p03 Contents.qxd:p03 Contents 17/10/08 15:45 Page 3 CONTENTS 3 PAGE 6 PAGE 24 Editor Achim Scharf Tel: +49 (0)892865 9794 Market News Synchronous Buck Controllers Fax: +49 (0)892800 132 Email: [email protected] PEE looks at the latest Market News and company developments Increase Output Power Production Editor Elaine Gladwell National Semiconductor introduces a new family of Simple Switcher synchronous Tel: +44 (0)1322 380057 PAGE 11 buck controllers and an end-to-end MOSFET selection tool to simplify switching Editorial/Advertisement Administration controller designs as well as switching regulators. Clare Jackson Gearing Towards Energy Tel: +44 (0)1732 886495 PAGE 26 Fax: +44 (0)1732 886149 Efficiency Circulation Manager Anne Backers Worldwide trends and innovations in the electronics Towards New Power Semiconductor Tel: +44 (0)208 647 3133 industry will be presented during electronica 2008 at Fax: +44 (0)208 669 8013 the New Munich Trade Fair Center from November Materials INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICES 11 to 14, 2008. Around 3,000 exhibitors and Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a wide bandgap semiconductor material, currently used Mainland Europe: 78,000 visitors are expected to attend electronica typically in optoelectronic applications, and in high-power and high-frequency Victoria Hufmann, Norbert Hufmann 2008; in 2006 approximately 2961 and 77,800 devices. In SMPS applications it enables the implementation of higher frequency Tel: +49 911 9397 643 Fax: +49 911 9397 6459 respectively attended this event. power-factor correction circuits which offer benefits in efficiency, product size, low Email: [email protected] noise, smaller heatsink requirements, and higher yield. Armin Wezel PAGE 22 Tel: +49 9568 897 097 Fax: +49 9568 897 096 PAGE 29 Email: [email protected] Power Management and UK GaN Based Power Devices: Steve Regnier, Tim Anstee Energy Harvesting Tel: +44 (0)1732 366555 Besides DSPs, Power Management and Energy Cost-Effective Revolutionary email: [email protected] Harvesting is one of the focal points of Texas Performance USA West Coast Sales Instruments (TI) at electronica 2008. Shelley Kelly A novel gallium nitride (GaN) based power device platform promises to deliver Tel: (310) 547 1777 Fax: (310) 519 0809 figure-of-merit (FOM) performance that is at least an order of magnitude better Email: [email protected] than existing silicon MOSFETs. Michael A. Briere, Executive Scientific USA East Coast Sales COVER STORY Consultant, ACOO Enterprises LLC, under exclusive contract to Karen C Smith-Kernc International Rectifier Corp.. USA email: [email protected] Alan A Kernc PAGE 32 Tel: +1 717 397 7100 Fax: +1 717 397 7800 email: [email protected] Powering Microcontrollers from Italy Ambient Energy Sources Ferruccio Silvera Tel: +39 022 846 716 Email: [email protected] The green power movement has spawned intense interest in the need for clean Taiwan and renewable energy sources. Ambient light, heat and vibration sources can Prisco Ind. Service Corp. generate power for microcontroller or microprocessor circuits as described in the Tel: 886 2 2322 5266 Fax: 886 2 2322 2205 following. Scot Lester, Applications Engineer, Texas Instruments, USA Publisher Ian Atkinson Tel: +44 (0)1732 886495 PAGE 39 Fax: +44 (0)1732 886149 Email: [email protected] Active ORing Solutions in Redundant www.power-mag.com Circulation and subscription: Power Electronics Power System Architectures Europe is available for the following subscription Power Solutions for Mobile In its simplest form, an ORing device is a diode that protects the system against charges. Power Electronics Europe: annual charge TV Applications in Cellular an input power source fault condition. New active ORing solutions feature very UK/NI £60, overseas $130, EUR 120; single copies low on-resistance and fast dynamic response, eliminating the drawbacks of UK/NI £10, overseas US$32, EUR 25. Contact: Handsets previous diode and MOSFET Oring solutions. Carl Smith, Director Strategic Techmedia International Ltd, Kildonan, St Mary’s Marketing & Business Development, Vicor/Picor, Andover, USA Road, Wrotham, Kent TN15 7AP, Great Britain. Mobile phones have evolved from simplistic devices of Tel: +44 (0)1732 886495. Fax: +44 (0)1732 portable communication to dynamic multi-functional 886149. Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will pieces of technology. Today, despite drastic reductions PAGE 43 only be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unless in size, users demand more and more features, specifically guaranteed within the terms of ranging from internet connectivity to video highlights. Increased Development Efficiency subscription offer. These features necessitate modifications to the power Editorial information should be sent to The Editor, solutions deployed in the handset; very efficient power through ECAD-MCAD Collaboration Power Electronics Europe, PO Box 340131, 80098 management solutions that are small in real estate are Munich, Germany. required in order to maintain battery life. This article Collaboration between mechanical designers (using MCAD tools) and PCB The contents of Power Electronics Europe are looks at delivering the miniature high-efficiency power designers (using ECAD tools) is becoming a priority for many product subject to reproduction in information storage and management solutions needed to power up processor development teams. Allowing the PCB designer and mechanical designers to retrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of this applications such as DVB-H modules. Full story on view layouts including thermal analysis, suggest and approve/reject changes, and page 36. publication may be reproduced in any form or by any view this information on their own tool is a large step forward in advancing this means, electronic or mechanical including collaboration. Larry Kenyon, Mentor Graphics Corporation, Systems Design Cover supplied by National Semiconductor photocopying, recording or any information storage Division, Longmont, USA or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. Origination: Elaine Gladwell PAGE 48 Printed by: Wyndeham Heron Limited. ISSN 1748-3530 Product Update A digest of the latest innovations and new product launches PAGE 49 Website Product Locator Power Electronics Europe Issue 7 2008 04_PEE_Issue 7 08:04_PEE_Issue 7 08 17/10/08 16:15 Page 1 p05 Opinion.qxd:p05 Opinion 17/10/08 16:50 Page 5 OPINION 5 Hot Spot for Thin Film Chip (Power) Electronics Resistors with high Temperature Meet, greet and lead. This is just as true for each of the circa Stability 2,961 exhibitors in 14 halls as it is for the numerous forums and RN73H conferences at Electronica 2008 from November 10-14 in Munich. All this makes the fair the crucial international platform for making decisive contacts and holding meetings with customers at upper management levels. Market researchers are forecasting a growth rate of between 5 and 8% for the worldwide semiconductor market in 2008. The German Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) is anticipating a growth rate of 5.1%. The corresponding figure for the worldwide market for electronic components is 5.5%. But market researcher iSuppli is warning of significant potential downside if economic conditions continue to worsen, because the credit crisis is impacting the RoHS-compliant semiconductor market on several levels. • high temperature perfor- Greater comfort, increased safety, reduced CO2 emissions – all made possible by the advent of Achim Scharf mance up to 155°C modern automotive electronics. Strategy Analytics market researchers predict that the global automotive • resistance tolerance down PEE Editor electronics market will generate a market volume of $220 billion by 2014. Automobile electronics will to 0,05% play an important role at Electronica 2008, firstly as a focus area in Hall A6 and secondly in the • temperature coefficient down to 5 ppm/K electronica automotive conference ‘electronics meets automotive’. The objective is to develop a • power rating/sizes: 0,1W platform in which the current challenges in automobile electronics at international level can be (0603),0,125W (0805) and presented and discussed by automobile manufacturers, their component suppliers and electronics 0,25W (1206 and 1210) at 85°C companies. The conference is also unique throughout the world in that it has a very international format • for harsh environment, e.g. in the engine compartment and is closely linked to the fair. A total of around 1,200 companies will present products and applications relating to automobile electronics. OEM users looking for power supplies for the next system generation will also find their solution at Low Ohm Shunts electronica 2008 such as power supply units, AC/DC and DC/DC converters, batteries, storage batteries TLR and closed or open frame uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The approximately 250 exhibitors will present simply everything which can be assigned to the ‘power supply’ segment. In addition to that many other exhibitors classified in other trade fair segments, for example semiconductor manufacturers, will have important power supply components in their product portfolio. Market researcher IMS anticipates an annual growth rate of 10% alone for ICs used in power supply systems during the next five years. In particular, the rising demand in the area of consumer electronics, the increasingly complex design of power management systems and growing interest in energy-efficient products will catapult the world market