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02_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 07:56 Page 1

CONTENTS

Power Electronics Europe Issue 7 2011 www.power-mag.com

3

Editor Achim ScharfTel: +49 (0)892865 9794

Fax: +49 (0)892800 132

Email: [email protected]

Production Editor Chris DavisTel: +44 (0)1732 370340

Financial Clare JacksonTel: +44 (0)1732 370340

Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034

Circulation Manager Anne BackersTel: +44 (0)208 647 3133

Fax: +44 (0)208 669 8013


INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICESMainland Europe: Victoria Hufmann, Norbert HufmannTel: +49 911 9397 643 Fax: +49 911 9397 6459


Armin WezelTel: +49 9568 897 097 Fax: +49 9568 897 096


Eastern US Karen C Smith-Kerncemail: [email protected]

Western US and CanadaAlan A KerncTel: +1 717 397 7100

Fax: +1 717 397 7800

email: [email protected]

Italy Ferruccio SilveraTel: +39 022 846 716 Email: [email protected]

Japan:Yoshinori Ikeda, Pacific Business IncTel: 81-(0)3-3661-6138

Fax: 81-(0)3-3661-6139


TaiwanPrisco Ind. Service Corp.

Tel: 886 2 2322 5266 Fax: 886 2 2322 2205

Publisher & UK Sales Ian AtkinsonTel: +44 (0)1732 370340

Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034


www.power-mag.com

Circulation and subscription: Power ElectronicsEurope is available for the following subscriptioncharges. Power Electronics Europe: annual chargeUK/NI £60, overseas $130, EUR 120; single copiesUK/NI £10, overseas US$32, EUR 25. Contact: DFA Media, Cape House, 60a Priory Road, Tonbridge,Kent TN9 2BL Great Britain. Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340. Fax: +44 (0)1732360034. Refunds on cancelled subscriptions willonly be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unlessspecifically guaranteed within the terms ofsubscription offer. Editorial information should be sent to The Editor,Power Electronics Europe, PO Box 340131, 80098Munich, Germany. The contents of Power Electronics Europe aresubject to reproduction in information storage andretrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical includingphotocopying, recording or any information storageor retrieval system without the express prior writtenconsent of the publisher.Printed by: Garnett Dickinson.ISSN 1748-3530

PAGE 19

IGBT Press-Packs for theIndustrial MarketThe standard Press-pack IGBT (PPI) basically uses the same packaging concept as

Bipolar high power semiconductor devices. The main difference is that the high

power semiconductor content in the package is square IGBT chips arranged on a

round molybdenum disc instead of large, round bipolar devices matched in size to

the molybdenum disc and ceramic housing. The Press-pack IGBT comes under

the name StakPakTM in a pseudo-square frame package that allows for much

better utilization of the squared IGBT chips and for a modular platform in power

scaling of the device. Bülent Aydin, Franc Dugal, Evgeny Tsyplakov, Raffael

Schnell, Liutauras Storasta and Thomas Clausen, ABB Switzerland Ltd,

Semiconductors, Lenzburg, Switzerland

PAGE 27

Multi-Topology Battery Chargingfrom Milliwatts to KilowattsThe practice of battery charging spans a wide variety of battery chemistries,

voltages and current levels in many market segments. For example, industrial,

medical and automotive battery chargers continue to demand higher voltages and

currents as new applications are emerging for both existing and new battery

chemistries, such as the proliferation of sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries in solar

applications. Existing single integrated circuit (IC) based solutions cover just a

fraction of the many combinations of input voltage, charge voltage and charge

current. A cumbersome combination of ICs and discrete components was

routinely used to cover most of these combinations and topologies. A new

charger IC overcomes this problem. Steve Knoth, Senior Product MarketingEngineer Power Products, Linear Technology Corp., USA

PAGE 31

Inverting Buck Regulator SavesSpace and PowerDesigners are periodically faced with the requirement to generate a negative

voltage rail in order to provide a bias voltage for applications using sensors which

read signals both above and below ground. For many engineers, the first thought

will be to use inverting regulated charge pumps: in fact, these are ideal for

handheld applications where the output voltage required is less than -5V and the

input is typically a lithium-ion battery. In applications that require negative voltages

greater than -5V, SEPIC inverters and transformer-based designs can also produce

a positive-to-negative voltage conversion, but only at the cost of complexity and a

high component count. Now the AS7620 IC helps designers to solve these

problems. Mark Shepherd, Field Applications Engineer,

Austriamicrosystems, Unterpremstätten, Austria

PAGE 34

Unique Probe Measures Currentin PCB TracksObservation and measurement of current in printed circuit board (PCB) tracks has

always presented major difficulties. The only practicable way of doing it has been

to cut the track and insert either a current shunt, or a loop of wire large enough to

attach a conventional closed-loop current probe. In modern high density circuit

designs this is normally impracticable. A new type of probe measures the current

by placing the insulated tip of the probe directly onto the PCB track without any

need to cut it or to surround it by a magnetic loop. Mark Edwards, Aim-TTi,

Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK

PAGE 37

Product UpdateA digest of the latest innovations and new product launches

PAGE 41

Website Product Locator

High Voltage Thyristorsfor Soft StartersIn spite of significant development of converters onthe basis of fully controlled semiconductor stacks(IGBT, GTO, IGCT), today it’s still technically legitimateand demandable to use “traditional” high powerthyristors in stacks of controlled rectifiers as well as insoft starters for electric motors. Usage of thyristors isespecially relevant in case of operating in AC networkof 6/10 kV and higher, because the devices producedon the basis of such thyristors have no competition inprice and energy efficiency (efficiency coefficient).That’s why development and production of highvoltage thyristors is of high interest. Fast thyristorsproduced with help of proton irradiation technologyhave remarkably small turn-off time, small recoverycharge and peak reverse recovery current. Implantinghydrogen atoms during proton irradiation helps tobuild local hidden n’-layers with low specific resistanceinside the n-layer of the semiconductor element. Usingsuch hidden layers can produce power diode-thyristors(dynistors) and semiconductor voltage suppressorswith increased power capacity. In collaboration with theInstitute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics andAll-Russian Electrotechnical Institute, “Proton-Electrotex”has developed a low-cost industrial technology forproton irradiation of semiconductor devices. Full story on page 22.

Cover supplied by Proton-Electrotex, Russia

COVER STORY

PAGE 6

Market NewsPEE looks at the latest Market News and company

developments

PAGE 14

Industry NewsPOL for Telecom Applications

SMD Power Inductors for Converters

Low Loss SEPIC-Fed Buck Converter Topology

p03 Contents_p03 Contents 26/10/2011 10:26

Hundreds of process steps are required to manufacture ABB’s high power semi-conductor chips. Implantation, Diffusion, Photolithography, Etching and Metallisationare only some of them. Precision in manufacturing is a must to exceed the qualityrequirements. Statistic Process Control is the key to guarantee quality in each ofthese steps. For more information please visit our webpage:www.abb.com/semiconductors

Power and productivityfor a better world™

High Power Semiconductors. Layer bylayer towards best-in-class performance.

ABB Switzerland LtdABB s.r.o.www.abb.com/semiconductors

m.abb.com

OPINION 5

Power Electronics Europe Issue 7 2011 www.power-mag.com

After more than 100 years of development history ofthe combustion engine, electric mobility is nowushering in a new worldwide traffic era. Theelectrification of drives is an important prerequisite forfuture mobility. It helps us become moreindependent of oil, to reduce emissions and tointegrate vehicles even better in a multimode trafficsystem.The federal German government has therefore set

a goal to put one million electric vehicles on Germanroads by 2020. But also the goal of France to have100,000 vehicles on its roads by 2015 is ratherambitious. Countries such as the US, Japan andChina have also recognized the enormous potentialof electric mobility and are encouraging theirindustries with major programs in support ofelectrically powered traffic. In its “Inaugural Quadrennial Technology Review

Report” the US Department of Energy summarised sixkey strategies, three of which directly pertains togreen transportation. The main weight will be putupon increasing vehicle efficiency. It is by far thecheapest and most widely available improvement thatcan be implemented by almost any car manufacturer.The super-fuel-efficient petrol and diesel cars that aresuddenly starting to crop up here and there is nomajor breakthrough - it’s just tweaking and tuning theinternal combustion engine. The other two pointsoutlined in the DoE strategy is electrification of thefleets and deployment of alternative fuels. It isexpected that companies developing electric cars andother alternative fuel vehicles will see a large chunk ofDoE’s $3 billion yearly research and developmentfunding coming their way. This move has alsosuddenly made the electric car sector more appealingfor both private and corporate investors.An intermediate step are hybrid electric vehicles.

Here Hyundai Motor Company and Kia MotorsCorporation have selected Infineon as supplier ofpower modules for their current hybrid cargenerations, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and KiaOptima. Hyundai and Kia teamed up with Infineon onthe hybrid powertrain design including theHybridPACK1 power module and the related controlelectronics as part of the electric motor inverter.Hyundai and Kia are ramping up production of theirhybrid fleet and plan to increase their presencemainly in the North American and Korean Markets.Infineon has already started to deliver itsHybridPACK1 power module which was specificallydesigned for use in HEV applications for a powerrange of up to 30 kW. Typically, there are two power

modules in use in full hybrid cars. Compared to acombustion engine vehicle a hybrid car with itsregenerative braking and boost functionality savesabout 15 to 35 % of fuel. The power module has acrucial role in controlling and powering the hybridelectrical motor being the energy bridge between thebattery system and the HEV drive. The HybridPACK1is responsible to translate the direct current from thebattery into alternating current, which drives theelectric motor, and back to to charge the batterysystem using braking energy. The basic technologies regarding electric drives,

energy storage and network infrastructure are well-developed. However, there is still a need for furtherresearch, optimization and integration within the valueadded chain, as the fair eCarTec in Munichunderlined. Electrical motors and Power Electronics aswell as Batteries are the crucial parts within theseefforts. Challenges of the future are the reduction orsubstitution of rare earth materials in motors,optimised cooling methods, and better efficiency.Thus the Friedrich-Alexander-University inNuremberg/Germany is establishing an E-DriveCenter at focusing on the pilot manufacturing ofadvanced power electronics and electrical motors,funded with Euro 9 million in the time frame 2010 -2014. The university has organized the firstconference on the production of electrical drives,E|DPC-2011. With more than 350 delegates theconference and its associated exhibition was asuccess, particularly due to its focus on industrialdrives including power electronics and electromobility.

The future belongs to electrical drives, that is theopinion of Siemens. The transportation and industrialproduction are each responsible for producing onethird of all the damaging greenhouse gases whichjeopardize the global climate. In both of these areas,ground breaking new technologies and sustainableR&D are needed, particularly in the field of drives. Inthe industrial sector, maximum potential for savingscan be leveraged using integral software and ITsolutions to ensure the consistent integration of drivecomponents into customer applications. Intransportation key is the mechanical integration of thedrive solution not only into the vehicle, but primarilyalso into the topology of the overall solution. Keycomponents are intelligent on-board chargers andpower electronics, such as compact inverters. Hand inhand with a suitable charging infrastructure for electricvehicles and integration into the Smart Grid, thisprocess will culminate in system solutions, automatedcommunication and reliable processes. In twentyyears mobility will be all-electric, expects Ralf-MichaelFranke, CEO Drive Technologies of the SiemensIndustry division.I hope he is right. This will help to increase the use

of power electronics and to reduce the emission ofgreenhouse gases.

Achim ScharfPEE Editor

Time Has Come forElectric Mobility

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05_PEE_0711_NEW_p05 Opinion 26/10/2011 09:02

6 MARKET NEWS

Issue 7 2011 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com

Supplier of

customized

shunts

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SMD shunt resistors save spaceand offer a number of advantages:

High pulse loadability (10J) High total capacity (7W) Very low temperature dependency over

a large temperature range Low thermoelectric voltage Customer-specific solutions (electrical/mechanical)

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Power train technology (automotive and non-automotiveapplications), digital electricity meters, AC/DC as wellas DC/DC converters, power supplies, IGBT modules, etc.

Telephone: +49 (27 71) 9 34-0 [email protected]

www.isabellenhuette.de

Innovation from tradition

The “iPower” Technical Conference willbring together specialists in the field ofpower engineering from Science,Academia, Supply and Industry at TheUniversity of Warwick on 30

November and 1st December 2011.The event, being held in

conjunction with the University’sElectronics, Power & MicrosystemsResearch Group headed by

Professor Phil Mawby, will provide aunique insight into the fields latestdevelopments and technologies,including applications, trends anddevices, thermal management and

efficiency, device fabrication,packaging, test and reliability,assembly materials and technologies,high reliability and temperature. In addition to its technical

programme comprising sixteenpapers across two days, delegateswill also get the opportunity to taketours of the SiC & VEF Laboratorieson Campus, view EV demonstrators,review posters from academic andindustrial researchers, attend a galadinner and examine exhibits at thesupporting tabletop exhibition. Theevent will conclude with the “PowerFactor” panel session, which willdebate key elements raised in theforthcoming Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills (BIS),“UK Power Electronics Strategy”document.The conference sessions will cover

UK Power Electronics Strategy byNMI; HVDC Technology Roadmap byAlsthom Grid; Future Power Strategyby Converteam; Power Electronics byEmerson; Power Control Devices byInternational Rectifier; Power Devicesby NXP; SiC Developments by AnvilSemi; SiC and New Materials byUniverity of Warwick/WMG; MakingPower Devices Perform by Isotron;Solder TIMS for ThermalManagement by Indium;Investigating Assembly ProcessControl by Altus; Power ModulesThermal Management by TT-Semelab; Material Challenges inPackaging by leMRC; WirebonderInterconnect Aspects by Delvotec;New Technology in High VolumePower Package by ASE; and finallythe Power Factor Session. IMAPS (International

Microelectronics And PackagingSociety, www.imaps.org.uk) is thelargest organisation dedicated to theadvancement and growth ofmicroelectronics and electronicspackaging. The United KingdomChapter (IMAPS-UK) provides aforum for its members via seminars,conferences, newsletters, website’setc., to ensure they are kept up todate with the latest news,developments & innovations. To register online follow https://

nmi/eventwax.com/ipower/register

Showcase of UK Power Electronics

Market News_Layout 1 26/10/2011 09:37

11_PEE_0611_11_PEE_0611 09/09/2011 11:23 Page 1

8 MARKET NEWS


From September 27 - 30 the firstconference on the production ofelectrical drives, E|DPC-2011, washeld at the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Nuremberg/Germany.With more than 350 delegates theconference and its associatedexhibition (15 stands) was asuccess, particularly due to its focuson industrial drives including powerelectronics and electromobility.

Technology center Nuremberg “The European Metropolitan AreaNuremberg is on the one hand theindustrial capital of Bavaria withleading manufacturers of electricaldrives, automotive suppliers, andautomation experts. Correspondingtrade fairs such as the SPS/Drives,PCIM Europe, or SMT/Hybridunderline the importance of thisregion in the electrical drivesindustry. Carbon dioxide reduction,growing mobility or progressingautomation are not possible withoutpowerful electrical drives. Theelectrification of the automobilepowertrain is considered crucial, thusthe focus of the conference is set onthe presentation of highly innovativeproducts from various industries aswell as manufacturing processes andstrategies”, underlined ChairmanProf. Jörg Franke. “Challenges of the

future are the reduction orsubstitution of rare earth materials indrives, optimised cooling methods,and better efficiency. Thus we areestablishing an E-Drive Center at ouruniversity focusing on the pilotemanufacturing of advanced powerelectronics and electrical motors,funded with Euro 9 million in thetime frame 2010 - 2014”, he added. The future belongs to electrical

drives, that is the opinion ofSiemens. “The transportation andindustrial production are eachresponsible for producing one thirdof all the damaging greenhousegases which jeopardize the globalclimate. In both of these areas,ground breaking new technologiesand sustainable R&D are needed,particularly in the field of drives. Inthe industrial sector, maximumpotential for savings can beleveraged using integral software andIT solutions to ensure the consistentintegration of drive components intocustomer applications. Intransportation key is the mechanicalintegration of the drive solution notonly into the vehicle, but primarilyalso into the topology of the overallsolution. Key components areintelligent on-board chargers andpower electronics, such as compactinverters. Hand in hand with a

suitable charging infrastructure forelectric vehicles and integration intothe Smart Grid, this process willculminate in system solutions,automated communication andreliable processes”, said Ralf-MichaelFranke, CEO Drive Technologies ofthe Siemens Industry division. “Intwenty years mobility will be all-electric”, he expects.Nuremberg-based Semikron

presented a new generation ofsintered power modules forautomotive applications. “Sintertechnology substitute all solderconnections and also the aluminiumbond wires. These are the weakpoints in a standard power module”,explained speaker Jürgen Steger. Thethermal and reliability results wereshown on the example of a 400A/600 V Dual IGBT module. Berlin-based Andus Electronic presented atechnique to combine high currentsand microelectronic control in asingle system for powertrain andpower supply applications. “Thecombination is achieved byincorporation of busbars and othermassive copper bars into a PCB toobtain high current load capability upto 1000 A as well as heatsink forcomponents with considerablepower dissipation”, said speakerChristoph Lehnberger. Conti Temic

Microelectronic (Nuremberg)described their vision of the Factoryof the Future for Power Electronics inHybrid & Electric Vehicles. “Themarket potential for electric vehicleswill reach a worldwide share of threepercent in the year 2020. Incombination with HEVs this means avolume of more than four millionvehicles in 2016 and around ninemillion in 2020. Our actual seriesproduction power electronics systemis a combined HEV DC/DC 3 kWconverter and 110 kW inverterconsisting of more than 300components from more than 70suppliers. It is now time that alsomaterial and equipment suppliersbesides the manufacturer of powerelectronic systems are taking theirresponsibility in finding solutions andsetting standards for this specialrequirements in order to support theidea of a reliable and flexible launchunder best cost conditions and finallyto enable an optimized factory of thefuture for automotive powerelectronic systems”, speaker AxelWeber concluded.Next E|DPC conference will be held

October 16 - 17 again in Nuremberg,but on the Fairgrounds. Mesago willorganise the exhibition. AS

www.edpc.eu

Successful Electric DrivesProduction Conference

LEFT: “We are establishing an E-DriveCenter at our university focusing on thepilote manufacturing of advanced powerelectronics and electrical motors”, E|DPCChairman Jörg Franke points out

RIGHT: “The future belongs to electrical drives”, said Siemens

CEO Ralf-Michael Franke


09_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:07 Page 1

10 MARKET NEWS


http://siliconpower.danfoss.com

Drive happy while staying cool Reliable power density for tomorrow’s vehiclesIt cannot be stressed enough: e� cient cooling is the most important feature in power modules. Danfoss Silicon Power’s cutting-edge ShowerPower® solution is designed to secure an even cooling across base plates. In addition, our modules can be customized to meet your automation requirements in detail, o� ering low weight, compact design, extended life and very low lifecycle costs. In short, when you choose Danfoss Silicon Power as your supplier you choose a thoroughly tested solution with unsurpassed power density.

Please go to http://siliconpower.danfoss.com for more information.

MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

Record Attendance Expectedat SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011This year’s SPS/IPC/DRIVES, the trade fair for electric automation inNuremberg from November 22 - 24, will be bigger and more internationalthan ever before. For the first time it will cover 12 exhibition halls and morethan 100,000 sqm of exhibition space. Almost 1,400 exhibitors areexpected to attend, some of them from the power electronics communitylooking for their customers in electrical automation.

Companies from almost 40 countries will be exhibiting atSPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011, representing an increase of 20 %. With 76companies registered, Italy is the foreign country providing the mostexhibitors, followed by Switzerland (36), China (35) and Austria (27).Following 2010’s record total visitor number, more than 50,000 visitors arelikely to attend again this year. About 20 % of the visitors are expected tocome from abroad and the proportion of international trade visitorscontinues to increase. With 10,000 m_ of exhibition space, hall 3 which isin use for the first time will accommodate the companies in the “Drive andcontrol technology” sector, hall 8 where “Control technology” is to befound. These halls are of particular interest for power and controlelectronic applications.

The conference covers the topics plant automation, industrialcommunication, and electrical drives. Within automation the latter are themain application for power and control electronics and thus of interest forapplication engineers from this fields as well.

Electrical drives provide for dynamic and precise motion in industrialmanufacturing plants and comply with strict requirements on energy andeconomical efficiency. New components with FPGAs provide a platform forparallel signal processing in control structures and sensor evaluation withshort running times and extreme dynamics and resolution. Functionalsafety and easy integration in mechatronic system concepts are keyrequirements on modern drive systems. The conference program thus willcover Energy-efficient drives and process management; Motor control andconverter technology; Mechatronics and motion control; Project planningand virtual commissioning; Mechatronic modelling and control; Linear anddirect drives, special motors; Motor-converter integration and small drives;and Functional safety of networked drives.

www.mesago.com/sps

IMS Research has increased its forecast for the full year by more than 1 GWand predicts more than 22 GW of new PV capacity will be added in2011.The market researcher cited growing demand in all major markets,most notably in Asia and the Americas, as well as a pick-up in the sluggishGerman market and projects that installations in the second half of the yearwill be nearly double that seen in the first six months.

Demand will grow rapidly in the second half of 2011 due to rapidlyfalling module prices, incoming incentives in new markets and plannedend of year cuts in existing markets. “Although installations grew just 13 %in Q2 from Q1 the results of our latest report show that there will be ahuge surge in installations in the second half of the year. Several mid-sizedmarkets like the USA are growing massively whilst markets like Germanyand Italy are starting to pick up too”, analyst Ash Sharma commented.

Several European markets, including Germany are predicted for a majorslowdown or even a fall in 2011. However, Europe overall will be only 1 %down this year due to geographic diversification, with high demandcoming from a number of new countries such as Slovakia and the UK. Thereport revealed that 11 countries in Europe will install at least 100 MW this

PV Demand Forecast for2011 to Over 22 GW


MARKET NEWS 11

www.power-mag.com Issue 5 2011 Power Electronics Europe

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year, with 20 countries globally installing this amount or more - up fromjust 13 the previous year. This increasing diversity in the market is helpingto support demand and provide stability to a market that was oncedependent for growth on just one or two countries.One significant factor in IMS’s increased forecast is the recently

introduced national FIT in China which was revealed by the NDRC. This FITpays a premium for installations completed this year, but continues pastthe end of the year and is in addition to the country’s Golden Sun scheme,“We earlier predicted the introduction of a PV FIT in China once prices hadfallen to an acceptable level and we’re forecasting installations of 1.3 GWthis year and more than 2 GW in 2012”, commented Sharma. In the longer-term, China will become a key player for PV and not just for production,with it becoming one of the top three global markets in 2015. “At the sametime, it is important to remember that Europe will still account for close to70 % of global installations this year and in fact the next five largestmarkets are all European. Despite many still predicting doom and gloom,our latest research, which analysed more than 60 downstream marketsand surveys hundreds of participants through the industry and supplychain, presents a very different picture. The decision by the ChineseGovernment to introduce a national FIT to boost flagging demand, as wellas a diversifying global market and the introduction of new incentiveschemes globally presents a much more optimistic, but still verychallenging future for the industry”, added Sharma.

www.pvmarketresearch.com

US photovoltaic (PV) installations in 2011 will rise more than 160 % to a totalof 2.4 GW, with California leading the country in the amount of power derivedfrom renewable solar energy, according to a new IHS iSuppli report.

The number of US PV installations this year is projected to climb toapproximately 49,000, up from 39,000 in 2010. Of the 2.4 GW in solar powerexpected to be installed this year, ground installations will contributeapproximately 1.4 GW, commercial installations 710 MW and residentialinstallations 270 MW. “Thanks to the implementation of many utility-scaleprojects this year, the US growth rate in 2011 will be more than double the 80% expansion level of 2010, when PV installations amounted to just slightlyover 900 MW,” said analyst Mike Sheppard. “Next year, new solar installationswill reach an estimated 3.1 GW, on the way to some 5.5 GW by 2015. Andwhile a downturn next year is forecast for Europe, growth will be goodstateside because of healthy support from the US Department of Energy inthe form of loan guarantees to help stimulate the market and help secure alower cost of capital for large projects.”

Among US states, California will be the leader by a wide margin in solarpower this year, accounting for 967 MW. Tiny New Jersey is expected to besecond with 263 MW, followed by Arizona with 243 MW, New Mexico with139 MW and Nevada with 118 MW. With large projects coming through theyear, Nevada will enter the Top 10.

www.ihs.com

US Photovoltaic Installations Forecastto Soar 160 Percent in 2011


12 MARKET NEWS


Infineon has produced the first chips on a 300-millimeterthin wafer for power semiconductors at the Villach site inAustria. The chips exhibit the same behavior as the onesmade on 200-millimeter wafers - as has beendemonstrated by application tests using MOSFETs forhigh voltage applications.

Infineon had embarked on setting up a powersemiconductor pilot line for 300-millimeter wafer and thinwafer technology in Villach, Austria, in October 2010. Theteam today is composed of 50 engineers and physicistsfrom the fields of research and development,manufacturing technology and marketing. “Our engineers’achievement marks a quantum leap in productiontechnology,” said Dr. Reinhard Ploss, Operations,Research & Development and Labor Director of InfineonTechnologies AG. As part of the investment plans, thecompany announced end of July this year to set upDresden as the high volume production site for Power300 technology. At first up until 2014, InfineonTechnologies Dresden GmbH will invest around Euro 250million for this purpose and will create 250 jobs inDresden.

www.infineon.com

300-Millimeter Wafer Technologyfor Power Semiconductors

Founded on September 26, 1981, LinearTechnology commemorated three decades ofinnovation in analog ICs. Over these 30 years, theworldwide analog market has grown from $2billion to over $40 billion.

Fueled by new markets and applications, Linearhas brought key innovations to a broad range ofmarkets and applications, and has provided theenabling technology for many. A list of theseinnovations include first 5A single chip easy-to-useswitching regulator (1986); Burst Mode DC/DCconverters (1993); multiphase synchronousswitching regulators (1999); first buck-boostregulators (2002); µModule DC/DC converters(2006); precision battery monitor device forhybrid/electric vehicles (2008): and digital powermanagement monitors & controllers (2009).Revenue for fiscal year 2011 (ending July 2011)was $1.48 billion, an increase of 27% or $314million over revenue of $1.17 billion for fiscal year2010. “Twelve percent of 2011 revenues camefrom automotive applications, doubling fromrecent years. We are one of the Class B suppliersoutside Japan for Denso”, commented TonyArmstrong, Linear’s Director of Product Marketingfor Power Products.

For the quarter ended October 2, 2011, thecompany reported revenues of $330 million, adecrease of $28.6 million or 8 % from theprevious quarter’s revenue of $360 million. “In thebeginning of the quarter, we noted that orders hadslowed and that global

economic sluggishness appeared to affect theordering patterns of our customers as theycontinued to work down inventories. Althoughcautious given the current economic state, we

were hopeful that this would be temporary andthat orders would pick up in the latter half of thequarter as inventories and orders were balancedagainst end customer demand. This did occur in afew of our markets, notably the automotive marketas the efforts we have invested in that businessare having positive results. However, business inour core industrial and communications end-markets continued to soften through the quarter asit appears that end-demand has softened.Consequently, we are cautious and we expectmany of our customers, particularly in the industrialand communications end-markets to have year-end shutdowns and thereby delay inventory

procurement into the new year. Accordingly, weexpect another difficult quarter of decliningrevenues and earnings, with revenues down 9 -13% sequentially in the second quarter”, said CEOLothar Maier.

Nevertheless, new power products are intendedto soften a downturn. Among them is the

LTM8052, a 36 V input constant frequency step-down µModule regulator with an adjustable outputcurrent limit up to 5A. The adjustable current limithelps system designers set the maximum powerdelivered to a load, minimizing the output rating ofthe upstream AC/DC or DC/DC power supply. TheµModule regulator converts an input voltagebetween 6 V and 36 V to an adjustable outputvoltage between 1.2 V to 24 V. In a 12 V input to2.5 V output application, the LTM8052 achieves apeak operating efficiency of 88 % at 2 A. TheLTC3115-1 is a synchronous buck-boost converterthat delivers up to 2 A of continuous outputcurrent from a wide range of power sources fromsingle-cell Li-Ion to 24 V/28 V industrial rails to 40V automotive inputs. The LTC3115-1’s 2.7 V to 40V input range and 2.7 V to 20 V output rangeprovides a regulated output with inputs above,below or equal to the regulated output. TheLTC3115-1’s switching frequency is userprogrammable between 100 kHz and 2 MHz, andcan be synchronized to an external clock.Proprietary buck-boost PWM circuitry ensures lownoise and high efficiency while minimizing the sizeof external components. The device incorporatesfour N-channel MOSFETs to deliver efficiencies ofup to 95 %. User-selectable Burst Mode operationlowers quiescent current to 50 _A. For noise-sensitive applications, Burst Mode operation can

30 Years Linear Technology

“The automotive industry is quickly becoming one of ourbiggest customers, particularly due to growth of Chineseincreasing production”, says Linear’s Tony Armstrong


MARKET NEWS 13


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Complementing Drives & Controls, Air-Tech, Plant & Asset Management and TheInternational Fluid Power Exhibition (IFPEX) at the NEC, Birmingham between17-19 April 2012, is a free highly focused seminar programme. New for 2012 isthe Energy and Safety seminar theatre, sponsored by CompAir where themedpanel discussions and seminar presentations will focus on key energymanagement topics, ranging from wind turbine maintenance, to the latestlegislative debates surrounding health and safety, including machinery safety,and ATEX.Also new for 2012 is the Motion and Control Industry seminar theatre which

will include more technical workshop style presentations, with practical issuesbeing discussed concerning the various sectors that makes up Drives andControls Exhibition, Air-Tech, and IFPEX.

Energy and Safety seminars new at Drives and Controls 2012

be disabled. Additional features include internalsoft-start, programmable undervoltage protection,short circuit protection and output disconnect.Finally, the LT3798 is an isolated flyback controllerwith single stage active PFC. A power factor ofgreater than 0.97% is accomplished by activelymodulating the input current eliminating the need

for an extra switching power stage and associatedcomponents. In addition, no opto-isolator or signaltransformer is required for feedback since theoutput voltage is sensed from the primary-sideflyback signal. AS

www.linear.com

On April 4 Texas Instruments announced anagreement by which Texas Instruments wouldpurchase National Semiconductor. On September23 this acquisition was completed.

More than 5,000 National employees willimmediately become part of TI. The twocompanies will integrate National as a unit of TI’sAnalog business, which will have a combinedportfolio of nearly 45,000 products, customerdesign tools, and a sales force that is ten timeslarger than National’s previous footprint. Also TI’sdistributors will integrate National Semiconductor

products onto their line cards. This will exposeNational products to a number of new distributors,and will ensure that customers all over the worldhave an extensive authorized channel. TI also saidthat all of National’s current distribution contractswith Future Electronics will conclude by December1, 2011.

TI will continue to operate National’smanufacturing sites, located in Maine (USA),Scotland and Malaysia, as well as businessheadquarters in Santa Clara and sales/designsupport around the world. “The story behind thisacquisition was the enhancement of our productportfolio including tools such as Webench. Step bystep we will integrate TI’s libraries into this tool.Also National’s Wafer Fab and headquarters inSanta Clara was one of the motivations purchasingNational, in order to have access to the skills ofthe Silicon Valley”, commented TI’s EMEAMarketing Manager Power Solutions, Miro Adzan.“With this acquisition we enhanced the share ofpower semiconductors within our analog productto 30 percent”, he added. AS

www.ti.com

National Now Part of TI

“Not only the enhancement of our product portfolio, but also also access to the skills in the Silicon Valleywere motivation to acquire National Semiconductor”,says TI’s Miro Adzan


14 INDUSTRY NEWS


Texas Instruments introduced two 20 V step-downvoltage regulators with PMBus digital interface andadaptive voltage scaling capability for non-isolatedpoint-of-load designs. The 2 MHz switchingTPS40400 single-channel controller with a 3 V to20 V input range and the new 1.2 MHz TPS40422dual-channel or multi-phase controller with 4.5 Vto 20 V input voltage range combine high-performance analog voltage regulation with digitalcontrol to achieve greater than 90 % efficiency,tight output voltage accuracy and design flexibility.The devices’ adaptive voltage scaling capabilitysaves up to 25 % more power than previoussolutions, and eliminates the need for up to 12external components. The controllers achieve evengreater power efficiency when paired with TI’sNexFET(tm) power MOSFETs, such as theCSD87350Q5D.The TPS40400 and TPS40422 can be

combined with the National 17 V LM25066system power and hot-swap protection IC as acomplete PMBus-compliant solution for 12 Vsystems with input protection and powerconversion. The LM25066 continuously suppliesthe system management controller with real-time,accurate power measurement including voltage,current, temperature and fault data for each bladesubsystem in a telecom or server application. For48 V systems that generate a 12 V intermediatebus, the National LM5066 and LM5064 system power and

protection circuits measure, protect and control theelectrical operating conditions.

Inside the TPS40400The TPS40400 is a synchronous buck controllerthat operates from a nominal 3 V to 20 V supply.This analog PWM controller allows programmingand monitoring via the PMBus interface. Flexiblefeatures include programmable soft-start time,short circuit limit and under-voltage lockout(UVLO).An adaptive anti-cross conduction scheme is

used to prevent shoot through current in thepower FETs. Gate drive voltage is 6 V to better

enhance the power FETs for reduced losses. Shortcircuit detection is done by sensing the voltagedrop across the inductor or across a resistor placedin series with the inductor. A PMBusprogrammable threshold is compared to thisvoltage and is used to detect over-current. Whenthe over-currentthreshold is reached, a pulse by pulse current

limit scheme is used to limit current to acceptablelevels. If the over-current condition persists formore than 7 clock cycles of the converter, a faultcondition is declared and the converter shutsdown and goes into either a hiccup restart modeor latches off. The behavior is selectable throughthe PMBus interface. Other PMBus interfacefeatures include programmable operatingfrequency, soft-start time,over-voltage and under-voltage thresholds and

the response to those events, output voltagechange including margining as well as statusmonitoring.

PMBus operation The TPS40400 supports both the 100 kHz and400 kHz bus timing requirements. The TPS40400

POL for Telecom Applicationsdoes not stretch pulses on the PMBus (see http://pmbus.org) when communicatingwith the master device.Communication over the TPS40400 device

PMBus interface can either support the PacketError Checking (PEC) scheme or not. If the mastersupplies CLK pulses for the PEC byte, it is used. Ifthe CLK pulses are not present before a STOP, thePEC is not used.The TPS40400 supports a subset of the

commands in the PMBus 1.1 specification. Mostall of the controller parameters can beprogrammed using the PMBus and stored asdefaults for later use. All commands that requiredata input or output use the literal format. Theexponent of the data words is fixed at a reasonablevalue for the command and altering the exponentis not supported. The TPS40400 also supports the SMBALERT

response protocol, which is a mechanism by whicha slave (the TPS40400) can alert the bus masterthat it wants to talk. The masterprocesses this event and simultaneously

accesses all slaves on the bus (that support theprotocol) through the alert response address. Only

the slave that caused the alert acknowledges thisrequest. The host performs a modified receivebyte operation to get the slave’s address. At thispoint, the master can use the PMBus statuscommands to query the slave that caused thealert. The TPS40400 contains non-volatile memory

that is used to store configuration settings andscale factors. The settings programmed into thedevice are not automatically saved into this non-volatile memory though. The STORE_DEFAULT_ALLcommand must be used to commit the current

ABOVE: TPS40400functional block diagram

LEFT: PMBus point-of-load solutionwith system protectionand power conversion

Industry News_Layout 1 26/10/2011 09:11

INDUSTRY NEWS 15


settings to non-volatile memory as device defaults.The settings that are capable of being stored innon-volatile memory are noted in their detaileddescriptions.

The nominal output voltage of the converter i. e.can be adjusted using the VOUT_TRIM command.The adjustment range is ±25 % from the nominaloutput voltage. The VOUT_TRIM command istypically used to trim the final output voltage of the

converter without relying on high precisionresistors.

TPS40400 and TPS40422 analog PMBus controllers and the National systemprotection ICs extend TI’s portfolio of digital power products that meet any non-isolated or isolated power design requirement.The merger of TI and National Semiconductor hasrecently been completed. The new TPS40400

comes in a thermally enhanced 24 pin, 3.5 mm x 5.5 mm QFN package. Suggested resale pricing is $2.15 in 1,000 unit quantities. TheTPS40422 comes in a 40 pin, 6 mm x 6 mmpackage, and is currently sampling with expected volume production later in the fourthquarter.

www.ti.com/tps40400-preu

Power inductors play an important role in voltage conversion applicationsby yielding lower core losses. They are also used to store energy, filterEMI noise, and provide lower signal loss in system designs. The increasedutilization of battery powered miniaturized portable electronics such asmobile phones, notebook PCs, and handheld game devices has led tothe added use of small-sized SMD power inductors into system designs.As a precondition to constructing an outstanding product that is also

competitive, electronic product designers must deeply understand thecharacteristics of each component being considered for the systemdesign. Even further, proper power consumption design is the most vitalaspect in battery powered systems. Accurate comprehension of theenergy storage feature of power inductors is essential for systemdesigners. The addition of power inductors frees up limited board spacewhile filtering noise and providing a stored energy source.

Understanding SMD power inductorsSurface mount power inductors are used to store energy while alsofiltering EMI currents with a low-loss inductance for voltage conversionapplications. They are also used in DC/DC converters for a wide range ofproducts in a variety of applications. Requiring minimal PCB space,power inductors provide a high-performance, multiphase design thatsignificantly reduces the overall system cost.L-Inductance is the primary functional parameter of an inductor.

Inductance is the property in an electrical circuit where a change in theelectric current through that circuit induces an electromotive force thatopposes the change in the current. The unit of inductance is the henry(H). This parameter determines the current output and ripple noise level.DCR-DC Resistance is the resistance in the power inductor due to the

length and diameter of the winding wire that is used. DCR is the keyparameter for power efficiency. The power consumption will increase if alarger DCR power inductor is used.Rated current is the maximum allowable operational current of the

inductor. If the applied current exceeds the rated current, the self-temperature rise and the drop of the inductance value will exceedspecification, and the performance and reliability will be decreased. Forpower inductors, there are two different definitions to describe the ratedcurrent, which is based on self-temperature rise or on inductancechange. Laird Technologies defines the maximum rated current as themaximum amount of current by which inductance will drop by a typicalvalue of 10 % of initial inductance.Self-resonant frequency (SRF) is the frequency where the inductor and

parasitic capacitor among coil windings resonates. At a higher frequency

SMD Power Inductors for Converters

Laird Technologies shielded (left) and unshielded power inductors

Low pass LC filter

than SRF, the inductor appears as capacitive rather than inductive, and isdefined as a minimum value in MHz. The higher the SRF, the higher theinductor’s effective operational frequency range. So, the operationalfrequency selected for the inductor should be lower than the SRF.

Shielded and unshielded SMD power inductorsFirst, the magnetic field generated by the shielded power inductor keepsthe magnetic field within the inductor. It emits few magnetic fieldsoutside the package and has a less negative effect on others parts thatare in close proximity to it, therefore minimizing the coupling to othercomponents or modules. In an unshielded inductor, some of themagnetic flux field is radiated outside. If a sensitive component ormodule is in close proximity to it, its normal functionality may beaffected.Since the entire magnetic flux field is contained within the inductor,

the power efficiency is higher. The inductor also contains less wire turns ifit has equal inductance with the unshielded inductor. This results in theDCR being smaller for a shielded inductor, as compared to that of anunshielded one.If the DCR is the same for both the shielded and unshielded inductors,

then this implies that the inductors utilize the same wire and windingturns. The shielded inductor should have a higher inductance value thanthe unshielded one. However, the inductance change versus the current


14 INDUSTRY NEWS


curve will drop earlier because of saturation characteristics. Thisdetermines that the unshielded power inductor is easier to work with ina larger current.

Power inductor applicationsPower inductors mainly have three applications:

� Low pass frequency noise filters,� conducted EMI noise filter,� energy storage in DC/DC converters.

Low pass frequency filter applications are mostly used in DC powerlines in order to filter the low frequency ripple current noise. Largerinductors also can be used in AC inputs as conducted EMI noise filters inorder to meet the regulatory requirements.

SMD power inductors are widely used in DC/DC converters as energystorage parts in the circuit. There are typically buck, boost, and buck-boost converters which convert the DC input voltage from high to low orlow to high in order to provide the DC power to various circuits in anelectronic system.

SummaryAs battery devices continue to be designed and produced with slimmerprofiles, implementation of convergence components that perform avariety of functions is more important than ever. Power inductors play animportant role in voltage conversion applications by yielding lower corelosses and are used to store energy, filter EMI noise, and provide lowersignal loss and handle higher power capability in system designs. Theresult is a high-performance, rugged constructed design with a smallfootprint that requires significantly less total PCB space and a loweredoverall system cost.

Laird Technologies can provide a series of SMD power inductors,including shielded and unshielded, which are widely utilized in theelectronics market. The inductors cover from 1 to 10 µH, and have acurrent from 20 mA to 30 A with a constraint size to save space inportable electronic systems.

www.lairdtech.com

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17INDUSTRY NEWS


CUI’s Solus Power Topology combines the single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) withthe conventional buck topology to form theSEPIC-fed buck converter resulting in significantreduction in switching losses within a PWM circuit.SEPIC have a pulsating output current, as well asall buck-boost converters. The similar _ukconverter does not have this disadvantage, but itcan only have negative output polarity, unless theisolated _uk converter is used. Increasedefficiency is achieved with the Solus Topologyreducing both the conduction and the switchinglosses at several critical points within the convertercircuit. The loss reduction is so significant that theoutput current can be increased by 40 % for agiven power supply package size. Conversely, theloss reduction enables increased efficiency byseveral percent for a given output current andpackage size when compared to the traditionalbuck topology.Solus accomplishes the reduction of conduction

losses by channeling the operating currents intoseveral paths. As shown in the schematic Q1SB

functions as high-side switch for both the SEPICand buck operation. Q2B functions as the low-sideswitch in buck operation. Q2S functions as part ofthe SEPIC operation. As soon as the input currententers the converter at I1, the topologyimmediately branches that current into severalpaths, with each circuit path carrying lowerinstantaneous current than the output current. Thisreduces the conduction losses by the square ofthe current reduction. Thus, the conduction lossesare significantly less when compared to standardbuck converter losses.The multi-current paths also reduce the voltage

stress on components by nearly 50 %. This opensthe possibility that, for a given voltage conversion,

Low Loss SEPIC-Fed BuckConverter Topology

the design may use lower voltage MOSFETs andcapacitors compared to the standard buckconverter. This allows substitution of lower Rds(on)MOSFETs in a given device package size.

High switching speedThe topology is suited for implementing the gate-charge-extraction (GCE) circuit, which has theability to turn off the Silicon MOSFET channel inless than a nanosecond. The first oscilloscopecapture shows the voltage and current waveformsfor HSS turn-off. In the second shot the red curveshows the instantaneous power during turn-off,which is approximately 50 W peak and lasts 6.4nanoseconds for a total power loss at 200 kHz ofa negligible 68 mW.At increased switching frequencies, these

improvements become even more compelling.The higher the switching frequency, the higher thepower density, if converter efficiency is held to areasonable level. If equivalent switching losses forboth turn-on and turn-off of the high-side switch inthe buck converter are assumed, the SolusTopology has the potentialto reduce the switching losses by over 90 %.

This allows the Solus converter to operate at ahigher switching frequency without sacrificing verymuch efficiency. The Solus Topology can be used both isolated

and non-isolated DC/DC power supply designs. Itis an excellent topology for non-isolated DC/DCpoint-of-load (POL) power supplies due to itsability to provide a wider duty cycle “D” for givenoutput to input voltage ratio “M”. This is anespecially attractive feature for wide-conversion-ratio POLs.In the canonical buck converter, the D term, or

pulse-width ratio, is equal to the M term or

output/input voltage ratio. For the Solus converter,M = D/(2-D). Translating that to an operationaladvantage, at any given voltage ratio, the pulsewidth will be wider than for the standard buckconverter. Thus, the 12 V intermediate bus voltageis still attractive forpowering chips even down to 0.5 V. The Solus

Topology should support continued use of thelower-distributed-current 12 V intermediate busvoltage, rather than yielding prematurely to lowerintermediate bus voltage with higher distributedcurrent.The Solus Topology is independent of the

control method, it can operate with analog voltagemode control, analog current mode control, andvarious digital control profiles. It can also improvethe performance of the isolated high-voltageDC/DC section of the AC/DC power supply. Sinceit can operate very efficiently over a wide voltagerange, the amount of the bulk hold-up capacitancecan be substantially reduced.In July CUI introduced the engineering release

and initial sampling of the NQB isolated DC/DCquarter brick. The 720 W intermediate busconverter supports an input range of 36-60 V withan output of 12 V and will provide an efficiencygreater than 96%. The NQB product will eventuallysupport a wider input range as well as an output of9.6 V. Additional features include options forDOSA footprint compatibility, remote on/off, andload share capability.

Ericsson second sourceThe company will also develop and market multi-source, digital POL power solutions that are basedon the Ericsson footprints and designs. The NovumNDM2 series is the first to be designed by CUI aspart of the Ericsson cooperation announced in July. The agreement formalizes a plan between the

Solus Topology schematic with relative average internal currents (M = output/input voltage ratio)


18 INDUSTRY NEWS

two companies to offer a multi-source digital POLplatform based on the BMR46X series, with futureplans to co-develop modules outside the existingrange of 12-50 A. The NDM2 series modules arepin and function compatible with Ericsson PowerModule’s BMR46X series and will initially beavailable in 12 A, 25 A, and 50 A configurations.Features include programmable output, activecurrent sharing, adjustable compensation settings,voltage sequencing, and voltage tracking.Additionally, the modules are footprint nested,supporting easing transition of dual layout needs.

www.cui.com

ABOVE: High-Side Switch (HSS) Gate Charge Extraction (GCE) waveforms

ABOVE: GCE power measurement

LEFT: 720 W NQB isolatedquarter brick DC/DC converter

EXPE

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VATIO

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www.pwrx.com 001-724-925-7272ISO 9001 A6025

Power Semiconductor Solutions

Impeccable Service

Quality Products


www.abb.com/semiconductors POWER MODULES 19


IGBT Press-Packs for theIndustrial MarketThe standard Press-pack IGBT (PPI) basically uses the same packaging concept as Bipolar high powersemiconductor devices. The main difference is that the high power semiconductor content in the package issquare IGBT chips arranged on a round molybdenum disc instead of large, round bipolar devices matchedin size to the molybdenum disc and ceramic housing. The Press-pack IGBT comes under the nameStakPakTM in a pseudo-square frame package that allows for much better utilization of the squared IGBTchips and for a modular platform in power scaling of the device. Bülent Aydin, Franc Dugal, EvgenyTsyplakov, Raffael Schnell, Liutauras Storasta and Thomas Clausen, ABB Switzerland Ltd,Semiconductors, Lenzburg, Switzerland

Originally, it was thought that the PPIswould replace Gate Turn-Off Thyristors(GTOs) in both medium voltage drives andtraction drives and be an alternative to theinsulated IGBT modules. In 2011, PPIshave become an established part of thehigh power semiconductor marketsegment serving the industry in mediumvoltage drives, but PPIs have onlymarginally penetrated the tractionsegment. For propulsion drives, thedevelopment of rugged and reliableinsulated IGBT high power modules haveallowed for new platforms and topologiesand virtually all new propulsion drivedesigns feature insulated IGBT modules.ABB Semiconductors has many years of

experience in manufacturing Press-packIGBTs for power transmission & distributionapplications. For many years, the StakPakhas proved its outstanding reliability andruggedness by serving as the principleswitching device in the ABB HVDC lightapplication. In the HVDC transmission linkhigh voltage, direct current is transportedeither over long distances or via sea cableswith very low transmission link losses.More than 15 of the HVDC lighttransmission links using StakPak devicesfor valves are currently in operationcarrying more than 10 GW of power, andfive projects are planned to add an extra 5GW. The first link began operation in 1997and, as of today, no field failures related tothe StakPak device have been reported.This proves the device’s capabilities inruggedness and reliability.The StakPak is well suited for series

connection. With both 2.5 and 4.5 kVswitches, there are a multitude of industrialapplications that can benefit from the useof StakPak devices. Static VARCompensation (SVC) systems and multi-level high power inverters with several

devices in series to match industrial linevoltages > 6 kV are the most obviousapplications. Also, Pulse Power applicationsrequiring high voltage level and fastrepetition rates between the pulses willbenefit.

Package outlineWhat makes the StakPak PPI unique as ahigh power switch is foremost themodularity of the package combined withthe flexibility of the IGBT/diode ratio in themodule. For high power PPI products thepackage size increases to support the highamount of chips. As the number of chipsper unit operation increases, so does theprobability of failures during subsequentdevice manufacturing steps and earlyfailures in the field. The StakPak PPIconsists of a number of standardrectangular sub-units, called submodules.

The number of chips per submodule islimited to 12 and each submodule istested for full functionality before it isinserted into the frame. In this way, poweris configured into the switch based on thenumber of submodules in the frame. Theframe is pseudo-square and can hold 2(Figure 1), 4 or 6 (Figure 2) submodules.Our BiMOS line is designed for highmanufacturability and as a result of recentfactory expansion, high volumemanufacturing is possible.Each submodule has 12 chip positions

and the layout of the IGBT connections tothe gate pad allows for at least fourdifferent IGBT/diode ratios in thesubmodule. The ratio can be 1:1, 2:1, 3:1or even 5:1. The fifth possibleconfiguration with only IGBT chips iscurrently not possible due to packagerestraints relating to the maximum current

Figure 1: StakPakTM (4.5 kV) in a pseudo-square frame package with two submodules

ABB_Feature_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:36

20 POWER MODULES www.abb.com/semiconductors


flow through the package. The maximumcurrent flow at present is 2600 A in a 2:1configuration between IGBT and diodes.The 2600 A maximum rating for thecomplete switch means that one phase legof the medium voltage drive can be builtfrom one stack only without specialconsiderations concerning the diode andspecial design rules with respect to thecooling system and the elimination ofparasitics. The fact that only one StakPakcompact stack is needed per phase leg ishighly beneficial in terms of footprint of thedrive and manufacturability of thecomplete drive. Figure 3 shows thesoldering of a StakPak.

The press-pin that contacts the emitterside of the IGBT chip has been designedwith two additional goals in mind besidesconducting the current when the switch ison. The first of these goals is to make thepin assembly consisting of 12 pins on acarrier independent of each other and the

second goal is to bring a failing IGBT chipinto short circuit failure rather than opencircuit failure as is the case for insulatedIGBT modules. The underlying principle inorder to achieve the first goal is theindependent suspension principle. Thisprinciple originates in the automotiveindustry and is considered to offer thehighest quality and load characteristics forthe individual pins as well as for the pinassembly. The individual pins are designedfor lowest possible unsprung weight andeach individual pin spring contacts thecarrier without affecting the other pinspring contacts in the submodule (Figure 4).

IGBT and diode technologyThe IGBT chips inside the StakPak aremanufactured using the Soft-Punch-Through (SPTTM) technology platform thatis considered among the best high voltage(HV) chip and which performs excellent in

both hard switching and soft switchingapplications. The HV IGBT SPT+ chips usethe same rugged planar cell design as theformer SPT chips, but the SPT+ chips havea much lower on-state voltage drop. Thelower on-state voltage drop has beenachieved by introducing an enhancementlayer within the IGBT cell that increases thecarrier concentration on the emitter sideduring turn-on of the device. The SPT+chips, besides having a much lower on-state voltage in comparison with SPT chips,also show an improved turn-off SOA as aresult of the advanced design.

The diode chips inside the StakPak needto have a fast recovery when they go fromthe conductive state to the blocking state,so that the diode does not become alimiting factor with respect to the overalllosses of the switch. In principle, the diodeis a simple pin type structure

Figure 2: StakPakTM (4.5 kV) in a pseudo-square frame package with six submodules

Figure 3: Soldering ofa StakPak

Figure 4: Press-pins contact the emitter side ofthe IGBT chip

manufactured using the same technologyas is used for the SPT+ IGBT chips. Inorder to match the performance of theIGBT chips, there is a trade-off needed inthe on-state voltage versus the switch-offlosses. This trade-off curve increases theon-state voltage by placing specially


www.abb.com/semiconductors POWER MODULES 21


designed carrier lifetime control layers inthe bulk and close to the pn-junction ofthe diode, but in turn makes the recoveryfast and significantly lowers the diodeswitching losses. The localized carrierlifetime control technique gives a muchbetter diode performance in comparisonwith conventional carrier lifetime controltechniques, where the carrier lifetime inthe whole bulk is lowered by i.e., electronirradiation. With localized carrier lifetimecontrolling, the minority carrier lifetime iskept high in the bulk, which in turn lowersthe leakage current in the device. Whenswitched off, the localized layers act as acarrier recombination drain for fastrecovery, and it shapes the tail of thereverse recovery current for optimumsoftness.

Application benefits There are several other functionaladvantages of the StakPak PPI overstandard PPIs and insulated IGBT modules.The benefits are all functionalities thatmake the design of medium voltage drivesmore straightforward or help to reduce theneed for power semiconductor protectivecircuits in the drive.

Probably the most important parameterthat will greatly benefit the designer ofmedium voltage drives is the unsurpassedthermal properties of the StakPak. Besidesthe possibility of cooling both the emitterand the collector side, the IGBT and diodethermal resistance (junction to case) is aslow as 4 K/kW, but since only ~20% ofthe heat flows to the emitter side whendouble side cooling is employed, it iscrucial that the main emphasis is oncollector side cooling. Cooling only fromemitter side must be avoided.

When taking care in the design of theheatsink (mostly the surface roughness), itis possible to achieve a thermal resistancefrom case to heatsink for both the IGBTand Diode of only 1 K/kW. The thermalresistance from junction to heatsink is up

to 50% lower compared to standard PPIsand insulated IGBT modules. The excellentthermal properties are obtained by havingthe chips soldered directly onto themolybdenum submodule disc. With thechip-to-case alloyed design, the short-timethermal overload capacity, which is anotherimportant parameter for the designer ofthe medium voltage drives, is also muchimproved in comparison with other typesof IGBT module design.

In case of an event outside the safeoperating area (SOA) for the switch or achip in the switch, the press pin alloy tothe IGBT chip because of the localtemperature increase at the failing point. Ifthe alloyed pin/IGBT is not conductive, theswitch fails into open circuit, which is adisaster for series connected devices. Thedesign thus has to be so that the pin/IGBTalloy is conductive in the event of a failure.The current path is thus short circuited bycreating a low current path between thecollector and emitter. The built-in pin shortcircuit failure mode (SCFM) is a keyfeature of the switch.

The trend in medium voltage drives is tomove away from bulky protective circuitelements in the design; i.e. reduce thenumber of passive elements. This basicallyput the protective control scheme on thesemiconductor switch itself or alternativelyon the on/off gate control unit. Anotherimportant protection feature of the StakPakis the surge current capability, which is upto 27 kA (w/o reapplied voltage)dependant on the diode content in theswitch.

Yet another element of built-inprotection, which is very difficult to test, butis an important parameter for designingmedium voltage drives, is case non-rupturerating. The case non-rupture rating is thehighest current in reverse direction that adamaged module can tolerate withoutemitting plasma that can damage otherelements of the drive. The case non-rupture rating is often referred to as an

explosion rating for the semiconductorelement. For the StakPak there are no highcurrent carrying wire bonds in the moduleand the module is not a tight capsule typeof module. Both of these facts will bebeneficial in case reverse voltage is appliedto a damaged element. With the StakPak, itis difficult to define a worst case fordamage to the module that will cause anexplosion. In the event of a damagedmodule, we do not expect any emission ofplasma to occur, because the module isnot sealed and therefore a huge pressurebuild-up inside the module is unlikely.

BiMOS and Bipolar outlook -solutions for industrial drivesWith the introduction of the StakPak press-pack IGBT to the industrial market, ABBnot only offers the largest variety of highpower semiconductor switches in Bipolarand BiMOS, but also the highest powerlevels available in single switchconfigurations. ABB manufactures IGCTdevices with 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 kV blockingvoltage capabilities with switch-offcapability of more than 5 kA of current.For BiMOS switches, ABB has a productionline in operation since 2010 capable ofproducing more than 150’000 modules.ABB Semiconductors offers products inthe blocking voltage range from 1.7 kV to6.5 kV for standard insulated IGBTmodules. Because of the built-in isolation,these modules are ideally suited formedium voltage drives, in which themodules are paralleled to achieve highpower levels. The StakPak addition to theindustrial product platform offersmanufacturers of medium voltage drivesan opportunity to use the latest IGBTtechnology in packages suitable for seriesconnection. The midterm roadmap is toachieve higher current ratings in the samepackage. This is a challenging task,because each press pin must conducthigher current in a potentially morechallenging working environment.

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22 POWER SEMICONDUCTORS www.proton-electrotex.com


High Voltage Thyristors for Soft StartersIn spite of significant development of converters on the basis of fully controlled semiconductor stacks (IGBT,GTO, IGCT), today it’s still technically legitimate and demandable to use “traditional” high power thyristors instacks of controlled rectifiers as well as in soft starters for electric motors. Usage of thyristors is especiallyrelevant in case of operating in AC network of 6/10 kV and higher, because the devices produced on thebasis of such thyristors have no competition in price and energy efficiency (efficiency coefficient). That’swhy development and production of high voltage thyristors is of high interest. D. A. Presnyakov, I. Yu. Vetrov, A. V. Stavtsev, A. M. Surma, Orel, Russia

During last several years somemanufacturers developed and put intoproduction high power devices withvoltage up to 6,5-8,5 kV necessary forhigh-voltage valves of electric convertersoperating in AC with 6 kV and higher. Theblocking voltage level is still low to allowusing only one thyristor in such stacks.That’s why the stack consists of severalseries-connected semiconductor deviceswhich requires operating synchronizationof thyristors in such connections.

Unfortunately, along with increase ofmaximum allowed blocking voltage,reverse recovery voltage increases as well,which is quite typical for high voltagedevice. It’s connected with the necessity toguarantee low voltage in off-state. Fordevices with 6,5-8,5kV voltage values ofreverse recovery voltage and maximumvalue of reverse recovery current reachvery high level, even with low value ofcurrent rate of rise.

In Figure 1 typical values for high voltage

thyristors manufactured by variouscompanies are shown. These values forthyristors with 6,5-8,5 kV reached thevalues when it’s quite difficult to crossmatch damping and conforming RC-circuits.

Calculations and experiments show thatfull power of losses in damping RC-circuit,limiting the pulse spike of reverse voltageat recovery of the typical high voltagethyristor on the level of 0,75-0,8VRRM incircuit with VDC~0,5VRRM voltage isconnected with reverse recovery charge bysemi-empirical equation 1:

ER~1,5Qrr*VDC

where ER = energy dissipating in resistor ofRC-circuit in “turn on - turn off” cycle.

Taking the data shown in Figure 1 it’seasy to see that power dissipated bydamping circuit of high voltage thyristorcan be compared with full power of lossesof thyristor, which isn’t optimistic at all

concerning the complexity of stack coolingsystem as well as its efficiency coefficient.

Considering this the development ofhigh voltage thyristors designed for seriesconnection assemblies with some specificcharacteristics at reverse recovery:� Minimized values of reverse recoverycharge and current (on condition of lowlevel of voltage in on-state);

� “soft” character of reverse recovery;usage of thyristors with soft reverserecovery allows to simplify therequirements to RC-circuit in case ofproviding acceptable level of peakvoltage;

� adequacy of reverse recovery charges, aswell as reverse recovery current form forthyristors used as series connectedassembly; this allows to lower therequirements to conforming RC-circuits,and completely abandon it asperspective.Let’s consider the problems in more

details, which may occur when developing

Figure 1: Dependenceof average current inon-state and reverserecovery charge forhigh voltage (6,5-8,5kV) thyristorsmanufactured byvarious companies(average current:pulse waveform - half-wave sine timelength 10 µs, 50 Hzfrequency, thyristorcase temperature85ºC; reverse recoverycharge: temperatureof semiconductorelement 125ºC, rate ofrise 5 A/µs, reversevoltage VR(DC)~ 0,5-0,8VRRM)

Proton_Cover Story_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:20

www.proton-electrotex.com POWER SEMICONDUCTORS 23


and producing such devices and seriesconnected assemblies on its basis, usingthe example of thyristors and stacksproduced by Proton-Electrotex JSC.

High voltage thyristors adjusted forusage in series assembliesIt’s clearly known that value of reverserecovery charge depends on value ofaccumulated charge of excess electronsand holes in n- base layer of thyristor, andalso on recombination rate of thisaccumulated charge. For high voltagethyristors, which recover at low rate of riseof anode current, the second factor is morecrucial. Indeed during rate of rise of anodecurrent the bigger part of excess carriersrecombinate. Thus there is some optimumvalue of effective life time of carriers in n-base of thyristor, which allows achievinglow reverse recovery charge with relativelylow value of voltage rate of rise in on-state. To reach the optimum value of carriers’

life time in n- base of thyristor thetechnology of accelerated electrons andprotons irradiation of silicon elements isused. However, there are some additionaloptions to lower the value of reverserecovery charge. If we lower the maximumconcentration of atoms of acceptor dopantin p- base of thyristor, this will lowerreverse recovery charge by means oftransferring part of excess electronsaccumulated in n- base into n+ emitter,same to the process in diode. In thyristorwith highly doped p- base, as a result oftransistance, there isn’t any electronstransfer from n- base, but excess holesinjection into n- base what leads torelative increase of reverse recoverycharge.Thyristors produced by Proton-Electrotex

JSC have quite low doped p- base (as arule maximum concentration of acceptors -(1 or 2)*1016 cm-3) [1]. This allows tolower reverse recovery charge without anyinfluence on voltage rate of rise in on-state. To guarantee the required dU/dt -

durability for thyristors with low doped p-base, special configuration of distributedcathodic diversion is used.“Softness” of reverse recovery S is very

significant characteristic, which can beshown as quotient of duration of rate ofrise of reverse current (tf) and time ofdelay of reverse voltage applying (ts) in theprocess of reverse recovery of thyristoraccording to equation 2:

S = tf / ts

It’s known that increase of reverserecovery softness can be reached withlowering of concentration of excess carriersnear anode p- emitter. There are two waysto achieve it:

� Lowering of injection efficiency of anodep- emitter; this can be achieved bylowering the maximum concentration ofacceptor dopant as well as carriers’ lifetime in highly doped area of p- emitterlayer;

� local decrease in life time in the layers ofn- base and low doped p- emitter joininganode p-n junction.Proton-Electrotex JSC uses both ways to

achieve the desired results for thyristors.Firstly, relatively low doped p- emitter

Figure 2: Basic diagram of equipment for final presorting of thyristors by reverse recoverycharacteristics

Figure 3: Typical dependences of reverse recovery current (upper) and voltage of testee (lower graph)and standard sample thyristors using equipment for final presorting by reverse recoverycharacteristics




layers are used. This allows reducingreverse recovery surge current andincreasing softness of reverse recovery.More than that, as proved by calculationsand experimentations, for such thyristorslow temperature dependence of time andreverse recovery charge is verycharacteristic. Secondly, when it’snecessary to reach soft reverse recoveryspecial technology of carrier life timeregulation based on proton irradiation. Thistechnology allows locally decrease carriers’life time in the layers joining the p-njunction.It’s very crucial to have identical reverse

recovery characteristics for thyristors. Andit’s very important to have same surgecurrent and reverse recovery charge, aswell as identical characteristic of currentdependence on time. This can make itpossible to avoid using RC-circuits whenassembling thyristors.In accordance with above mentioned it’s

clear that to have identical characteristics

dependences of reverse recoverycharacteristics.

� Step 2. Precise control of reverserecovery parameters (reverse recoverytime, reverse recovery current, reverserecovery charge, softness) with help ofelectron and proton irradiation. This stepprovides additional correction of reverserecovery time and charge to lower thevariation of these characteristics in group.Combination of electron and protonirradiation allows simultaneously adjustsoftness.

� Step 3. Final presorting with equipmentthat provides the possibility to run testsof reverse recovery of two and moreseries connected thyristors in modeclose to operational.The scheme of equipment necessary for

such tests is shown in Figure 2. Presortingis done during test of each and everythyristor in series connection with standardsample. Pulse power supply providespositive voltage distribution to the

switched-on thyristors, and current, goingthrough the inductive reactor L, linearreaches the necessary value. Voltagepolarity changes and two series connectedthyristors reverse recover.And the fitting criterion of reverse

recovery characteristics of device to thestandard sample is voltage distributionapplied to the thyristors during the wholeprocess of reverse recovery equallybetween testee and standard sample.Typical dependences of reverse recoverycurrent and voltage of testee andstandard sample thyristors are shown inFigure 3.This equipment can be used for testing

the assembled high voltage valves on basisof series connected thyristor stacks. As aresult of the above mentionedtechnologies in production it made itpossible to have thyristors with relativelylow reverse recovery charge, lowtemperature dependence, as well as highsoftness of reverse recovery. Typical

of reverse recovery it’s necessary toprovide high precision of doping profileand life time distribution of carriers insemiconductor elements. Identity ofdopants distribution is provided by highlevel of production of semiconductorelements technology, precise control ofcarriers’ life time becomes possible withhelp of special technology of electronand/or proton irradiation.To achieve low variation of reverse

recovery parameters the following processflowsheet is used: � Step 1. Presupposition for achieving lowvariation of reverse recoverycharacteristics - providing high identity ofdopant profiles in produced siliconelements, which is achieved bythoroughly worked-out technology. Thisstep provides the repetition of reverserecovery current form, temperature

LEFT Table 1: Typicalcharacteristics of highvoltage thyristorsadjusted for usage inseries assemblies

BELOW Figure 4:KT5.11-800 stack forusage in soft startersof electric motorsoperating in ACnetworks of 6 kV


25_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:08 Page 1



characteristics of high voltage thyristorsadjusted for usage in series assemblies areshown in Table 1.

Series stacks for usage in soft startersof electric motorsNew high-voltage thyristors adjusted forusage in series connection are used forseries connected stacks - KT5.11-800,designed for usage in soft starters ofelectric motors operating in AC network of6 kV (see Figure 4). The stack consists ofthyristors with 6,5 kV blocking voltage andpresents the complete unit - AC stackequipped with drivers, power units,conforming circuits and heat sinks, it’sbasic diagram is shown in Figure 5.Thyristor groups, forming direct andreverse stacks are controlled separately byfiber optic line.

The stack can be used in AC network of6 kV, as well as in other networks with peakvalues of direct and reverse voltages up to11 kV, and provides maximum startingcurrent of electric motors up to 400 A.

Literature[1] Applying Proton Irradiation forPerformance Improvement of PowerSemiconductors, Power ElectronicsEurope 3/2011, pages 35 - 38 Figure 5: Basic diagram of KT5.11-800

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Multi-Topology BatteryCharging from Milliwatts to KilowattsThe practice of battery charging spans a wide variety of battery chemistries, voltages and current levels inmany market segments. For example, industrial, medical and automotive battery chargers continue todemand higher voltages and currents as new applications are emerging for both existing and new batterychemistries, such as the proliferation of sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries in solar applications. Existing singleintegrated circuit (IC) based solutions cover just a fraction of the many combinations of input voltage, chargevoltage and charge current. A cumbersome combination of ICs and discrete components was routinely usedto cover most of these combinations and topologies. A new charger IC overcomes this problem. SteveKnoth, Senior Product Marketing Engineer Power Products, Linear Technology Corp., USA

Current market trends would indicatethat there is renewed interest in highcapacity SLA battery cells - a revival of sorts- they are not just for cars anymore.Automotive or “starting” SLA cells areinexpensive from a cost/power outputstandpoint and can deliver high pulsecurrents for short durations, making themexcellent for automotive and other vehiclestarter applications. Deep cycle lead-acidbatteries are another technology popular inindustrial applications. They have thickerplates than automotive batteries and aredesigned to be discharged to as low as20% of their full charge. They are normallyused where power is required over a longerperiod of time in such applications as forklifts and golf carts. Nevertheless, lead-acidbatteries are very sensitive to overcharging,so careful charging is very important.

Obviously, solar-powered applicationsare on the rise. Solar panels of varioussizes now power a variety of innovativeapplications from crosswalk marker lightsto trash compactors to marine buoy lights.Batteries used in solar poweredapplications are a type of deep cyclebattery capable of surviving prolonged,repeated charge cycles, in addition to deepdischarges. This type of battery iscommonly found in “off grid” (i.e.disconnected from the electric utilitycompany) renewable energy systems suchas solar- or wind-power generation.

All-in-one charger?Some of the tougher issues a designermust encounter are the high input voltagerequirements, the high capacity batteriesneeding to be charged, or an input voltage

range that spans above and below thebattery voltage range. Furthermore, tomake matters worse, there are manyapplications without dedicated, simplebattery charging solutions. Examplesinclude: � High series cell count battery stacks -there are no existing IC solutions for >4Lithium cells,

� high input voltage applications - there areno existing IC solutions above 30V to 40V,

� buck-boost applications and isolatedtopologies, e.g. a flyback configuration. Due to IC design complexity, existing

battery charging controllers are primarilylimited to step-down or buck architectures.Finally, some existing solutions chargemultiple battery chemistries - some withon-board termination; however, up untilnow no chargers have provided thenecessary performance features to solveall of these issues. Popular applications fora device such as this would be high powerbattery charger systems, portableinstruments, industrial battery equippeddevices, and general purpose charging.

A new IC solution An IC charging solution that solves theproblems outlined needs to possess many,if not all, of the following attributes:� Flexibility - it must operate in tandemwith various switcher topologies

� Wide input voltage range,� wide output voltage range to addressmultiple battery stacks,

� ability to charge multiple batterychemistries,

� autonomous operation (no µP needed),� high output current,

� low profile solution footprints,� advanced packaging for improvedthermal performance and spaceefficiency.A typical convoluted competing solution

with PowerPathTM control and input currentlimiting would consist of a DC/DC switchingregulator, a microprocessor plus several ICsand discrete components. However, asimpler solution is with the new LTC4000battery charging controller at hand.

The LTC4000 is a high voltage controllerand power manager that converts virtuallyany externally compensated DC/DC powersupply into a full-featured battery charger(Figure 1). The IC is capable of driv ingtypical DC/DC converter topologies,including buck, boost, buck-boost, SEPICand flyback. The device offers precisioninput and charge current regulation andoperates across a wide 3 V to 60 V inputand output voltage range, making itcompatible with a variety of different inputvoltage sources, battery stacks andchemistries. Typical applications include highpower battery charger systems, highperformance portable instruments, batteryback-up systems, industrial battery-equippeddevices and notebook computers.

The LTC4000 features an intelligentPowerPath topology that preferentiallyprovides power to the system load wheninput power is limited. The IC controls twoexternal PFETs to provide low loss reversecurrent protection, efficient charging anddischarging of the battery, and instant-onoperation to ensure that system power isavailable at plug-in even with a dead ordeeply discharged battery. External senseresistors and precision sensing enable

Linear_Feature_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:40

28 BATTERY POWER www.linear.com


accurate currents at high efficiency, to workwith converters that span the power rangefrom milliwatts to kilowatts.

A variety of battery chemistries includingLithium-ion/polymer/phosphate, sealed leadacid and nickel-based can be charged. Thedevice also provides charge status indicatorsthrough its FLT and CHRG pins. Otherfeatures of the battery charger include:±0.25% programmable float voltage,selectable timer or C/X current termination,temperature-qualified charging using an NTC

thermistor, automatic recharge, C/10 tricklecharge for deeply discharged cells and badbattery detection. The LTC4000 is housed ina low profile (0.75mm) 28-pin 4mm x5mm QFN package and a 28-lead SSOPpackage. The device is guaranteed foroperation from -40°C to 125°C.

Full control of external DC/DC converterThe LTC4000 requires an externallycompensated switching regulator to form acomplete battery management solution.

System performance will vary based on thetype of switching regulator that theLTC4000 is paired with.

The charger IC includes four differentregulation loops: input current, chargecurrent, battery float voltage and outputvoltage (A4-A7), please refer to the blockdiagram in Figure 2. Whichever looprequires the lowest voltage on the ITH pinfor its regulation controls the externalDC/DC converter. The input currentregulation loop ensures that the

Figure 1: LTC4000typical application

circuit

Figure 2: LTC4000block diagram


www.linear.com BATTERY POWER 29


programmed input current limit (using aresistor at IL) is not exceeded at steady state.The charge current regulation loop ensuresthat the programmed battery charge currentlimit (using a resistor at CL) is not exceeded.

The float voltage regulation loop ensuresthat the programmed battery stack voltage(using a resistor divider from BAT to FBG viaBFB) is not exceeded. The output voltageregulation loop ensures that theprogrammed system output voltage (using aresistor divider from CSP to FBG via OFB) isnot exceeded. The LTC4000 also providesmonitoring pins for the input current andcharge current at the IIMON and IBMONpins respectively.

Flexible demonstration circuitsThe DC1721A-A is a 14.6 V, 5 A batterycharger and PowerPath manager with 6V to 36 V input buck-boost converterfeaturing the LTC4000/LTC3789, targeted at4-cell LiFePO4 applications (see Figure 3).The output of this demo board is

specifically tailored for a Tenergy 10 Ahbattery. Other voltages can be set bychanging external resistors. The desirednominal voltage can be accurately trimmedby using trim resistors. This circuit wasdesigned to demonstrate the high levels of

performance, efficiency, and small solutionsize attainable using these parts in a buck-boost converter battery charger withIntelligent PowerPath manager. It operates at400 kHz and produces a regulated 5 A/14.6V battery charger output as well as a systemoutput of up to 6.25 A from an input voltagerange of 6 V to 36 V: suitable for a widevariety of portable applications includinginstruments, industrial equipment, powertools, and computers. It has a total footprint

area of 12.4 cm2 (3.6 cm2 for the LTC4000circuit only) enabling a very compactsolution (see Figure 4). Synchronousrectification helps to attain efficiencyexceeding 96% at full load and nominalinput (see Figure 5).For added circuit evaluation and simulation,

demonstration circuit DC1830 will soon bereleased, allowing the LTC4000 board to beinterfaced with other compatible DC/DCconverter standalone evaluation boards.

Figure 3: Demo boardsystem block diagramusing LTC4000 /LTC3789

Figure 4: DC1721Ademo board

Figure 5: DC1721Aefficiency from VIN toVOUT_SYS


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www.austriamicrosystems.com POWER CONVERTERS 31


Inverting Buck Regulator SavesSpace and PowerDesigners are periodically faced with the requirement to generate a negative voltage rail in order to providea bias voltage for applications using sensors which read signals both above and below ground. For manyengineers, the first thought will be to use inverting regulated charge pumps: in fact, these are ideal forhandheld applications where the output voltage required is less than -5V and the input is typically a lithium-ion battery. In applications that require negative voltages greater than -5V, SEPIC inverters and transformer-based designs can also produce a positive-to-negative voltage conversion, but only at the cost of complexityand a high component count. Now the AS7620 IC helps designers to solve these problems. Mark Shepherd, Field Applications Engineer, Austriamicrosystems, Unterpremstätten, Austria

Inductor-based switching buck invertersoffer the benefits of good efficiency withlow component count. Depending on thebuck inverter, they can provide highefficiencies over both a wide dynamic loadand input range, an area where chargepumps tend to fall down due to theirseesaw efficiency curves. The designermust be mindful of the total systempower consumption in a scenario in whicha -5 V rail must be generated from a 12 Vor 24 V system voltage. For instance, asensor application might require a -5 Vbias voltage at a 1-200 mA load range,operating from a 24 V system supplyfeeding multiple sensors distributedthrough a building. The designer couldconnect an inverting charge pump to the5 V output that has been stepped downfrom the 24 V system rail to provide the -5 V. The efficiency of such a circuit,however, would be the product of thecharge pump’s efficiency - typically 70 % -and the efficiency of the step-downregulator - typically 90 %. This gives anoverall system efficiency of 63 %.Multiplied across multiple sensors, thisloss can add up.

This brings into focus the advantages ofimplementing an inverting buck regulatorcircuit, a simple technique that involvesexchanging Vout with ground on a buckregulator. Not all buck regulators can beused this way, however, since theinversion of Vout with ground canintroduce a right half plane (RHP) zero inits control-to-output transfer function,opening up the regulator to the risk ofinstability.

Figure 1 shows a -5V negativebuck/boost inverter circuit, using theAS7620 positive buck regulator fromaustriamicrosystems. This IC is specifiedfor a 3.6 V to 32 V input voltage range,uses a 1.2 V feedback voltage and has aninternal 500 mA power switch. The switchcurrent is monitored so that the converteralways operates in discontinuous currentmode (DCM): this means that it isintrinsically stable, and no externalcompensation circuitry is needed. It alsomeans that it does not have an issue withstability due to the RHP zero, becausethis only occurs in flyback, boost and Ćukcircuits, and then only in continuouscurrent mode.

As mentioned earlier, by exchangingVout with ground, it is possible to invert the polarity and produce a negativeoutput voltage. Since the circuit topologyis now that of a buck/boost circuit, itmight in theory seem attractive to use thepart in both boost and buck mode. Inpractice, however, the efficiency of thebuck/boost topology when in boostmode barely exceeds 60 %. In buckmode, efficiency is far higher (see Figure 2).

Careful specification of the invertingbuck regulator pays dividends in light-loadapplications in particular. As Figure 2shows, high efficiency is maintained allthe way down to a 1 mA load current,and this is a consequence of theAS7620’s low internal quiescent current(37 µA).

Operation of the invertingbuck/boost regulator During the first stage of the switchingperiod, when the switch is on, theinductor is linearly ramped up to storeenergy (see Figure 1 again). No currentpasses to the output. In the second stage,

Figure 1: AS7620 connected as a negative buck/boost regulator

Austria_Feature_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:50

32 POWER CONVERTERS www.austriamicrosystems.com


when the internal switch in the IC turnsoff, the inductor will reverse polarity,inducing the freewheeling diode D3 toforward-bias and transfer energy to theload and the output capacitor C6. Theonly energy to reach the output via thediode is the energy stored in the inductor- none comes directly from the input DCsource. The output voltage is negativebecause the switch node is negative inreference to ground. This circuit gives rise to a number of

characteristics that are not obvious at firstglance, and that must be taken intoaccount if the design is to operateeffectively.

1) The voltage across the AS7620 ismade up not only of Vin, but is equal to the input voltage plus themagnitude of the negative outputvoltage (Vin + |Vout|). Therefore careshould be taken to specify anappropriate voltage rating for the input caps (C7 and C1 in Figure 1). In addition, (Vin + |Vout|) must notexceed the maximum voltage rating ofthe regulator. The AS7620, forinstance, has a maximum voltagerating of 40 V. It is feasible to use thispart to generate a -12 V output from a+12 V rail, or a -5 V output from a+24 V rail.

2) The switch currents in the buck/boostconfiguration are necessarily higher thanin the buck topology, thus lowering theavailable output current. The start-upinput current of the buck/boostconverter is also higher than in thestandard buck-mode regulator, and thismight overload an input power sourcethat has a current limit set too low. Forthis reason, the buck/boost circuitemploying the AS7620 has an efficiencysweet spot of 1-250 mA at inputvoltages of 12 V and higher. At voltagesbelow 12 V, the negative output currentcapability of the part will need to bedecreased to 170 mA at most.

3) The circuit’s Shutdown pin is leftfloating. The AS7620 provides aninternally regulated pull-up circuit, sothe device can be shut down if theSHDN pin is pulled to the GND pin(which is the negative output voltage).Since the GND pin of the AS7620 isthe negative output voltage in aninverting application, it will benecessary to use a level-shifting circuit,connected to an open drain, to shutthe part down. If Shutdown is notused, the pin should be left floating,and no trace should be connected to itin order to minimise noise injection.

4) The current coming from the inputcapacitor will be choppy because ofthe switching operation of the internalFET, so care should be taken toprovide enough input capacitance; 4.7-10 µF is sufficient.

The output current will also be choppybecause of the diode current transitions.

Figure 2: Efficiency curves of AS7620 in buck mode supplying a -5V output

Figure 3: Two AS7620 buck regulators configured as a positive 5 V/500 mA regulator and a -5 V/250 mA regulator


www.austriamicrosystems.com POWER CONVERTERS 33


So for noise-sensitive applications,additional filtering with a negative lowdrop-out regulator might be necessary.

Example of a working circuitFigure 3 shows an example of a testedcircuit for providing positive and negative5 V output rails from a 12-24V supply.The positive 5 V output could generateup to 500 mA, while the -5 V outputcould safely provide a 250 mA outputcurrent while maintaining high efficiency. When voltage is first applied to this

circuit, the negative Vout rail willmomentarily start to rise by a fewhundred mV in the first 10 µs or so, dueto the action of the input capacitor. Themagnitude of the positive rise on thenegative rail will be a function of the sizeof the input capacitor; an optionalSchottky diode across the output (D5 inFigure 3) can be added to clamp thisvoltage to below 300 mV. The output ofthis circuit is shown in Figures 4 and 5.Design resources for implementing an

inverting buck regulator circuit using theAS7620, including a datasheet withguidance on best layout practice, andinformation about a useful evaluationboard, can be found ataustriamicrosystem’s website.

Figure 4: Steady stateoutput voltage with80 mVpp ripple

Figure 5: Start-upwaveform for the +5V and -5 V rails

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Unique Probe MeasuresCurrent in PCB TracksObservation and measurement of current in printed circuit board (PCB) tracks has always presented majordifficulties. The only practicable way of doing it has been to cut the track and insert either a current shunt,or a loop of wire large enough to attach a conventional closed-loop current probe. In modern high densitycircuit designs this is normally impracticable. A new type of probe measures the current by placing theinsulated tip of the probe directly onto the PCB track without any need to cut it or to surround it by amagnetic loop. Mark Edwards, Aim-TTi, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK

Measuring current in a PCB trackpresents particular difficulties because it isnormally not possible either to break thetrack or to enclose it within a magneticcircuit. Typically engineers have to guessat the current flowing in a track fromvoltage measurements made in other partsof the circuit. As electronic design movestowards ever higher densities,development omits the “bread board”stage and goes straight to PCB design. Theinability to observe and measure currentsin a circuit under development can pose aserious problem for engineers.

Conventional current measurementtechniquesTrue measurement of current requires thecircuit to be broken and a currentmeasurement device inserted (e.g. a shuntthat converts current to voltage).Conventional DC capable current probesdo not measure current, they measurefield density. Current flowing through aconductor creates a magnetic (H) fieldwhich is directly proportional to thecurrent. If a conductor is surrounded by aclosed magnetic circuit the whole of thefield is ‘captured’ by the magnetic circuitand the field density can be scaled torepresent current.Conventional current probes achieve

this by concentrating the field into a gapwithin a loop of high magneticpermeability (Mu) material. The field isthen measured by a field sensor insertedinto the gap, often a Hall effect device.Alternatively AC current can be measuredby transformer action whereby the loop ofmagnetic material creates a one turnprimary from the conductor that isenclosed. Hybrid devices use a fieldsensor for DC and low frequencies plus a

transformer for higher frequencies.Normally the probe provides a method

of mechanically splitting the magneticcircuit to enable the conductor to beinserted. The position of the conductorwithin the loop has relatively little effectupon the measurement, and a highrejection of external fields can be achieved.

Principle of a positional current probeTo make a quantitative measurement ofcurrent from the field that it generatesrequires that a known proportion of thatfield is measured. As explained earlier,conventional current probes achieve thisby concentrating the whole of the fieldwithin a loop of high Mu material, and

measuring using transformer action or afield sensor within a gap. By contrast, the positional current probe,

measures a known proportion of the fieldby positioning the sensor at a knowndistance from the conductor. This providesthe potential to provide a calibratedmeasurement of current (see Figure 1).However, to be useable with a PCB track,the size of the sensor must be very smallas must its distance from the conductor.Previous positional current probes have

been physically large, capable only ofmeasuring high currents at low bandwidth,and totally unsuited to use in the highdensities of modern electronic circuits.The I-prober 520 uses the long

Figure 1: New current probes allow for directcurrent measurement up to 20 A in PCB tracks

of power supplies

TTI_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:44

www.tti-test.com POWER MEASUREMENT 35


established principle of a fluxgatemagnetometer to measure field. This typeof magnetometer uses a magneticallysusceptible core surrounded by a coilcarrying an AC excitation current whichmagnetises the core alternately in oppositedirections. If there is no external magneticfield, this magnetisation is symmetrical.When an external field is applied, theresulting asymmetry is detected by afeedback loop which applies an opposingcurrent through the coil to restore the netfield to zero. The output voltage isproportional to this opposing current, andtherefore to the magnitude of the field.Conventional fluxgate magnetometers

are relatively large with bandwidths of a

few kHz. They are typically used forprecision measurement of fields withingeophysics and bio-electromagnetics. Bycontrast, the sensor within the I-prober520 uses a patented miniature fluxgatemagnetometer of sub-millimetre sizeincorporating a highly advanced corematerial (see Figure 2). This enables it touse an excitation frequency of several tensof MHz resulting in a sensor with abandwidth of DC to 5 MHz combined withlow noise and wide dynamic range.This miniature sensor is fitted within a

double insulated probe tip (see Figure 3)which is just 1.8 mm wide with the sensorspaced 0.7 mm from the surface of thetip. Because the field reduces with thesquare of the distance (to a first orderapproximation), this spacing is critical tothe operation of the probe giving it bothhigh sensitivity and reduced susceptibilityto fields from adjacent conductors. Inconsequence, the Aim I-prober 520 is thefirst and only probe that can be used tomeasure currents from amps (20 A) downto milliamps (20 mA) at frequencies fromDC up to 5 MHz, making practicalmeasurement of PCB track currents areality.

The I-prober 520 in useThe magnitude of the signal from apositional current probe (see Figure 4) iscritically related to its position relative tothe conductor. The size of the conductor(e.g. the width of a PCB track) also has asignificant effect.This means that the sensitivity of the I-

prober has to be adjusted to match thetrack width when quantitativemeasurements are required. A calibratorwithin the control box enables sensitivityadjustment in conjunction with a

calibration graph. The output from thecontrol box is scaled to 1 V per A and isintended for connection to a conventionaloscilloscope.The measurement result will also

include other field effects present at the tipof the probe and not just that coming fromthe current through the conductor. Thismay include DC effects from adjacentmagnetised components and from theearths magnetic field, plus AC effects fromtransformers and other field radiatingsources. Current in adjacent tracks, ortracks on the opposite side of the PCB willalso affect the measurement.There are potential solutions to these

problems. The unwanted DC can benulled out by observing the measurementwithout power to the circuit, whilst ACinterference can be attenuated usingbandwidth filters. The I-prober control boxincludes a wide range DC offset controland switchable filters.Nevertheless, the use of the I-prober

520 requires interpretation based upon aproper understanding of circuits andsystems, and is a tool for the professionalengineer.A useful analogy might be with an

ultrasound probe. Whereas the laymanwill just see a blur of indeterminateimages, the skilled professional can use itto make valuable qualitative andquantitative measurements. Similarly theexperienced user can learn the techniquesneeded to distinguish the wanted from theunwanted and make observations andmeasurements that were previouslyimpossible.The probe bandwidth of DC to 5 MHz

encompasses a wide range of applicationsincluding most power switching circuits.The maximum current that can bemeasured is 20 Apk-pk in a track of up to3.5 mm, or 40 Apk-pk in a wider track.The minimum visible current is limited bythe noise figure which, for a 0.5 mm track,is equivalent to around 6 mArms at fullbandwidth reducing to 1.5 mA at lowerbandwidths. In practise this enables ACsignals as low as 10 mApk-pk to beusefully observed.It should be understood, however, that

accurate measurement of very small DCcurrents is likely to be impracticable inmost situations. The effect of the earthsmagnetic field is equivalent to up to 180mA flowing through a 0.5 mm track.Whereas this can be nulled out within thecontrol box, the effects of small changes inorientation can cause variations that wouldinvalidate mA level measurements.Similarly the effect of magnetisedcomponents and high Mu materials closeto the probe can cause significant offsets. One of the most interesting applications

Figure 2: Miniature fluxgate magnetometer forthe I-prober 520

Figure 3: Probe tip which is just 1.8 mm wide in use

TTI_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:44

36 POWER MEASUREMENT www.tti-test.com


of the I-prober is the observation ofcurrents flowing within ground planes.Whereas quantitative measurements arenot possible (because the current densitycan not be inferred) it is easy to seewhether and where circulating currentsare flowing and to find their injectionpoints. Many circuit designs areadversely affected by power and groundconnecti on schemes which fail to providea true zero impedance connectionallowing unexpected interfering signals toappear.

Further measurement modesWhereas the primary purpose of the I-

prober 520 is as a positional currentprobe, there are many circumstanceswhere current measurements can bemade in the conventional way byenclosing the conductor. To increase itsoverall usefulness, the I-prober 520 issupplied with a clip-on toroid assembly(Figure 4) which converts it into a closedmagnetic circuit probe for measuringcurrent in a wire (Figure 5). The widebandwidth, dynamic range and low noiseof the probe are retained but higheraccuracy; repeatability and unwanted fieldrejection are achieved.

The very small size of the field sensorwithin the I-prober 520 gives it some

unique capabilities when used to measuremagnetic fields. The variation of field withposition can be accurately determinedenabling the precise source of fields to belocated and their variation in spacemeasured A switch on the control box re-scales the output voltage to measure inTeslas or in amps per metre.

Figure 4: Clip-on toroid assembly for measuring current in a wire

Figure 5: Measuring wire current

iPower will bring together leading experts in the field of power engineering from Science, Academia, Supply and Industry who will provide a unique insight into the latest technology & developments:

Updates on the latest Power Electronic developments, devices & technologies

Tours of the SiC design, development & fabrication laboratories & VEF facility at University of Warwick

Networking between end-users, researchers, supply chains and technology providers

Business development opportunities for your Company & its products

WMG – University of Warwick

Technical Conference & Exhibition

Ribbon Bonded MOSFET Power Chip, Courtesy of Orthodyne & TT-Semelab

iPower – Showcasing UK Power Electronics:

Applications, Trends & Emerging Markets Packaging, Test and Reliability

Assembly Materials & Technologies Devices & Integrated Processes

Thermal Management & Efficiency Product Design Development & Modelling

Interconnection, Integration & Systems Solutions for Harsh Environments

High Reliability & Temperature Novel Designs & Future Concepts

www.imaps.org.uk / [email protected] Tel: 44 (0)131 202 9004

TTI_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:44

PRODUCT UPDATE 37


Three-Phase Bridge Driver ICBased on Intersil’s HIP4086 N-channel MOSFET driver IC, the new HIP4086Aintegrates three half-bridge gate drivers in one package that can replace largerdiscrete circuits. It drives 1000 pF loads, and rise time is only 50 ns(maximum over temperature). The six N-channel MOSFET drivers can bedriven independently so users can configure any switch combination and usethe HIP4086A either in brushless DC (BLDC) or switched reluctance motors.The HIP4086A requires no gate drive charge pump, improving EMIperformance. Programmable dead time of 0.25 to 4.5 µs avoids cross-conduction or ‘shoot-through’ current, also helping reduce EMI. Otherconfigurable features include programmable UVLO, bootstrap refresh, anoptional charge pump (available in the HIP4086ABZ and HIP4086APZversions) and a disable input override feature - all programmable using smallexternal components. The HIP4086A is built using a TS16949 automotivequality level process in a TS16949-qualified fabrication facility. It is suited forbattery-powered tools, light electric vehicles and consumer products.

www.intersil.com

Microsemi introduced the industry’s smallest hermetic surfacemount package for power transistors and diodes. The newindustry-standard U4 package has achieved Defense LogisticsAgency (DLA) qualification for a range of products. The devicesassembled as vehicles for this package qualification includedmedium power NPN and PNP bipolar transistors. Microsemi willalso pursue qualifications for additional device types to supportcustomer-specific requirements. The compact U4 is 70 % smallerthan its U3 predecessor and is constructed with aluminum nitrideceramic, which provides excellent heat dissipation. This isparticularly important for small products such as power supplies,converters and regulators which operate at high current rates thatcan cause overheating issues. The U4 has a typical power ratingof 5 to 15 W (case temperature 25°C). Packaged parts arecompatible with current pick-and-place assembly processes andare offered in tape-and-reel format.

www.microsemi.com

Small HermeticSurface MountPackage forTransistors and Diodes

Carrier Lifetime Control Services

www.synergyhealthplc.com/specialist-applications

For more information on our services and technologies, please contact us:

Electron Beam irradiation and Ion beam implantation are recognised and well established processes for optimising switching characteristics in a range of power semiconductors.

Isotron (part of Synergy Health) is the only fast-turnaround provider of both electron and ion beam treatments for semiconductors.

Tel: +44(0) 8456 88 99 70Email: [email protected]

Product Pages_Layout 1 26/10/2011 09:44

38_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:34 Page 1

PRODUCT UPDATE 39


Vishay released a new series of 600 V and 650 V N-channel powerMOSFETs with maximum on-resistance from 64 m� to 190 m� at10 V and with a wide range of current ratings from 22 A to 47 A.Based on Vishay’s next generation of Super Junction Technology,the E Series MOSFETs offer ultra-low gate charge and low gatecharge times on-resistance, a key figure of merit (FOM) forMOSFETs used in power conversion applications. With the new ESeries technology, on-resistance is reduced by 30 % comparedwith previous-generation S Series devices. Depending on theapplication, these products can deliver higher power density andachieve new levels of efficiency. Gate drive losses are alsoreduced due to the lower input capacitance. The twelve new ESeries devices include four 22 A MOSFETs and four 30 A MOSFETswith on-resistance of 190 m� and 125 m�, respectively, at 10 V.The 22 A and 30 A MOSFETs are available in the TO-220, TO-220FullPAK, TO-247, and TO-263 (D2PAK) packages. In addition, one47 A device with on-resistance of 64 m� at 10 V is offered in theTO-247, and a 24 A, 650 V MOSFET with an on-resistance of 150m� is offered in the TO-220, TO-263 (D2PAK), and TO-247packages. The MOSFETs are compliant to RoHS Directive2002/95/EC.

www.vishay.com

SJ HV MOSFETs

CTSR LEM commits to renewable energy sources of the future by enabling control and ensuring safety of today’s solar power solutions. CTSR transdu cers combine safety and per formance, accurately measuring small AC and DC leakage currents. Easy installation for single or three phase residual current measurement: CTSR is today’s choice for the energy of tomorrow.

Two nominal current ranges: 0.3 and 0.6 A RMS

Printed circuit mounting Large 20.1 mm diameter aperture Available with primary inserted conductor +5 V single supply Up to 11 mm creepage and clearance distances

+ CTI 600 for high insulation Low offset drift –40 to +105° C operation Reference Voltage access and control Self-test and degauss High overload capability: 3300 A

www.lem.com

At the heart of power electronics.

Solar energy committed to a lifetime of safety and performance

SPS/IPC/

Drives

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KEMET has introduced new Tantalum Stack Polymer (TSP) Series capacitors.The TSP Series is the first stack solution that utilises organic conductivepolymer as the cathode plate of the capacitor. The TSP Series is targeted atapplications requiring high capacitance and very low ESR, but with limitedboard space. The new TSP Series surface mountable devices can be specifiedwith a variety of capacitance and performance characteristics by stacking two,three, four, or six standard EIA case size discrete components into just onedevice, resulting in high capacitance, very low ESR and high ripple currentcapability in a single footprint, which makes them an ideal solution for powersupplies. Capacitance values range from 66 to 4080 µF, voltage from 3 to 35VDC with operating temperature range of -55 to +125ºC.

www.kemet.com

Tantalum Stack Polymer Capacitors

Product Pages_Layout 1 26/10/2011 09:44

The UK’s leading exhibition for Drives, Automation, Power Transmission and Motion Control Equipment.

17 – 19 APRIL 2012 NEC BIRMINGHAM

ContactDoug Devlin on t: 01922 644766

m: 07803 624471 e: [email protected]

Simon Langston on: t: 01353 863383 m: 079000 95826 e: [email protected]

visit www.drives-expo.com

DFA Media Ltd . Cape House . 60a Priory Road . Tonbridge TN9 2BL

tel: 01732 370340 . [email protected]

Drives & ControlsExhibition and Conference 2012

...The Perfect Fit

EXTENSIVESEMINAR PROGRAMME

D&C 2012 Brochure - Show Jigsaw_Layout 1 28/07/2011 13:25 Page 1

WEBSITE LOCATOR 41


AC/DC Connverters

www.irf.comInternational Rectifier Co. (GB) LtdTel: +44 (0)1737 227200

Diodes

Discrete Semiconductors

Drivers ICS

www.microsemi.comMicrosemiTel: 001 541 382 8028

Fuses

GTO/Triacs

Hall Current Sensors

IGBTs

DC/DC Connverters

DC/DC Connverters


www.power.ti.comTexas InstrumentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.neutronltd.co.ukNeutron LtdTel: +44 (0)1460 242200

Harmonic Filters

www.murata-europe.comMurata Electronics (UK) LtdTel: +44 (0)1252 811666

Direct Bonded Copper (DPC Substrates)

www.curamik.co.ukcuramik� electronics GmbHTel: +49 9645 9222 0


www.mark5.comMark 5 LtdTel: +44 (0)2392 618616


www.dgseals.comdgseals.comTel: 001 972 931 8463



www.digikey.com/europeDigi-KeyTel: +31 (0)53 484 9584




www.protocol-power.comProtocol Power ProductsTel: +44 (0)1582 477737

Busbars

www.auxel.comAuxel FTGTel: +44 (0)7714 699967

Capacitors

Certification

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

www.powersemiconductors.co.ukPower Semiconductors LtdTel: +44 (0)1727 811110

Connectors & Terminal Blocks


www.productapprovals.co.ukProduct Approvals LtdTel: +44 (0)1588 620192

www.proton-electrotex.com/ Proton-Electrotex JSC/Tel: +7 4862 440642;




Website Locator_p41-42 Website Locator 26/10/2011 08:57

42 WEBSITE LOCATOR


Power Modules

Power Protection Products

Power Semiconductors

Power Substrates

Resistors & Potentiometers

RF & Microwave TestEquipment.

Simulation Software

Thyristors

Smartpower Devices

Voltage References

Power ICs

Switches & Relays

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Thermal Management &Heatsinks


www.rubadue.comRubadue Wire Co., Inc.Tel. 001 970-351-6100











www.ar-europe.ieAR EuropeTel: 353-61-504300



www.universal-science.comUniversal Science LtdTel: +44 (0)1908 222211

www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399


www.dau-at.comDau GmbH & Co KGTel: +43 3143 23510

www.lairdtech.comLaird Technologies LtdTel: 00 44 1342 315044

www.power.ti.comTexas InstrummentsTel: +44 (0)1604 663399



www.isabellenhuette.deIsabellenhütte Heusler GmbH KGTel: +49/(27 71) 9 34 2 82

ADVERTISERS INDEXABB 4

Advanced Power Electronics 37

CT Concepts 30

Curamik 16

Danfoss 10

DAU 5

Drives and Controls 2012 40

Electronicon 33

Fuji 25

HKR 17

i-Power conference 36

Indium 13

Infineon IFC

International Rectifier OBC

Isabellenhutte 6

Isotron 37

Ixys 26

LEM 39

MCI awards 2012 38

PCIM 2012 IBC

Powerex 18

Proton-Electrolux 9

Richardson Electronics 7

Texas Instruments 11

Mosfets

Magnetic Materials/Products

Optoelectronic Devices


Packaging & Packaging Materials






www.biaspower.comBias Power, LLCTel: 001 847 215 2427

www.digikey.com/europeDigi-Key Tel: +31 (0)53 484 9584


www.digikey.com/europeDigi-Key Tel: +31 (0)53 484 9584






www.abl-heatsinks.co.ukABL Components LtdTel: +44 (0) 121 789 8686

Website Locator_p41-42 Website Locator 26/10/2011 08:57

Powerful?…then you are right here!

The marketplace for developers and innovators.Future starts here!

International Exhibition and Conferencefor Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Power QualityNuremberg, 8 – 10 May 2012

pcim-europe.com

43_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:15 Page 1

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44_PEE_0711_Layout 1 26/10/2011 08:16 Page 1

power semiconductors high voltage thyristors for soft starters

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