Archive : 17 March 2015 год

Infineon says its gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon technology and product portfolio now features enhancement mode and cascode configuration platforms optimised for high performance applications.

"Infineon's GaN on silicon portfolio, combined with the acquisition of International Rectifier's GaN platform [and] our partnership with Panasonic clearly positions Infineon as the technology leader in this promising GaN market," said Andreas Urschitz, pictured, president of the company's Power Management and Multimarket Division.

According to IHS, demand for GaN on silicon power semiconductors is expected to grow at more than 50% per annum, with the market expected to be worth $800million by 2023.

Infineon's expanded portfolio will include dedicated driver and controller ICs that take advantage of the topology and higher frequency benefits of GaN, as well as 100V to 600V technologies from the acquisition of International Rectifier and enhancement mode products from the recently announced partnership with Panasonic.

"Customers can now choose enhancement mode or cascode configuration technologies," Urschitz continued. "Infineon is committed to developing SMD packages and ICs that will further leverage the performance of GaN in a compact footprint."

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Current lithium ion battery technology is based on intercalation – the storage of lithium in small cavities in a host structure that usually consists of metal oxides. This method is said to work well, but storage densities are limited as lithium cannot be packed very densely in the structure. In addition, intercalation storage of more than one lithium ion per formula unit is generally not possible.

Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a new approach in which it is said to be possible to store 1.8 Li ions per formula unit. Using Li2VO2F, the team says it has stored 420mAhr/g, with a mean voltage of 2.5V. This is said to translate to a storage capacity of 4600Whr/litre.

Instead of intercalated storage of lithium ions, the new system stores the ions at the lattice sites of a cubic close packed structure. As a result, says the team, packing densities are increased significantly.

The lithium ions are said to be highly mobile and can be incorporated into the lattice and removed again easily. Vanadium takes up two charges or releases them again, while the lattice as a whole remains stable. The structure has a high defect mobility, such that the lattice can stabilise itself.

"The high stability of the structure at a high defect mobility, associated with a volume change of only 3%, is what makes the new system unusual," said team leader Professor Maximilian Fichtner. "The storage principle appears to be transferable to other compositions. Using compounds of a similar structure, we have measured even higher energy densities than for the vanadium based system."

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Dyson puts $15m into solid state batteThe System Management Interface Forum (SMIF) has made what it calls an 'important new revision' to the PMBus standard. Revision 1.3.1 includes clarifications designed to streamline and speed implementation. According to SMIF, the clarifications relate primarily to the ZONE and the Manufacturer Specific commands.

The System Management Interface Forum (SMIF) has made what it calls an 'important new revision' to the PMBus standard. Revision 1.3.1 includes clarifications designed to to streamline and speed implementation. According to SMIF, the clarifications relate primarily to the ZONE and the Manufacturer Specific commands.

The ZONE command structure has been updated to allow definition of an 'ALL ZONE' and a 'NO ZONE' for greater partitioning flexibility. Meanwhile, recognising the need to address greater functionality, more Manufacturer Specific selections have been added in the command space and to the WRITE_PROTECT command.

PMBus, an open standard launched in 2005, enables communication between the various components of a power system. It has been adopted by more than 30 companies.

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk