An early mantra of our field was “power electronics inside,” a take on a popular tagline from a major electronics company. Power electronics continues to be an infrastructure and internal technology—throughout the grid, integral to our computers and devices, essential in motor drives, embedded in our cars and appliances, actively managing renewable energy systems, and … [Read more...] about From “Power Electronics Inside” to “Human-Centered Power Electronics”
Power supplies
Optimizing PCB Layout for HV GaN Power Transistors
Printed circuit board (PCB) layout has been an integral aspect of power electronic design since the first switching power supplies appeared more than 40 years ago. Regardless of the transistor technology, the parasitic impedances added to the circuit by the PCB layout must be understood and managed for the circuit to function correctly, reliably, and without causing undue … [Read more...] about Optimizing PCB Layout for HV GaN Power Transistors
Industrial Adoption of Energy Harvesting: Challenges and Opportunities
The Energy Harvesting Committee of the Power Supply Manufacturers Association (PSMA) recently published a white paper on Energy Harvesting (EH) for a green internet of things (IoT). In that paper, the potential for converting ambient energy into electrical energy to enable green power supplies of IoT key components, such as autonomous sensor nodes is evaluated. The white paper … [Read more...] about Industrial Adoption of Energy Harvesting: Challenges and Opportunities
Power Conversion Systems Enabled by SiC BiDFET Device
The BiDirectional Field-Effect Transistor (BiDFET) can enable circuit topologies requiring four-quadrant switches, that were earlier designed using discrete combinations of MOSFETs, IGBTs, GaN HEMTs, and PiN diodes. The monolithic nature of the BiDFET allows lower device count, smaller switch volume, lower inductance, and simpler packaging, and hence more reliable and … [Read more...] about Power Conversion Systems Enabled by SiC BiDFET Device
A Proprietary ZVS-Based Approach Delivers High Efficiencies at Light Load With Half the Components of Conventional Designs
The ac–dc power supply units providing isolated, regulated outputs operating above 100 W typically require some form of input active power factor correction (PFC) [1] . To achieve this, a popular solution is to combine a boost PFC input stage with an “LLC” converter which isolates and controls the dc output voltage. However, a new, innovative single-stage technique for … [Read more...] about A Proprietary ZVS-Based Approach Delivers High Efficiencies at Light Load With Half the Components of Conventional Designs
