PowerGuru - Power Electronics Information Portal

      The quest for increased power efficiency permeates every level in the electronics industry, from individual semiconductor components over circuits and modules to entire devices and even complex systems. From a power analysis point of view, every part of this spectrum has different requirements and poses different challenges. To keep up with those [...]

      Though one of the oldest semiconductor devices ever, the thyristor maintains a significant market share. This is because of its attractive price-performance ratio mainly due to the lowest ON-state losses and the easiest processing from existing gated switches. ABB has developed a new range of thyristors offering very low ON-state voltage drop, [...]

      Motor designers have battled heat in motor designs for years. Thermal losses in electric machines rob motion systems of power and degrade efficiency. Excess heat can reduce reliability of motors and shorten their lifetimes. Meanwhile, electrification in all transportation sectors is driving requirements for motors with ever-higher power densities. By Anita LaFond, [...]

      As one of the leading electronics companies Texas Instruments fuels power designs with an innovative portfolio and speeds time to market with powerful, easy-to-use design tools. Now the company extends its power product range with some industry firsts. By Wolfgang Patelay, Freelance Journalist, Bodo´s Power Systems According to Dave Priscak, Director, Power [...]

      Enhanced power module performance with respect to the overall losses is an essential requirement to fulfill the continuous demand for inverters with higher power densities. The superior performance of the PrimePACK™ power module with the new generation 1700V IGBT5 and associated emitter controlled diode developed by Infineon Technologies AG addresses these application [...]

      The requirement for ever increasing density and power efficiency is leading the DC to DC product application to new grounds. Infineon Technologies together with International Rectifier has focused on increasing density and efficiency in this regard with its latest Multiphase Digital Controller products the PXP1000 series for Point of Load (PoL) applications, [...]

      The co-packaged cascode device, combining a Silicon low voltage FET with a trench vertical SiC normally-on JFET, was recently introduced by United Silicon Carbide. This device has several benefits, including the ability to use standard 10V or 12V gate drive, high Vth (4.5V), fast temperature independent switching, avalanche and short circuit-ratings and [...]

      Wireless power transmission has been known for many years, with inductive near field proximity coupling being the most commonly used technology. By Markus Rehm, Ingenieurbuero Rehm, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany The demand for wireless power supplies is huge: Mobile devices, charged without wire or contact, are robust, splash proof, reliable, simple to protect against [...]

      High precision transducers are becoming more in demand in high-performance industrial applications, specifically for medical equipment such as scanners and MRI machines, precision motor controllers, metering, measurement accessories and test equipment. By Michel Ghilardi, R&D Programme Manager, LEM, and Horst Bezold, Signaltec Most of these applications are using high precision transducers but [...]

      Aluminum Electrolytic vs. Film Capacitors By Dr. Arne Albertsen, Jianghai Europe Electronic Components GmbH Introduction The progress in semiconductor design sets the trend in current and future devices of power electronics: it manifests itself particularly in smaller dimensions, as well as in higher voltages and switching frequencies. Referring to intermediate circuit capacitors, [...]