation, and radar systems. It is
optimized from 0.5 to 4.0 GHz. This switch is
fabricated using M/A-COM Tech’s patent-
pending low-gate-lag* GaAs pHEMT technol-
ogy, which dramatically shortens gate lag*,
and in turn reduces settling time by a factor
of roughly 1500 (versus the older technology
switches). This is important for radar sys-
tems, automated test systems, and high-
speed packet-data networks alike. The MASW-008543 from M/A-COM Technol-
ogy Solutions features:
• High Isolation; 65dB at 2GHz.
• Superior isolation to insertion loss (IL)
ratio – 65 dB vs. 0.70 dB IL (2GHz).
• Ultra-low “90% - 99% settling time” (incl.
gate lag) – on the order of 20ns!!
The datasheet and the MASW-008543
switches are available now from Richardson
Electronics.
www.rell.com/RFPD
Improve RF Designs with High-Performance RF Switch
90Power Integrations published two standby
power supply reference designs using its
recently announced TOPSwitch-JX IC prod-
uct family. TOPSwitch-JX devices feature
multi-mode control, minimizing power wasted
in standby and delivering maximum efficien-
cy over a wide range of operating loads. The
new reference designs target applications
that require more than 90% full-load efficien-
cy to meet such standards as the 80 PLUS?
Gold or Silver PC specifications, EuP Lot 6
standby rules, or the new California require-
ments for TV power usage.
DER-246 is a general-purpose evaluation
platform and describes a PC standby power
supply based on TOPSwitch-JX TOP265EG
that operates from 110 VDC to 400 VDC
input and provides > 91% efficiency at 12 V,
15 W. DER-247, based on TOPSwitch-JX
TOP264EG, describes a supply for a similar
application operating from 110 VDC to 400
VDC input and providing > 87% efficiency at
5 V, 10 W. For TV and other consumer prod-
ucts, the designs make 20 mW available to
the load for just 100 mW of input power.
David New, product marketing manager at
Power Integrations, comments: “More and
more power supply designs require very
good light-load efficiency performance and,
with PC power supplies moving to the 80
PLUS Silver and Gold specifications, the
PC-standby portion of the design needs to
be exceptionally efficient all the way from
light load to full load. The innovative control
technique and power MOSFET technology of
TOPSwitch-JX allows it to deliver the per-
formance needed for 80 PLUS Gold designs,
saving component cost in other portions of
the PC power supply.”
www.powerint.com/lp/topswitch-jx
Standby Power Supply Using TOPSwitch?-JX
Tame the Power
ABB Switzerland Ltd SemiconductorsTel: +41 58 586 1419www.abb.com/semiconductors
Power and productivityfor a better world™
Efficientlywith ABB thyristors
Part Number Description Packages Output Current Offset
Voltage
VCCUVLO
AUIRS21814S 2ch High and Low –Side SOIC14 +1.9 / -2.3A 600V 8.2V
AUIRS2110S 2ch High and Low –Side SOIC16W +2.0 / -2.0A 500V 8.2V
AUIRS2336S 3 Phase Inverter Driver SOIC28W +200 / -350mA 600V 8.2V
AUIRS2184S Half Bridge SOIC8 +1.4 / -1.8A 600V 8.2V
V(BR)DSS
(V)
RDS(on)
max
@ 10VGS
mOhm
ID max @
TC = 25°C
(A)
QG typ @
10VGS
(nC)
Pad
Outline
Optimized
FeatureMedium Can Large Can
40 1.0 270 220 L8 Low RDS(on) AUIRF7739L2
40 1.6 210 147 L6 Low RDS(on) AUIRF7738L2
40 1.9 156 89 L6 Low RDS(on) AUIRF7737L2
40 3.0 108 72 M4 Low RDS(on) AUIRF7736M2
DirectFET®2 MOSFETs
V(BR)DSS
(V)
RDS(on)
max @ 10VGS
mOhm
ID max @TC = 25°C
(A)
QG typ @ 10V
GS
(nC)D2Pak D2Pak-7 TO-220 TO-262
40 1.25 400 160 AUIRFS3004-7P
40 1.60 320 170 AUIRF2804S-7P
40 1.75 340 160 AUIRFS3004 AUIRFB3004
40 2.00 270 160 AUIRF2804S AUIRF2804 AUIRF2804L
60 2.10 293 200 AUIRFS3006-7P
60 2.50 270 200 AUIRFS3006 AUIRFB3006
75 2.60 260 160 AUIRFS3107-7P
75 3.00 230 160 AUIRFS3107
N Channel MOSFETs
BATTERY
ELECTROLYICCAPACITORS
&FILTER
COMPONENTS&
LOAD DUMPCOMPONENTS
MICRO-PROCESSOR
SIGNAL & SENSINGCIRCUITRY
DRIVER
Vin Vout
Vout
Vout
VoutVin
SMPS
INVERTER
MG
REVERSEBATTERY
CANI/O
Typical EPS System
Features
• Automotive Q100 and Q101 qualifi ed• HVIC with integrated protection• Extremely low RDS(ON) FET for 3-phase
inverter and reverse battery protection
The IR Advantage
• Excellent reliability for Automotive environment• Chipsets for maximum integration• MOSFET with rugged and fully
characterized avalanche SOA• D2-PAK and TO-220 packages rated to 195A, D2-PAK-7P to 240A
• DirectFET®2: Performance power packaging for outstanding power density
• Reduced EMI
for more information call +49 (0) 6102 884 311 or visit us at www.irf.com
Achieve Higher Performance and Power Density with IR’s Application-specific Chipset Solutions
Driver ICs
For the complete portfolio of Automotive MOSFETs visit www.irf.com
DirectFET® is a registered trademark of International Rectifier Corporation
Greater Power Assistance for your EPS System
THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER