wi - wireless & rf magazine: august 2014
DESCRIPTION
API Technologies on the Radar with Innovative SolutionsTRANSCRIPT
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
API
Wi GaN Hard-Switching Converters
From FFT to Spectrum Analysis
Interview with Bel LazarPresident amp CEO of
API Technologies
August 2014
eewebcomregister
Join Today
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12
24
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
Envelope Tracking as
Hard-Switching Frequency Driver
One of the main driving forces for increased
switching frequency converters is envelope
tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to
improve system efficiency lies in the power
amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio
(PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is
possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high
as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating
point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average
efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent
Through modulation of the PA supply voltage
ie envelope tracking average efficiency can
be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially
doubling the system efficiency and reducing
PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing
power consumption modulation of the PA
supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation
cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching Performance
To achieve a practical envelope tracking system
for current communication standards such
as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz
Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of
active research and requires high performance
hard-switching power devices In one example
[11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement
in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency
was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon
MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant
improvements in efficiency are possible
are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs
[3] are significantly lower than those of similar
onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is
worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform
better than MOSFETs even though the voltage
ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that
of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale
package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics
[5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the
EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some
key hard-switching loss related parameters such
as a separate gate return connection to virtually
eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations
and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB
layout where both gate loop and power loop
inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout
optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is
accomplished by having the relevant power and
gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on
subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and
similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000
series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for
fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
TECH ARTICLEThread Lines Googlersquos Nest A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-Fi
COVER INTERVIEWAPI on the Radar with Innovative Solutions Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
TECH ARTICLEGoing from FFT to Spectrum Analysis
TECH ARTICLEWi GaN eGaNreg FETs for Hard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
TECH WATCHAyla Design Kit with Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
CONTENTS
3
44
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
5
TECH ARTICLE
5
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
eewebcomregister
Join Today
4
18
10
12
24
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
Envelope Tracking as
Hard-Switching Frequency Driver
One of the main driving forces for increased
switching frequency converters is envelope
tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to
improve system efficiency lies in the power
amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio
(PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is
possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high
as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating
point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average
efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent
Through modulation of the PA supply voltage
ie envelope tracking average efficiency can
be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially
doubling the system efficiency and reducing
PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing
power consumption modulation of the PA
supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation
cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching Performance
To achieve a practical envelope tracking system
for current communication standards such
as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz
Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of
active research and requires high performance
hard-switching power devices In one example
[11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement
in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency
was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon
MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant
improvements in efficiency are possible
are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs
[3] are significantly lower than those of similar
onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is
worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform
better than MOSFETs even though the voltage
ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that
of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale
package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics
[5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the
EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some
key hard-switching loss related parameters such
as a separate gate return connection to virtually
eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations
and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB
layout where both gate loop and power loop
inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout
optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is
accomplished by having the relevant power and
gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on
subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and
similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000
series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for
fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
TECH ARTICLEThread Lines Googlersquos Nest A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-Fi
COVER INTERVIEWAPI on the Radar with Innovative Solutions Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
TECH ARTICLEGoing from FFT to Spectrum Analysis
TECH ARTICLEWi GaN eGaNreg FETs for Hard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
TECH WATCHAyla Design Kit with Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
CONTENTS
3
44
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
5
TECH ARTICLE
5
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
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Let There Be
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Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
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Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
4
18
10
12
24
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
Envelope Tracking as
Hard-Switching Frequency Driver
One of the main driving forces for increased
switching frequency converters is envelope
tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to
improve system efficiency lies in the power
amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio
(PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is
possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high
as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating
point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average
efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent
Through modulation of the PA supply voltage
ie envelope tracking average efficiency can
be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially
doubling the system efficiency and reducing
PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing
power consumption modulation of the PA
supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation
cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching Performance
To achieve a practical envelope tracking system
for current communication standards such
as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz
Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of
active research and requires high performance
hard-switching power devices In one example
[11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement
in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency
was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon
MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant
improvements in efficiency are possible
are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs
[3] are significantly lower than those of similar
onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is
worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform
better than MOSFETs even though the voltage
ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that
of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale
package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics
[5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the
EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some
key hard-switching loss related parameters such
as a separate gate return connection to virtually
eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations
and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB
layout where both gate loop and power loop
inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout
optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is
accomplished by having the relevant power and
gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on
subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and
similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000
series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for
fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
TECH ARTICLEThread Lines Googlersquos Nest A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-Fi
COVER INTERVIEWAPI on the Radar with Innovative Solutions Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
TECH ARTICLEGoing from FFT to Spectrum Analysis
TECH ARTICLEWi GaN eGaNreg FETs for Hard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
TECH WATCHAyla Design Kit with Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
CONTENTS
3
44
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
5
TECH ARTICLE
5
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
44
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
5
TECH ARTICLE
5
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
5
TECH ARTICLE
5
A Comparison of Thread amp Wi-FiBy Cees Links CEO and Founder of GreenPeak Technologies
Lines Googlersquos Nest
Recently Googlersquos Nest along with Samsung launched Thread a new
networking standard for smart homes and the Internet of things
Similar to Wi-Fi it remains to be seen if Thread will become as
successful The potential exists thanks to Threadrsquos inherent qualities the
big names behind it and the momentum pushing it forward
THREAD
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
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Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
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Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
66
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
7
TECH ARTICLE
7
THREAD WHATLike Wi-Fi the new Thread standard combines existing standards the IEEE 802154 standard for low-power wireless data-communication the well-known IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPv6 standard and several smaller building blocks for routing and meshing
IEEE 802154 is often used for industrial applications and is the relatively unknown little brother of IEEE 80211 which is well known as Wi-Fi About a decade ago the IEEE 802154 working group was spun out of IEEE 80211 with its main objective to build a worldwide low-power radio networking standard for sentrollers which are sensors actuators or controllers such as thermostats light switches and security sensors
DIFFERENT STANDARDS AND SITUATIONS IEEE 80211rsquos primary goal is to successfully achieve higher and higher data rates for video
audio gaming and other high bandwidth-demanding applications IEEE 80211 (Wi-Fi) is for content sharing and distribution However supporting these high data rates also requires much power and drains batteries and therefore the goal for IEEE 802154 became not high data rate but extended battery life via low-power requirements
Most people are used to the daily chore of recharging the batteries of laptop computers tablets and smartphones but would not want to do so for the predicted hundred or so wireless sentrollers that will be in our future smart homes Instead it is essential that these devices run on batteries for decades or not even require batteries at all IEEE 802154-based devices and sentrollers can require 110000th or less power needed to operate Wi-Fi-based high-bandwidth applications
PREFERRED FOR LOW POWER Because of the low power requirement IEEE 802154 has become THE low-power standard for wireless networking essentially low-power Wi-Fi for sentroller devices that do not need to transmit much data Like Wi-Fi IEEE 802154 uses the worldwide available 24GHz band IEEE 802154 uses 16 smaller channels (compared to WiFi using 3 channels) which provides IEEE 802154 with the agility to avoid Wi-Fi channels This collision avoidance has been implemented in the RF4CE standard a standard that has been successfully used for several years in many newer modern TVrsquos and set-top boxes replacing infrared remote controls
IEEE 802154 is the little brother of IEEE 80211 which is known as Wi-Fi
Threadrsquos endorsement strengthens the position of 802154
Accepted and used worldwide the IEEE 802154 standard is the base of ZigBee as well as several other industrial standards like Wireless Hart and ISA-100 Therefore the fact that Thread is endorsing the standard technology further strengthens the position of 802154 industry-wide compared to proprietary protocols such as Z-Wave
The other major building block that Thread is using is IPv6 The IETF developed IPv6 to succeed IPv4 as IPv4 is running out of addresses in particular in light of the arrival of the smart home and IoT The Internet Protocol version 6 has increased the number of total possible web addresses to unspeakably large numbers With a device penetration expected to be in the tens or hundreds of billions by 2020 it is essential that more device addresses are made available
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
88
THREADS AND BEESTherefore combining IEEE 802154 with IPv6 is a logical step As expected Thread is not the first to recognize this issue and propose this course of action as the ZigBee Alliance had already made a similar step a few years ago Unfortunately for a number of reasons the ZigBee IPv6 plans never really got the needed traction in the market However it is interesting to note that of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of the ZigBee Alliance The support of Googlersquos Nest may help swing the balance or maybe the timing will be better now or maybe the recognition of the emerging juggernaut that is the Internet of things will finally make a difference
Of the seven members of the Thread Group five are also members of ZigBee
The ZigBee Alliance has expressed its willingness to work with Thread since the ZigBee Alliance is the home organization for several other important network layers as well such as PRO RF4CE and Green Power But for Thread there are also alternative options available In many ways by proposing new technology as well as educational and certification activities Thread can be viewed as a ldquolow-power Wi-Firdquo organization fitting neatly within the structure of the ldquohigh powerrdquo Wi-Fi Alliance It is perhaps too early to tell but with the arrival of the smart home and the IoT interesting times lie ahead
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
Click Here to Sign Up
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
Your Circuit Starts HereSign up to design share and collaborate
on your next projectmdashbig or small
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1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
1010
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
11
TECH ARTICLE
11
GOING FROM FFT TO Spectrum Analysis
In earlier posts we looked at the basics of fast-Fourier transforms (FFTs) and how to set up an FFT on a modern digital oscilloscope In this post wersquoll take a brief look at what that modern scope can do with an FFT provided that scope is outfitted with software that will let it take full advantage After all the object of an FFT is to transform a time-domain waveform into the frequency domain Sounds kind of like a spectrum analyzer no
When you take an oscilloscope such as Teledyne LeCroyrsquos HDO Series and add an optional Spectrum Analyzer software package it yields an oscilloscope with a spectrum-analyzer-like interface (figure 1) Yoursquore presented with a user interface that is not unlike that of a stand-alone spectrum analyzer Provided yoursquore familiar with spectrum analyzers the Spectrum Analyzer interface lets you bypass the intricacies of the FFT itself and set it up on the oscilloscope using familiar parameters such as center frequency span and resolution bandwidth Under the hood the software takes care of the sampling rate and time-domain acquisition length There are other settings as well such as normal or averaged FFTs and choices of reference levels and scales
In the case of the HDO oscilloscopes entering spectrum analyzer mode is a simple matter of pushing the spectrum analyzer button which brings
David MaliniakTechnical Marketing Communication SpecialistTeledyne LeCroy
up the spectrum analyzer dialog box (figure 2) From there you can select a source trace from any input channel math operation memory trace or zoom trace
Just as with a radio-frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer the main controls are center frequency and span which serve the purpose of positioning the FFT trace The user interface reports the maximum frequency that can be observed which is one half of the oscilloscopersquos sampling rate
The software offers three operating modes normal average and max hold Average is useful in reducing signal noise so you can see more carrier or harmonic detail Max hold helps with swept frequency measurements and in finding rare spurs
An important option is selection of weighting windows for the FFT The software provides choices of Von Hann (Hanning) Hamming Flat Top and Blackman Harris
The peaks-markers tab in the spectrum analyzer dialog box allows finding and labeling of up to 100 peaks and the setting of up to 20 markers Peak detection is automatic a table of peaks can be displayed (figure 3)
Finally the spectrogram display shows a history of spectral changes in a separate display grid Up to 256 spectra are shown in vertically stacked fashion (figure 3)
Whatrsquos clear is that the addition of Spectrum Analyzer software to an instrument such as the HDO results in an easy-to-use interface that makes spectrum analysis a quick task
Figure 1 Spectrum Analyzer software for the HDO series oscilloscopes provides an intuitive user interface
Figure 2 A closer look at the Spectrum Analyzer dialog box
Figure 3 Shown at top right is the Spectrogram display shown at top left and in the spectrum analyzer display is a number of selected peaks
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
1212
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
13
TECH ARTICLE
13
Wi GaNeGaNreg FETs forHard-Switching Converters at High Frequency
By Alex Lidow CEO Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
The use of gallium nitride (GaN) offers the ability of creating higher performance power switching devices than silicon [1] Even in its early stages eGaN FET technology already outperformed the theoretical limits of MOSFETs in the metric of specific on-resistance for a given breakdown voltage [2] Furthermore these devices have from the start also shown superior figures of merit (FOMs) compared to silicon MOSFETs [3] for both hard- and soft-switching applications But to improve in-circuit efficiency in hard-switching applications requires not only improved device FOMs but also improvements in printed circuit board layout (PCB) [4] and device package parasitics [5]
In particular the minimization of both common source inductance (CSI) and power-loop inductance are vital to maximizing the inherent advantage that GaN transistors offer in applications However these are not the only important non-GaN device-specific parameters as will be discussed
In this installment of Wi GaN we will present hard-switching buck converter results switching at 10 MHz and give a breakdown of the converter losses We will demonstrate the unmatched high frequency performance capability currently available using eGaN FETs and also highlight the current limitations to pushing to even higher switching frequencies
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
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PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
1414
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
15
TECH ARTICLE
15
Envelope Tracking as Hard-Switching Frequency DriverOne of the main driving forces for increased switching frequency converters is envelope tracking (ET) [6-9] The key to ETrsquos ability to improve system efficiency lies in the power amplifierrsquos (PA) peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) requirements As shown in figure 1 it is possible to achieve peak PA efficiencies as high as 65 percent with a fixed supply and operating point but given PAPRs as high as 10 the average efficiency is likely to be lower than 25 percent Through modulation of the PA supply voltage ie envelope tracking average efficiency can be improved to over 50 percentmdashessentially doubling the system efficiency and reducing PA losses by two thirds In addition to reducing power consumption modulation of the PA supply voltage also lowers the cost of operation cooling requirements and size [10]
Improving Hard-Switching PerformanceTo achieve a practical envelope tracking system for current communication standards such as LTE requires bandwidths of up to 100MHz Realizing this in an efficient manner is an area of active research and requires high performance hard-switching power devices In one example [11] a 20 to 30 percentage-point improvement in multimegahertz buck converter efficiency was achieved using eGaN FETs versus silicon MOSFETs The reasons as to why such significant improvements in efficiency are possible are multiple
Firstly the eGaN FETrsquos hard-switching FOMs [3] are significantly lower than those of similar onresistance MOSFETs as shown in figure 2 It is worth noting that the eGaN FET devices perform better than MOSFETs even though the voltage ratings of eGaN FETs are two to three times that of the MOSFETs
Secondly the eGaN FETrsquos wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) minimizes device parasitics [5] The high-frequency eGaN FETs such as the EPC8000 series are designed to minimize some key hard-switching loss related parameters such as a separate gate return connection to virtually eliminate common source inductance
Lastly the device package pin-out locations and pad shapes allow for optimized PCB layout where both gate loop and power loop inductances can be minimized [4] A key to layout optimization is magnetic flux cancellation This is accomplished by having the relevant power and gate loop currents flow in opposing directions on subsequent layers as shown in figure 3
Figure 2 Hard-switching FOM comparison between eGaN FETs and similar high on-resistance BGA MOSFETs (lower is better)
Figure 3 Optimal layout design for a half-bridge topology using an EPC8000 series device (a) Top (component) layer and (b) first inner layer
Figure 1 Conceptual PA efficiency versus output power for fixed supply and ET operation
(a) Top (component) layer
(b) First inner layer
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
1616
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
17
TECH ARTICLE
17
Benchmark Hard-Switching Efficiency ResultsIncorporating the above device package and PCB layout improvements it is possible to achieve high conversion efficiencies even at 10MHz with a traditional buck converter as shown in figure 4
To further push frequency capability with eGaN FETs detailed loss analysis on the 42V to 20V efficiency results was conducted [12] The loss analysis showed that there is a significant loss component (about 1W) associated with the gate driver used These additional driver related losses can be broken down into two main components additional drive capacitance between the switch-node and ground that adds to the overall eGaN FET output capacitance (COSS) and bootstrap diode reverse-recovery charge related losses (QRR) as shown in figure 5
Furthermore through improvements in gate driver design it should be possible to minimize these parasitic loss components The theoretical efficiency improvements using an optimized gate driver and existing eGaN FETs are shown in figure 6 This could realize up to a 50 percent reduction in light-load losses and more than 3 percent efficiency improvement at heavy load
SummaryeGaN FETs with a combination of improved switching figure of merit low parasitic packaging and optimized device pin-out to minimize parasitic PCB layout inductance enable the ability to switch in the tens of megahertz range and at tens of volts
Conclusions based on the analysis of the efficiency results presented show that further efficiency improvement is possible by addressing the limitations within the gate driver which would result in a further increase in maximum switching frequency capability
Figure 5 Breakdown of converter loss components taking gate driver parasitics into account 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
Figure 6 Buck converter efficiency and power loss versus output power showing actual results (dashed lines) and calculated values based on improvements in driver capacitance and bootstrap diode recovery 10 MHz 42 VIN 20 VOUT
References
[1] MA Khan G Simin SG Pytel A Monti E Santi JL Hudgins ldquoNew Developments in Gallium Nitride and the Impact on Power Electronicsrdquo IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference PESC lsquo05 pp 15-26 June 2005
[2] D Reusch JT Strydom A Lidow ldquoImproving System Performance with eGaNreg FETs in DC-DC Applicationsrdquo 46th International Symposium on Microelectronics IMAPS 2013 Oct 2013
[3] JT Strydom ldquoeGaNTM ndash Silicon Power Shoot-Out Part 1 Comparing Figure of Merit (FOM)rdquo Power Electronics Maga-zine Sept 2010
[4] D Reusch J Strydom ldquoUnderstanding the Effect of PCB Layout on Circuit Performance in a High Frequency Gallium Nitride Based Point of Load Converterrdquo Power Electronics IEEE Transactions on vol29 no4 pp 2008-2015 April 2014
[5] D Reusch D Gilham Y Su FC Lee ldquoGallium Nitride based 3D integrated non-isolated point of load modulerdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2012 pp 38-45 Feb 2012
[6] S Cummins ldquoAddressing the Battlefield Communications Power Gaprdquo Microwave Journal Aug 2009
[7] OpenET alliance ldquoIntroduction to envelope trackingrdquo httpwwwopen-etorgIntro-to-ET-pa-712php
[8] J Staudinger B Gilsdorf D Newman G Norris G Sadowniczak R Sherman T Quach ldquoHigh efficiency CDMA RF power amplifier using dynamic envelope tracking techniquerdquo IEEE Microwave Symposium Digest vol 2 pp 873-876 June 2000
[9] S Baker ldquoApplying Envelope Tracking to High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Handset and Infrastructure Transmittersrdquo Cambridge Wireless Radio SIG 14 July 2011
[10] J Hendy ldquoTransmitter power efficiencyrdquo Broadcast Engineering Magazine Nov 2009
[11] D Cucak M Vasic O Garcia JA Oliver P Alou JA Cobos ldquoApplication of eGaN FETs for highly efficient Radio Frequency Power Amplifierrdquo Integrated Power Electronics Systems CIPS 2012 pp1-6 March 2012
[12] J Strydom D Reusch ldquoDesign and Evaluation of a 10 MHz Gallium Nitride Based 42 V DC-DC Converterrdquo Applied Power Electronics Conference APEC 2014 pp 1510-1516 Feb 2014
eGaNreg FET is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
Figure 4 Hard-switching buck converter efficiencies possible switching at 10MHz using eGaN FETs
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
18
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
COVER INTERVIEW
19
InnovativeTechnologies
on the Radar with
Solutions
APIInterview with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies
API Technologies is a dominant technology provider of radio frequency and microwave solutions microelectronics and security technologies for critical and high-reliability applications Their markets span the defense aerospace medical industrial and communications industries
EEWeb spoke with Bel Lazar President amp CEO of API Technologies about the impact of their active antennas growth in smart metering for the utility industry and non-radio frequency products for the gas and oil industry Lazar also discussed the role of custom projects and their value
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
20
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
COVER INTERVIEW
21
What does API Technologies do What is it best known for
API Technologies designs and manufactures high performance systems subsystems modules and components for technically demanding radio frequency (RF) microwave millimeter wave electromagnetic power and security applications Our technology is used by over 3000 commercial and military customers and in over 300 US and international defense programs Though we are probably best known for signals technologymdashnamely our RF-microwave products
What are some exciting new technologies that API is working on
In our European operation we developed an active antenna array unit for AESA applications which is an exciting product for us We are one of the few merchant companies that are doing these designs In the US we recently introduced a series of high-powered amplifiers that are
leading edge in terms of this technology We have also introduced a set of new products for POL (point of load) for power management in the microelectronics area
What are your active antennas and what problems do they solve
Traditional radar technology is cumbersome and requires the user to physically move the device to get a better signal Radar has evolved in its own way to a different type of radar called the active electronically scanned array or AESA Our solution acts as a significant subsystem that enables the user to leverage RF-microwave technology to better direct the radar for higher accuracy Our solution is flexible because it is comprised of a variety of different piecesmdashit has transmit-receive modules that are grouped together Its flexibility allows the device to be better maintained in the field and a lot more cost-effective to run than its predecessors Our technology has the potential to transform the AESA radar market
We use our Quad Transmit Receive Modules (QTRM) as the building block to establish the antenna array Depending on the customerrsquos requirements we can add more QTRMs This system also incorporates failure safety levels such that if 20 percent of your module is failing your unit will continue to be operational It is also swappable so that you can take what we call a ldquoplankrdquo which consists of multiple QTRMs and you can plug in the ldquoplankrdquo and it will automatically calibrate itself We also have included a water-cooling system around the system to prevent it from overheating We also do all of the housekeeping of the back-end electronics The only thing that the customer has to do is provide the antenna calibration The product is then system-ready to go into any AESA-type application
What are some of the challenges API is facing that need to be addressed in the next few years
Obviously the spectrum is limited 35 percent of our revenue is from high-reliability commercial applications We are trying to expand our presence in wireless communication We provide the most advanced filters that can separate the signals in applications to allow communication in case of emergency
ldquoOur technology has the potential
to transform to the AESA radar marketrdquo
ldquoSmart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless
networks that allow automatic readingrdquo
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
22
How much of APIrsquos business is custom projects
Three years ago APIrsquos business consisted of 95 percent custom projects and 5 percent standard products today we have about 75 percent custom and 25 percent standard Our goal is to get close to a 6040 mix in order to drive efficiencies and lower costs Wersquove done much in the last few years in terms of new product introductions so that we now offer standard products We can go directly to the customer and give them what they need with reduced design time as compared to custom products Overall our aim here is to leverage our heritage and innovative technologies and give customers the products they need to optimize their designs and realize successful applications
We are also seeing a big emergence in the smart metering industrymdashautomated meter reading for the gas electricity and water utilities Instead of these companies manually going out and reading meters they are collecting that data wirelessly Smart metering has developed beyond having a small collection point to having seamless wireless networks where things can be read automatically We have been enabling technologies like multiplexers and filter products that fit well within their system architecture When we think about that wireless space the things we are doing with gallium nitride or GaN amplifiersmdashwhich are smaller lighter more efficientmdashallow us to meet the bandwidth performance needed in the wireless market
The oil and gas segment is unique apart from communications What challenges does API face there
The challenge in this market is that they want something now and if you are not able get something immediately to them that can operate at extremely high temperatures than you are out You need to be able to get designs in quickly that can deliver a product in a very short period of time By leveraging our experience in high reliability products for other inhospitable environments such as military and space we are more than capably meeting these demands
For example in the oil and gas market you are typically dealing with applications in moist and high temperature environments that are troublesome to electronics We understand these challenges and as the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutions for both power management and RF-microwave electronic solutions
ldquoAs the oil and gas industry looks to move towards more connected and network solutions they are turning to providers like API to make high reliability electronic solutionsrdquo
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
2424
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
25
TECH WATCH
25
AylaDesign Kit
The Ayla Design Kit features a Murata Wi-Fi connectivity module By utilizing this module with the embedded Ayla agent developers are able to
connect products to the Ayla cloud service and quickly create applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)
With Murata Wi-Fi Connectivity Module
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
2626
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
27
TECH WATCH
27
Hardware
Watch Video
Specs
To watch a video overview and demonstration on use of the Ayla Design Kit click the image below
The Murata type YD certified module equips developers with a precertified fully integrated 80211 bgn Wi-Fi module based on Broadcomrsquos BCM43362 chipset and an ST Micro STM32 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU Wi-Fi and transmission control protocolInternet protocol (TCPIP) network stacks security features and other network application software are preloaded on the module The type YD module has universal asynchronous receivertransmitter (UART) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) In addition it can be used as a simple serial-to-Wi-Fi connectivity solution in any application using those interfaces
The Murata module with Aylarsquos embedded agent enables connection to Aylarsquos platform an end-to-end connectivity solution for IoT applications with the ability to remotely monitor performance and diagnostic information and as well as deploy firmware upgrades from computers and mobile devices
Prototyping with the kit can be done with the on-board STM32F discovery development board or by connecting your microcontroller (MCU) to the SPI or UART headers
1
2
3
1 Ayla Development Board
2 Murata Wi-Fi Module
3 STM32F Discovery Board
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here
Sierra CircuitsA Complete PCB Resource
PLUS The Ground rdquo Myth in PrintedCircuits
ldquo
PCB Resin Reactor+
Ken BahlCEO of Sierra Circuits
Let There Be
How Cree reinvented the light bulb
LIGHT
David ElienVP of Marketing amp Business
Development Cree Inc
New LED Filament Tower
Cutting Edge Flatscreen Technologies
+
+
M o v i n g T o w a r d s
a Clean Energy
FUTUREmdash Hugo van Nispen COO of DNV KEMA
MCU Wars 32-bit MCU Comparison
Cutting Edge
SPICEModeling
Freescale and TI Embedded
Modules
ARMCortex
Programming
From Concept to
Reality Wolfgang Heinz-Fischer
Head of Marketing amp PR TQ-Group
Low-Power Design Techniques
TQ-Grouprsquos Comprehensive Design Process
+
+
PowerDeveloper
Octobe r 20 13
Designing forDurability
View more EEWeb magazinesmdash Click Here