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THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER

10073 S i B k PEE 01 i dd 1 21/1/08 09 32 52

02_PEE_0109:02_PEE_0109 20/1/09 10:20 Page 1

CONTENTS

Power Electronics Europe Issue 1 2009

3

Editor Achim ScharfTel: +49 (0)892865 9794

Fax: +49 (0)892800 132

Email: [email protected]

Production Editor Elaine GladwellTel: +44 (0)1322 380057

Editorial/Advertisement AdministrationClare JacksonTel: +44 (0)1732 886495

Fax: +44 (0)1732 886149

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


UKSteve Regnier, Tim AnsteeTel: +44 (0)1732 366555

email: [email protected]

USA West Coast SalesAlan A KerncTel: +1 717 397 7100

Fax: +1 717 397 7800


USA East Coast SalesKaren C Smith-KerncTel: +1 717 397 7100

Fax: +1 717 397 7800


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

TaiwanPrisco Ind. Service Corp.

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

Publisher Ian AtkinsonTel: +44 (0)1732 886495

Fax: +44 (0)1732 886149


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:Techmedia International Ltd, Kildonan, St Mary’sRoad, Wrotham, Kent TN15 7AP, Great Britain.Tel: +44 (0)1732 886495. Fax: +44 (0)1732886149. 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 are

subject 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.Origination: Elaine GladwellPrinted by: Wyndeham Heron Limited.ISSN 1748-3530

PAGE 18

Charging for UltracapacitorsTo meet the needs of a growing number of functions that continue to work during

engine start in automotive start/stop systems, a high-performance energy storage

device to overcome the voltage drop is needed. Ultracapacitors can be used in

combination with batteries to provide the additional power. They require high

constant current during the charging cycle and, for this reason, a DC/DC converter

interface is needed between the ultracapacitor and the battery. The high current

ultracapacitor charger is highly complex. This article describes the design of a DC/DC

converter for ultracapacitors using National Semiconductor’s Synchronous Buck

Controller LM5116.Mariangela de Martino, Product Application Engineer, and

Kamal Najmi, Power Design Engineer, Europe, National Semiconductor

PAGE 26

Silicon for Mini-Ballasts Illuminates theWayManufacturers of energy-saving fluorescent lighting for industrial and commercial

installations are under pressure to deliver advanced capabilities and target

smaller fitment sizes. With smaller form factors, light fixtures are become more

numerous, allowing greater control over ambient light settings while operating at

lower power. Also, by keeping power low – below 26W – they are excluded from

the power factor correction requirements applied to larger installations. This has

further increased the appeal of small fixtures and is promoting developments in

the mini-ballasts used to drive them. And one of those developments, typically

found in fluorescent lighting, is the ability to dim the light output. New ballast

devices well-suited for thin lamps including the increasingly popular T5 lamp

reduce part count and simplify design. Tom Ribarich, Director Lighting

Design Center, International Rectifier, El Segundo, USA

PAGE 29

Digital Power Control BenefitsFluorescent Lighting ApplicationsLighting is responsible for around 20% of the world’s energy consumption

and there are number of initiatives being implemented to reduce this

demand. Around the globe legislation is being enforced to outlaw inefficient

lamp types, whilst the development of norms and standards is helping to

improve the performance of others. Enabling this trend are the introduction of

better lamp technologies and the development of enhanced lamp control

electronics that convert power more efficiently and control it more effectively.

David Compton, Michael Herfurth, Infineon Technologies, Munich/

Neubiberg, Germany

PAGE 31

Enhanced Performance with DigitalDC/DC ConvertersNewly designed DC/DC converters can provide measurable benefits to the user in

terms of the design, manufacturing and utilisation phases of the product lifecycle.

The internal design of these 3E DC/DC converters uses digital power control

techniques, and some of the optional user implementations of these products can

benefit from utilisation of system level digital power and energy management

approaches. The digital power management concept can be a powerful tool. While

saving a few milliwatts in one small subassembly may not seem terribly important,

the cumulative power savings in a system of even moderate size can quickly add up.

Patrick Le Fèvre, Ericsson Power Modules, Stockholm, Sweden

PAGE 35

Product UpdateA digest of the latest innovations and new product launches

PAGE 37

Website Product Locator

New Sensor Technologyfor Total BatteryManagementWhenever a battery is used as a critical source ofenergy such as with uninterruptible power supplies(UPS), electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles(HEV) and mobile life support equipment, it isessential that the user has complete confidence in thebattery’s ability to deliver its expected amount ofenergy. It is also important that the user can have faithin the battery status display. Raztec recognised this gapin current sensing technology some years back andhave recently developed a device specifically tailoredfor measuring battery current for battery managementpurposes. These feature wide dynamic range of currentmeasurement and automated degaussing eliminatinghysteresis issues. Full story on page 23.

Cover supplied by Raztec Sensors

COVER STORY

PAGE 6

Market NewsPEE looks at the latest Market News and company

developments

PAGE 13

Automotive PowerElectronica - Towards(Hybrid) ElectricVehiclesA key factor in the current climate discussion is also

the automobile – along with the technologies which

will help to reduce CO2 emissions. The electronica

automotive conference examined the forward-

looking automobile electronics sector and attracted

250 delegates from 23 countries.

PAGE 16

Apec 2009Focus on Practical and Applied Aspects of Power

Electronics.

p03 Contents.qxd:p03 Contents 20/1/09 12:10

ar europe

National Technology Park, Ashling Building, Limerick, Ireland • 353-61-504300 • www.ar-europe.ie

Copyright © 2008 AR. The orange stripe on AR products is Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM. Off.

We’ve Seen The FutureAnd We’re In It.

Long, strong, and very beneficial for everyone involved. That’s how we see the future of AR Europe. But that’s only thebeginning. AR is the ultimate source for testing & communications solutions in EMC, wireless and beyond, AR is strongly committed to serving the needs of all our present, past and future customers throughout Europe … with the kind of qualityproducts and exceptional service for which AR is famous.

We’ve already made some major moves that will make it easier to access the AR solutions you need, no matter where you’relocated. Our new AR Europe website allows you to directly connect to all AR products, along with an easy-to-use price list, with

all prices in Euros. Amplifier systems, modules, complete test systems, antennas, and all the accessories you need are allright there at www.ar-europe.ie

The global market is growing more and more competitive; but you can rest assured that AR will be there to give you the competitive edge you need to succeed.

04_PEE_0109:04_PEE_0109 20/1/09 10:08 Page 1

OPINION 5


Achim ScharfPEE Editor

A suitablequote as alead in to

the editorsopinion

Achim ScharfPEE Editor

The financial crisis has impactedvarious industries and marketsrelevant to (power)semiconductors.Worldwide semiconductor

industry revenue is set todecrease by 9.4% in 2009 to$241.5 billion, down from $266.6billion in 2008, according toiSuppli. In the fourth quarter of2008, many industries have resettheir inventory target levels inanticipation of a long economicdownturn, expecting that thereduced stockpile goals will helptheir cash balances. These newtargets mean that even ifsemiconductor revenues wereanticipated to remain flat,inventory levels would need todrop in proportion to the newlowered DOI targets (Days-Of-Inventory) in order not to have any ‘excess’ inventory at thatnode of the supply chain.The second factor is that semiconductor demand has fallen

in the fourth quarter, and it declined much faster thanexpected at the end of the third quarter, as shown by a rashof lowered guidance announcements. This means that initialfourth-quarter production schedules were set too high.Production schedules have been ratcheted down during thequarter in what are mainly reactive moves, resulting in excessinventory build-up. Third, OEMs have not been able to cutproduction as fast as they would like to, due to supply chainrigidities, mostly because of workforce rules in some parts ofthe globe and cancellation windows at subcontractors andcomponent suppliers. The near-tripling of excesssemiconductor inventory throughout the electronics supplychain in the fourth quarter will significantly extend the timenecessary for the semiconductor industry and contractmanufacturers to benefit from any recovery in demand. Italso will wipe out several additional percentage points ofgrowth from the semiconductor industry in 2009. While thereis a wide range of predictions, it appears that mosteconomists are projecting the economy will recover in oneyear. Based on this outlook for an improved economy in late2009 or in early 2010, iSuppli is projecting thesemiconductor industry will recover to grow by 6.4% in2010. This will be followed by growth of more than 10% in2011, the first year to show a double-digit gain since 2004.

Market researcher IMS predictsa fall in revenues of around 3% in2009 for the global powermanagement and driver ICmarket, owing mainly to thecurrent slowdown in consumerspending. After a healthy growthyear in 2008 with total revenuesreaching almost $13 billion, themarket for power managementand driver ICs is forecast to fall bynearly $400 million in 2009. It isanticipated that the sectors worsthit will be automotive, portableconsumer and desktop PCs withan average decline of around10%. Power semiconductordiscrete and module revenues areforecast to shrink by over $1billion in 2009, with powerMOSFETs anticipated to take mostof the hit, reported IMS. The

power semiconductor market is estimated to have expandedby 2% in 2008, bolstered by a project 9.5% growth inrevenues from power modules. In the current recession, themarkets in computer and office, consumer and automotiveapplications are envisaged to be worst hit, and will spend$0.9 billion less in 2009 in power discrete componentsalone. But there are also some positive figures: the powermodule market’s renewable energy segment is estimate togrow 51% in 2008 and continue with strong growth for thenext five years. Overall, power module revenues are forecastnot to fall as hard as discretes in 2009, and to recover fasterin 2010.Some companies are more optimistic than pessimistic in

face of these figures and will invest in manufacturingcapacities, such as ABB. The company will expand its high-power semiconductor manufacturing plant in Lenzburg,Switzerland. The 150 million Swiss Francs investment planincludes construction of new buildings and installation ofadditional manufacturing lines at the existing plant. ABB’sLenzburg plant is its leading manufacturing unit for high-power semiconductors found at the heart of many ABBtechnologies such as High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)transmission systems and variable speed drives.So not all is doom and gloom. Have a good year 2009 and

enjoy reading this issue.Achim Scharf

PEE Editor

More than just Doom and Gloom

p05 Opinion.qxd:p05 Opinion 20/1/09 09:19

NewPI Power ICs and PowerSupply Design Software

6 MARKET NEWS

Issue 1 2009 Power Electronics Europe

Power Integrations haslaunched the HiperPLC (HighPower, Power factor corrected,LLC, Controller) power supplycontroller IC, additions to itsLinkSwitch family of AC/DCswitched-mode powerconversion ICs, and a newversion of its power supplydesign software PI Expert. Thesoftware now supports theLinkSwitch-CV and LinkSwitch-IIprimary-side-control switcherICs, and includescomprehensive designfunctionality for offline LEDdrivers.The new LinkSwitch-CV series

includes the LNK626PG, aconstant voltage integratedswitcher IC with primary-sidecontrol targeting applicationsrequiring +/-5% voltageaccuracy, such as AC/DCadapters up to 10W, auxiliarypower supplies for appliancesup to 17W and multiple-outputsupplies for consumerproducts.HiperPLC combines a

continuous conduction modePFC controller, a LLC resonantconverter and high voltage(800V) half-bridge drivers in asingle IC package targetingoffline converters in the powerrange of 200 to 600W such asflat-panel TVs, so-called 80%+efficiency Bronze, 85%+efficiency Silver and 90%+efficiency Gold PC main powerand workstation powersupplies, and the latestgenerations of high-brightnessLED streetlights. “The newdevice saves costs bycombining the Power FactorCorrection control, high voltagedrive functions and asubstantial amount ofsupporting circuitry into asingle IC package. Furthersavings are achieved byleveraging the communicationbetween the PFC and LLCcontrollers, reducing external

component count, the cost ofmagnetic components and thesize of the expensive high-voltage bulk-storage capacitors.The combined PFC and LLCcontrol also ensures a singleswitching frequency for theentire power supply, reducingdifferential mode noise andEMI harmonic spectrumcomponents to reduce inputfilter cost“, explains DougBailey, VP of marketing. “Tosimplify the design process, weare also offering downloadabledesign tools which considerablyreduce LLC transformeriterations and developmenttime, as well as ReferenceDesign Kit for a 300W powersupply”.PI Expert Suite v7.1 consists

of three components. PI Expertis an interactive program thattakes a designer’s powersupply specifications andautomatically generates theelectrical design and selectsthe critical components

required to build a cost-effective switched mode powersupply. The tool also provides adetailed electrical andmechanical transformer designusing PI’s proprietary eShieldEMI reduction techniques.Optimisation choices stressingcost and efficiency are includedto help designers targetspecific needs. The programreduces design time from daysto minutes. PI Xls Designer is ahands-on approach to powersupply design for advancedusers and those who prefer aspreadsheet interface, alongwith support for recentlyintroduced products not yetincluded in PI Expert. The toolgenerates detailed engineeringand mechanical designs toassist users in prototyping thetransformer. PI Viewer finally isa tool for viewing design filescreated with older versions ofPI Expert. “Power Integrationsfocuses on making it easier fordesigners to create highly

efficient power supplies.Typically, system developers gothrough a make/buy decisionfor their power supply needs -trading additional unit costagainst development cost andrisk. PI Expert arms systemdesigners with the tools theyneed to take advantage oflower production costs bydesigning and building acustom power solution. Thenew version 7.1 softwaresimplifies the design process,guiding the designer to apredictable and successfulproject outcome. The design ofLED drivers poses a uniquechallenge, in that LEDs must bedriven with a constant current,rather than a constant voltage.PI Expert Suite v7.1 adds fulldesign support for offline LEDlighting applications”,comments Bailey. PI ExpertSuite v7.1 is available for freedownload.

www.powerint.com/

PI’s Doug Bailey introduces a 280WReference Design and PI Expert Suite v7.1adding design support for offline LEDlightingPhoto: AS

p06-12 Market News.qxd:New Market News Template 20/1/09 09:20

07_PEE_0109:07_PEE_0109 20/1/09 11:25 Page 1

Avnet Memec, the semiconductor distributor of Avnet ElectronicsMarketing EMEA, has announced the extension of its distributionagreement with Coilcraft to Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, the BalticStates, East Europe, Turkey and Greece. Avnet Memec alreadydistributes Coilcraft into Germany, Italy, France and Scandinavia.Coilcraft was founded in 1945 as a custom coil maker for the

television set manufacturers clustered around the Chicago area.Today, inductors for a long list of customers intelecommunications, computers, instrumentation and consumerelectronics are produced. Many are standard, off-the-shelfproducts. Basic product lines include surface mount inductorsand power inductors, xDSL magnetics, tunable and fixed RFinductors, EMI filters and high frequency power magnetics. “Theproducts are optimised for Power and RF applications, and theiron-line design tools enable customers to achieve very tangibletime-to-market and cost reductions. Coilcraft have also workedhard to embed themselves with many of our semiconductorpartners as the coil of choice, and our customers across Europewill appreciate the delivery of proven technical solutions. AvnetMemec is already very well positioned in all of the markets forwhich Coilcraft products have been designed, and thecombination of our forces across Europe and industry segmentswill help both Avnet Memec and Coilcraft to drive theiradvantage”, commented Jon Ellis, Vice President TechnicalMarketing, Avnet Memec.

www.coilcraft.com, www.avnet-memec.eu

ABB will expand its high-powersemiconductor manufacturing plant inLenzburg, Switzerland. The 150 millionSwiss Francs investment plan includesconstruction of new buildings andinstallation of additional manufacturinglines at the existing plant.

The expansion will substantiallyincrease the production capacity tohelp meet market needs, at the sametime maintaining the company’s highstandards of quality and delivery. Theexpansion of the facility at the presentsite will help harness synergies andensure the optimised utilization of thespecific infrastructure required for theproduction of these high technologyproducts, including clean roomtechnology and research and testlaboratories. “This upgrade is part ofour ongoing commitment to technologyand innovation and will enable theintroduction of a new generation ofhigh-power semiconductors withsignificantly better performancecharacteristics”, said Peter Leupp, headof Power Systems, ABB Group. “It willalso widen the scope of application ofhigh-power semiconductors across arange of products, resulting in greater

energy efficiency”. ABB’s Lenzburgplant is its leading manufacturing unitfor high-power semiconductors foundat the heart of many ABB technologiessuch as High Voltage Direct Current(HVDC) transmission systems andvariable speed drives.

www.abb.com/semiconductors

Avnet Memecand COILCRAFTExtendDistribution

NewManaging Director at

ABB Expands PowerSemiconductorManufacturing Capacity

ABB’s Peter Leupp will expand Lenzburg’s powersemiconductor manufacturing capacity

8 MARKET NEWS


Vincotech, a Munich-based providerof power modules and othertechnologies used in industrial, solar,automotive and GPS applications,has named Joachim Fietz asmanaging director. Vincotech isowned by The Gores Group, a LosAngeles-based private equity firm.Fietz replaces Rainer Sendrowski,

who has announced his decision toleave the company. Over the nextfew months, Fietz and Sendrowskiwill work closely together to ensure asmooth transition of responsibilities.Fietz has held various senior-levelleadership positions in engineering,sales and operations. He mostrecently served as chief executive

officer of Innominate SecurityTechnologies AG, a Berlin-basedventure capital funded companywhich develops and sells advancednetwork security products to globalcustomers. He also served asmanaging director for StorageTechnology GmbH. Fietz received amaster’s degree in mechanicalengineering from the University ofHannover, graduating Summa CumLaude. “In spite of the challengingeconomic outlook ahead, I believethe business is well positioned tocapitalize on current marketopportunities“, Fietz stated.In November 2008, the company

celebrated the dedication of their new

offices in Unterhaching near Munichtogether with customers and businesspartners. After the divestiture of theformer Electronics Modules divisionfrom Tyco Electronics to The GoresGroup end of 2007, it was necessaryfor Vincotech to move to a newlocation as well. The new officesinclude a laboratory to design GPSmodules and telematics platforms,adding up to about 2000m², whichoffers plenty of room for 70employees and the possibility offurther expansion. Production sitesare still in Shenzen (China) andBicske (Hungary).

www.vincotech.comJoachim Fietz is new managing directorat Vincotech


national.com/automotive

High Performance. Low Power.Energy-Efficient Automotive Powertrain Solutions National Semiconductor offers a wide portfolio of Power Management and Signal-Path products for wide temperature ranges up to 175°C, in small package sizes with efficient power consumption, for applications including electrical power steering, turbo-charge control or automatic gearboxes.

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Signal PathNational’s precision amplifiers, data converters and thermal management products, designed for Powertrain applicationswith wide temperature ranges,are offered as bare die or insmall packages.

Easy to UseNational’s host of online tools, including parametric selection guides, reference designs, and WEBENCH® online design and simulation software, applicationnotes and online seminars makedesign easy.

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09_PEE_0109:09_PEE_0109 20/1/09 10:15 Page 1

Worldwide semiconductor industryrevenue is set to decrease by 9.4%in 2009 to $241.5 billion, downfrom $266.6 billion in 2008. iSupplipreviously predicted 6.8% growth.“The semiconductor industry’sgrowth cycle is shaped by sixprimary, interrelated forces: globaleconomic health, electronicequipment production, chipsupply/demand balance, capitalinvestment, industry and individualcompany profitability andcompetition”, said Dale Ford, seniorvice president for iSuppli. “All six ofthese areas will present challengesfor the semiconductor industry in2009, but the global economic crisisis obviously the most significantfactor pushing chip revenue growthinto sharply negative territory. Givenour assessment of the current statusof the key forces that shape thesemiconductor cycle, we areprojecting semiconductor revenueswill decline by 9.4% in 2009.However, there is strong downwardpressure on this forecast and thereis a possibility that the marketdecline could be even worse thanexpected”.Limp consumer spending will

result in weak to decliningelectronics factory revenues acrossthe industry. While some keysegments such as mobile PCs andLCD TVs will show low single-digitgrowth, other segments such asmobile handsets and automotiveelectronics will suffer notabledeclines. “Amid this broad-baseddecline, almost every semiconductorcategory is expected to contract in2009”, Ford warned.“Optoelectronics are expected toshow minor growth on the basis ofstrength in Light Emitting Diodesdue to their ongoing penetration ofimportant applications such asdisplay backlighting. Among othermajor semiconductor categories,microprocessors and DRAM are

forecast to fare relatively better thanother markets due to the marginalgrowth still projected for PCs in2009. However, these productsegments also will decline byaround 4% in 2009 compared to2008“.While there is a wide range of

predictions, it appears that mosteconomists are projecting theeconomy will recover in one year.Based on this outlook for animproved economy in late 2009 orin early 2010, iSuppli is projectingthe semiconductor industry willrecover to grow by 6.4% in 2010,this will be followed by growth ofmore than 10% in 2011, the firstyear to show a double-digit gainsince 2004.

Power discrete and modulerevenues to fall 9%Power semiconductor discrete

and module revenues are forecastto shrink by over $1 billion in 2009with power MOSFETs anticipated totake most of the hit. The power

semiconductor market is estimatedto have expanded by 2% in 2008,bolstered by a project 9.5% growthin revenues from power modules.In the current recession, themarkets in computer and office,consumer and automotiveapplications are envisaged to beworst hit, and will spend $0.9 billionless in 2009 in power discretecomponents alone. “We expect theeconomic trading conditions toworsen in 2009, with even thefastest growing economies, Chinaand India will start to feel the pinch.We do not expect the powersemiconductor market to recover toits 2008 revenues until 2011.However, all is not doom andgloom; the power module market’srenewable energy segment isestimate to grow 51% in 2008 andcontinue with strong growth for thenext five years. Overall, powermodule revenues are forecast notto fall as hard as discretes in 2009,and to recover faster in 2010”, addsIMS Analyst Josh Flood.

Decline of 3% for power ICmarketMarket researcher IMS predicts a

fall in revenues of around 3% in2009 for the global powermanagement and driver IC market,owing mainly to the currentslowdown in consumer spending.After a healthy growth year in

2008 with total revenues reachingalmost $13 billion, the market forpower management and driver ICs isforecast to fall by nearly $400 millionin 2009. It is anticipated that thesectors worst hit will be automotive,portable consumer and desktop PCswith an average decline of around10%. “The power IC market is fairlyresilient due to the emphasis placedon greater power efficiency withinmany applications. This tends todemand a higher quality IC with ahigher average selling price andhence drives market growth.However, with automotive andportable consumer applicationsbeing two of the largest markets forpower ICs, it is inevitable that

Downturn Expected for (Power)Semiconductors in 2009

The semiconductor market is very cyclic, as the worldwide revenue forecast illustrates Source: iSuppli December 2008

10 MARKET NEWS


The deck appears to be stacked against the global semiconductor industry including power semiconductors,with six separate market forces conspiring to cause revenue to decline by nearly a double-digit margin in2009, according to market researchers iSuppli and IMS.


New Agilent Technologies B1505A Power Device Analyzer/Curve Tracer.The B1505A is an integrated solution that provides researchers and device/process development engineers of power devices with high-voltage and high-current source and measurement capabilities.The fully integrated curve tracer mode makes it easy for users to take advantage of its PC-based EasyEXPERT software.

Key Features of the Agilent B1505A Power Device Analyzer/Curve Tracer:

Accurate measurement of breakdown voltage and leakage currents at high voltage.

Evaluation of low on-resistance of power devices at high current.

Quick troubleshooting, evaluation and failure analysis of power electronic circuitry.

Device characterization at up to 3,000 volts or 20 amps in a single instrument

Sub picoamp measurement capability at high voltage.

50 microsecond high current pulse width. The shortest current pulse width in the industry.

Capacitance-Voltage (CV) measurement with up to 3,000V DC bias.

Quick device-check capability enabled by curve tracer mode.

Easy operation and data management control with PC-based EasyEXPERT software.

On-wafer testing and prober control.

Standard device test fixture with interlocks for a safe measurement environment.

Sweep controlvia rotary knob

Measurement setups saved and recalled via single-click operation

Data and setupinformation automatically saved to internal disc drive

Current and voltage can be measured simultaneously and plotted in real time

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

Power devices, including power management ICs (PMIC), power MOSFETs and engine management motor control ICs are a growing device category that requires both high-power and high-accuracy test capabilities. In order to meet emerging stan-dards for improved energy efficiencies, power devices must function ever more efficiently even as they continue to become more complex, smaller and faster. New devices using wide band gap materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) orgallium nitride (GaN) have been widely studiedin order to achieve higher efficiencies. To meet performance and safety requirements these studies require high-voltage on wafer measure-ment capabilities of greater than 1,000 volts to reduce development and qualification times.

For further information about this solutionplease contactUK: +44 (0)118 [email protected]: +49 (0)7031 464 [email protected]

11_PEE_0109:11_PEE_0109 20/1/09 10:06 Page 1

12 MARKET NEWS


revenues will suffer as consumerspending slows. In the mid-term, weexpect the market to remain strongwith a steady recovery in 2010 andgrowth of around 10% for 2011 and2012”, comments IMS Analyst RyanSanderson.IMS Research’s analysis showed

that the top five suppliers in the powermanagement and driver ICs marketare Texas Instruments, InfineonTechnologies, National Semiconductor,Maxim Integrated Products and LinearTechnology. Collectively, they areestimated to account for almost 40%of the total market.

Impact on industryOf course, these market trends

have hit already power semiconductormanufacturers.National Semiconductor i.e.

reported sales of $422 million andnet income of $34 million for thesecond quarter of fiscal 2009, whichended November 2008. First quarterresults were $466 million in salesand $80 million in net income.Compared to last year, salesdecreased approximately 15% fromthe $499.0 million reported in thesecond quarter of fiscal 2008. Thecompany anticipates that sales in the

third quarter of fiscal 2009 will bedown sequentially by 30%,depending on turns orders receivedin the quarter. The sales outlook isbeing impacted by significantlylower-than-usual demand levels inthe post-holiday season, especiallyfor personal mobile devices. Inaddition, the company expects grossmargins to decline as the companyplans to significantly lower itsmanufacturing activity in the thirdquarter of fiscal 2009. Nevertheless,National’s CEO Brian Halla expectssome growth in renewable energies.“Penetration of solar energygeneration is only 0.4% in the USA,this represents a great opportunity inlight of Obama’s proposal forspending $150 billion in renewableenergies. Our recently introducedsolar magic concept recupeselectrical energy by 50% and thusleads to huge energy savings. Another opportunity is our concept ofinstant charging, a backuptechnology for Lithium Ion batterieswith supercaps in (hybrid) electricvehicles. And, history has shown thatthe following cycle leads to a broadermarket for semiconductors due tonew applications”, Halla predicts.Infineon’s Automotive, Industrial &

Multimarket segment reportedrevenues of Euro 767 million for thefourth quarter of fiscal year 2008,up 8% sequentially and down 6%

year-over-year. The sequentialincrease was mainly due to theseasonal pattern in the company’sindustrial business. Excluding theeffects of currency fluctuations,primarily between the US dollar andthe Euro, and acquisitions anddivestitures, segment revenuesincreased 5% sequentially anddecreased one percent year-over-year. Results in the automotivebusiness were stable compared tothe prior quarter, as solid demand inthe Asian automotive market offsetfurther declines at US carmanufacturers and the start of aweakening of the car business inEurope. In the Industrial andMultimarket business, resultsincreased strongly compared to theprior quarter, mainly due toseasonally strong demand for bothlow and high-voltage MOSFETs inconsumer, computing, and telecomproducts. Demand for high-powerproducts remained strong. “TheSemiconductor Industry is driven byenergy savings through powerelectronics. We see a conversion oftechnologies which may open a newcycle beyond 2009”, statesInfineon’s CEO Peter Bauer.

ASwww.isuppli.comwww.imsresearch.comwww.national.comwww.infineon.com

LG Chem and STMicroelectronics ImproveHigh-Power Battery TechnologiesSTMicroelectronics and LG Chemhave unveiled details of a newautomotive battery pack thatsignificantly extends thepotential of electric and hybridelectric vehicles. The new batterypack combines LG Chem’slithium ion battery technologywith a battery management chipmanufactured by ST.Today’s HEVs use batteries

based on Nickel Metal Hydride(NiMH) technology. Li-ionbatteries are widely used inportable consumer electronicequipment, because they offerone of the best energy-to-weight ratios - more than twicethat of NiMH batteries - with a

very low self-discharge whilenot in use. However, their use inhigher power applications hasso far been limited because thecharge/discharge cycle of Li-ionbatteries must be carefullymanaged to protect the batteriesfrom abuse condition. For thisreason, Li-ion batteries must becombined with sophisticatedand highly reliable electronicbattery-management circuits inhigh-power applications. Thenew Li-ion battery pack from LGChem manages the charge/discharge cycle by incorporatingSWT's battery-management chip,which enables safe and long-term reliability of Li-ion battery

technology at affordable cost,even in demanding applicationssuch as automotive powertrainsystems.The battery-management chip

is manufactured in BCD(Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS)technology, which combinesdigital logic circuits, analogmeasurement circuits and powertransistors in one chip. Eachchip can handle up to 10 Li-ioncells, and also includes aninterface for communicatingwith other battery-managementchips in a system. With thiscommunication capability, asmany as 32 battery-management chips can be

connected in cascade to managebatteries that deliver up to1600V to the electric motors.“We’ve been able to adapt ourpower management and analogexpertise with LG Chem tocreate a new solution that willenable Li-ion batteries toaddress increasingly higherpower applications, frome-bikes to the most demandingpublic transport vehicles”,commented Marco Monti,General Manager, Power Trainand Safety Division, AutomotiveProduct Group,STMicroelectronics.

www.st.com

National’s CEO Brian Halla expects new business opportunities particularly forrenewable energies in the next cycle Photo: AS


The introductory presentation wasgiven by Peter Lück, head of VW’spowertrain development inWolfsburg/Germany, outlining therequirements on batteries and powerelectronics for future (hybrid) electricvehicles. Ten years ago, exhaustemission had been the mostimportant criterion for powertraindevelopment, but now the CO2

debate and shortage of fossile fuelsbecome more and more dominant.Thus, VW will move away fromfossile fuels towards renewableenergies including biofuels, as wellas hydrogen and electricity in thelonger-term.Hybrid electric vehicles are an

intermediate step to reduce CO2

emissions, but the forecasts in termsof worldwide shipments differsignificantly, from 1 million units upto roughly 5 million in the year2015. The key market is in the US,particularly due to legislations inCalifornia. Plug-in hybrids and EVsare forecasted to ship between afew 100,000s and 4 million by2015; this market is a long-termbusiness case in contrast to mid-term HEVs, a meaningful bridgingtechnology. But to make itsuccessful, significant costreductions have to be achieved.VW already has a long tradition in

(hybrid) electric vehicles; in the early1970s a Typ2 Electric Bus waslaunched, followed by a T2 City TaxiHEV a few years later. In the 1990s,VW launched the Golf II Hybrid, theEV Golf III CitySTROMer and the HEVAudi Duo, followed by various othermodels. A full hybrid should be ableto drive electrically a distance of2km, a plug-in hybrid 20km, and anEV more than 100km. Here, themain challenge is electrical energystorage. For plug-in hybrids and pureEVs, VW envisions LiIon batteries dueto their storage capabilities andlifetime requirements. Also, theelectrical motor must fit the type ofvehicle, from simple maintenance-free induction machines to disc/compact-shaped PSM (permanentsynchoronous motors).

Battery requirementsThe most critical component in a

(H)EV is the high-power battery, herethere is a significant developmentbreakthrough in size, durability,packaging and power/weight ratio. InHEVs, up to 80% of the powertraincost comes from the electricalcomponents. In plug-in hybrids andpure EVs, this adds up to 100% witha battery portion of 80%. WhileHEVs are targeting CO2 emissions,they require high-power batteries.Plug-ins and EVs can be consideredfor energy diversification and thus,require high-energy batteries. Safetyand lifetime are the main challengeshere.In the evaluation process for

Towards (Hybrid) Electric Vehicles

VW’s Peter Lückoutlined therequirements onbatteries andpower electronicsfor future (hybrid)electric vehiclesPhoto: AS

Requirements and technologies for electrical energy storage in (hybrid) electric vehiclesSource: VW

Battery andpower electronicscosts ratio in(hybrid) electricvehiclesSource: VW

AUTOMOTIVE POWER ELECTRONICA 13


A key factor in the current climate discussion is also the automobile – along with the technologies whichwill help to reduce CO2 emissions. The electronica automotive conference examined the forward-lookingautomobile electronics sector and attracted 250 delegates from 23 countries.

p13-15 Electronica Automotive.qxd:New Market News Template 20/1/09 11:36

14 AUTOMOTIVE POWER ELECTRONICA


Development of battery technologies withregards to energy and power densitySource: VW

New interconnection technologies willincrease temperature capability andoperating lifetimeSource: Infineon

Concept of a system integrated inverterwith 50kW output powerSource: Infineon


AUTOMOTIVE POWER ELECTRONICA 15


batteries energy, power, lifetime and safety have to beconsidered. VW views the NiMH battery used in someHEV types and even first generation LiIon batteries notsufficient for pure EVs; here, the second generation to beintroduced by the year 2016 with 200Wh/kg specificenergy will come into play. For HEVs 4000W/kg arerequired.Besides cost, battery safety is a very important aspect,

and this has to be considered at each design level fromcells (chemistry, vent, rupture disk, shut-down separator,current interrupting) to modules (package, controller,thermalisation), systems (battery and thermalmanagement, self-diagnosis, fuses, current and crassensing) up to the vehicle (package, communication,drive strategy). Main drivers in cost reduction for batteriesare i.e. lower margins for suppliers through increasedcompetition, lower costs for battery managementelectronics and battery grade materials with no significantchange in costs for raw materials. With that VW expectssignificant cost reductions over the coming 10 to 15years.

Power electronics requirementsPower electronics have to be adopted to the electric

motor and the battery. Main design parameters areincreased maximum current and operating temperature atoverall lowest cost. Cooling system size is dependent onthese parameters, and lower operating temperatures leadto more complex cooling systems and thus, drive costs.Decreasing losses will increase power density, allowing forsmaller power semiconductor size and therefore costs.The necessary cost reduction will be achieved through

a modular design and standardisation including batteries,electric motors, and power electronics. This will lead toscaling effects and increased applications over variousplatforms. VW has already developed a modularpowertrain kit with electrification as part of it.Electrification of vehicles is a key development and achance for the supplier industry, Lück concluded.

Power modules for (H)EVsContinental and Infineon focused on the role of power

electronics. In summary, the message was to improve theefficiency of a hybrid drive, as it is important to reducethe losses in the power semiconductor.MOSFET and IGBT are the predominant power

semiconductors in HEV applications. Due to the uni-polarcharacteristic, the switching losses of a MOSFET aresignificantly lower than those of an IGBT. As a result,applications with high switching frequency (>100kHz) arethe domain of MOSFETs, while applications with lowswitching frequencies (<10kHz) are typically dominatedby IGBTs. To minimise the cooling effort, it is of interest toincrease the maximum allowable junction temperature.With the introduction of 600V IGBT³, the allowablejunction temperature has been raised by 25°C to 150°Coperational and 175°C maximum, according to Infineon’sspeaker Mark Münzer.Besides cost and performance, quality is a major topic

for HEV power electronics. Although expected qualitylevel and lifetime are same for all components, theenvironmental stress that determines the requirementsfor each component might be very different. As with mostautomotive components, the requirements for powersemiconductors vary between different mounting placesand cooling conditions. A power semiconductor module

that is mounted on a forced air-cooled heatsinkin the trunk will experience less vibration andthermal cycles over the expected lifetime than atransmission mounted power semiconductormodule that is cooled by the transmission oil.Changing the maximum allowable junction

temperature of the power semiconductor willdirectly change the thermal stress on theinterconnection of the chip surface. A typicalwear-out effect at the chip surface is the wirebond lift-off. To test this interconnection power,cycling tests are performed. The number ofcycles that a device survives is related to the

temperature swing, the maximum temperatureand the slopes. For the introduction of amaximum junction temperature of 175°C, thewire bonding process has already beenimproved. Improved thermal performance ofthe components and interconnectiontechnologies can lead to a system integratedinverter with peak power of 50kW for HEVapplications, Münzer concluded.

www.electronica.dewww.volkswagen.dewww.infineon.com


16 APEC 2009


The ‘Applied Power ElectronicsConference’ was first held inApril of 1986, initiallysponsored by the IEEE PowerElectronics Council and then thePower Electronics Society(PELS). At APEC ‘90, thefledgling Power SourcesManufacturers Association(PSMA) approached APEC whichwas already sponsoring its ownconference, the PowerElectronics Conference (PEC)with modest success. The PSMAproposed that APEC and PECmerge. The conference hasenjoyed growing successthroughout the years. APEC isnow considered to be one ofthe leading conferences forpracticing power electronicsprofessionals. The programaddresses a broad range oftopics in the use, design,manufacture and marketing ofall kinds of power electronicsequipment. It combineseducation seminars, refereedpapers and an exhibit hall. Animportant part of the APECprogram is the Exposition, ithas grown from about 30exhibitors in 1991, to morethan 120 exhibitors today.APEC 2009 starts with

Professional EducationSeminars (February 15 and 16)covering the sections Control(Feedforward Control ofSwitching Regulators;Multiphase Voltage RegulatorControl and DesignConsiderations; StabilityAnalysis and Loop Control inSwitching Power Supplies),Design (Microcontrollers forPower Supply Engineers;Maximizing the Effect ofModern Low Voltage PowerMOSFETs; Control and Modelingof DC-DC Converters),Integration (EMI Causes,Measurements, and ReductionTechniques for Switch-ModePower Converters; AdvancedThermal Management Materials

for Power Electronics;Integrated PackagingTechniques), Issues and Trends(Understanding Derating-Reliability-Risk Connection;Energy Efficiency Specificationsand Standards Activity forPower Supplies; New Trends inPower ConversionTechnologies), Topology (HybridPower Converters; Analysis andComparison of Voltage-ModePWM, Current-Mode PWM,Hysteretic, Constant-On Time,and Constant-Off Time DC-DCConverters; Switched CapacitorsConverters) and Motion Control(Permanent Magnet Machines -Design, Modeling, and Control;Design Path for a Typical DigitalMotor Control Project; HybridElectric and Plug-In HybridElectric Vehicles).The Opening Plenary covers

six papers entitled ‘PSMAPower Technology Roadmap’ byCarl Blake, VP marketing atTransphorm and co-chair atPSMA; ‘A Power ElectronicsIndustry Blueprint toDemonstrate Leadership in the

Global Energy Debate’ byAndrew Fanara, United StatesEnvironment Protection AgencyClimate Protection PartnershipDivision; ‘Opportunities andChallenges in Very HighFrequency Power Conversion’by David Perreault, MIT; ‘EnergyEfficient System Design. It’smore than a power budget…‘by John Weil, FreescaleSemiconductor; ‘Lithium IonBattery Technology ForAutomotive Applications’ byJack Waggner, A123 Systems;and ‘Power Supply on Chip –Has the Ship Come In?’ by CianO’Mathuna, Tyndall NationalInstitute.The Technical Sessions start

on February 17 and will cover in35 sessions almost every aspectof modern power electronicsand its applications. Thesesessions are divided intoAdvances in DC-DC Converters;Modeling and Control of DC-DCConverters; Advances in DC-ACConverters; System IntegrationIssues and VehicularApplications of Power

Converters; Control ofAdjustable Speed Motor Drives;Advances in Simulation,Modeling, and Control of PowerConverters; Modeling of PowerElectronic Converters; PowerElectronics Applications inRenewable Energy Systems;High Efficiency DC-AC PowerConverters; Power ElectronicApplications in Fuel cell andenergy storge system; Advancesin SiC devices; PowerElectronics Applications inRenewable Energy Harvesting;Power Quality EnhancementTechniques; or FaultManagement in AdjustableSpeed Motor Drives.In parallel, Special

Presentations will cover MarketTrends, System Design, Futureof DC-DC Conversion, PowerElectronics for a Greener World,and Current Topics for PowerElectronics Research. AWednesday Evening SocialEvent will round up theprogram.

www.apec-conf.org

Focus on Practical and AppliedAspects of Power Electronics

A look at the APEC 2008 exhibition

p16 Apec 2009.qxd:New Market News Template 20/1/09 09:25

Knowledge isKnowledge is powerpowerpowerpower is our knowis our knowledgeledge

Fuji Electric Device Technology Europe GmbHGoethering 58 · 63067 Offenbach am Main · GermanyFon +49(0)69 - 66 90 29 0 · Fax +49(0)69 - 66 90 29 56 · [email protected] · www.fujielectric.de

17_PEE_0109:17_PEE_0109 20/1/09 11:28 Page 1

18 AUTOMOTIVE POWER http://power.national.com


Charging for UltracapacitorsTo meet the needs of a growing number of functions that continue to work during engine start inautomotive start/stop systems, a high-performance energy storage device to overcome the voltage drop isneeded. Ultracapacitors can be used in combination with batteries to provide the additional power. Theyrequire high constant current during the charging cycle and, for this reason, a DC/DC converter interface isneeded between the ultracapacitor and the battery. The high current ultracapacitor charger is highlycomplex. This article describes the design of a DC/DC converter for ultracapacitors using NationalSemiconductor’s Synchronous Buck Controller LM5116. Mariangela de Martino, Product ApplicationEngineer, and Kamal Najmi, Power Design Engineer, Europe, National Semiconductor

In recent years, ultracapacitors havebecome accepted for industrial andtransportation applications as high powerbuffers in combination with conventionalbatteries. The merits of ultracapacitors insuch applications results from their highpower capability based on ultra lowinternal resistance, wide operatingtemperature -40 to 65°C, and high cyclingcapability. Automotive manufacturers, inparticular, are very keen to use this newtechnology. The characteristics ofultracapacitors can be used in combinationwith normal electrochemical batteries toimprove the transient performance of themain voltage rail in a vehicle, and toincrease the lifetime of the battery.Ultracapacitors’ cycle life is quitesubstantial and their internal low resistancemakes the cycle (discharge/ charge)efficiency high (from 90 to 98%).This article shows the design of a charger

for an ultracapacitor using a DC/DCsynchronous buck-converter (LM5116)with emulated current mode (ECM)control.The emulated current mode control and

its advantages in this specific case will bedescribed in more detail in the nextsection. The converter, which has to workas a current source, transforms the energycoming from the battery to a value suitablefor the charge of the ultracapacitor. Thecharger utilises CC/CV (constant current/constant voltage) charging. The CC/CVcharger starts the charge cycle by forcingthe maximum charge current safelypermitted, while accurately clamping theultracapacitor voltage to its maximumvoltage. When the ultracapacitor voltagereaches the maximum voltage, the voltageremains regulated but the charging currentstarts to back off.The ultracapacitor used in this

application has a capacity of 650 Farad anda rated maximum cell voltage of 2.7VDC(Maxwell BCAP0650). The system canhandle more elements in series, but would

require an additional balancing circuit whichis not part of this article.

Power Conversion StageThe DC/DC converter, which represents

the interface between the battery andultracapacitor, is a dual phase converterbased on two LM5116. The LM5116 is asynchronous buck controller intended forstep-down regulator applications from ahigh voltage or widely varying inputsupply.In particular, this application requires an

output current up to 50A, which is too highfor a single stage. The solution uses twoconverters in parallel operating 180° out ofphase. The benefit of this so-calledinterleaved converter is to reduce the RMSripple current in the input capacitors byalmost a factor 2. The stress on the activecomponents decreases significantly byusing two phases. The dual phase solutionis designed to convert an input voltage oftypically 12 down to a maximum 2.7V withcurrent limited at 50A.The LM5116 utilises the emulated

current mode control technique. This is akey feature for this particular application.This method of control does not actuallymeasure the buck switch current, but ratherreconstructs the inductor current signal. Thecurrent reconstruction comprises twoelements, a sample and hold DC level and

an emulated current ramp. The sample-and-hold DC level is derived from ameasurement of the recirculating currentthrough either the low-side MOSFET orcurrent sense resistor. The voltage levelacross the MOSFET or sense resistor issampled and held just prior to the onset ofthe next conduction interval of the buckswitch (see Figure 1).The current sensing and sample-and-

hold provide the DC level of thereconstructed current signal. The positiveslope inductor current ramp is emulated byan external capacitor connected from theRAMP pin to the AGND and an internalvoltage controlled current source. The rampcurrent source that emulates the inductorcurrent is a function of the VIN and VOUT

voltages per equation 1.

(1)

Proper selection of the RAMP capacitor(CRAMP) depends upon the value of theoutput inductor (L) and the current senseresistor (RS). For proper current emulation,the DC sample and hold value and theramp amplitude must have the samedependence on the load current. Accordingto equation 2 that is:

(2a)

Figure 1: Compositionof the current sensesignal

p18-22 Feature NSC.qxd:Layout 1 20/1/09 09:34

http://power.national.com AUTOMOTIVE POWER 19


(2b)

Where gm is the ramp generatortransconductance (5µA/V) and A is thecurrent sense amplifier gain (10V/V). Theramp capacitor should be located veryclose to the device and connected directlyto the pins of the IC (RAMP and AGND).This unique current mode control

samples the buck switch current just priorto the onset of the next conduction intervalof the high-side FET. As a result of this, thenext cycle can be skipped completely if thecurrent exceeds the current limit threshold.This is one of the main reasons why the

LM5116 has been chosen. Due to the ECM(emulated current mode), the current ismeasured during the turn-off time of theHigh Side Switch, and therefore the dutycycle can be modulated to a value close to0%, in order to avoid high peak currentinto the inductor. The current neverexceeds the current limit threshold whenthe output voltage is in short circuit, whichis exactly the same situation. When theconverter’s load is an ultracapacitor startingfrom zero volt, the output is in short-circuit,nevertheless a current runaway situationwill not occur, thanks to the ECM mode.

Current sense resistor and MOSFETselectionUsing a current sense resistor in the

source of the low-side MOSFET providessuperiour current limit accuracy comparedto RDS(ON) sensing. RDS(ON) sensing is far less

accurate due to the large variation ofMOSFET RDS(ON) with temperature and part-to-part variation.The current limit is set by the current

sense resistor value (RS).For a 2.7V output, the maximum current

sense signal occurs at the minimum inputvoltage, so RS is calculated according toequation 3:

(3)

The current sense resistor is calculatedusing the above formula and the valuechosen is equal to 4mΩ.Selection of the power MOSFETs is

governed by the same trade-offs asswitching frequency. Breaking down thelosses in the high-side and low-sideMOSFETs is one way to determinerelative efficiencies between differentdevices. Losses in the power MOSFETscan be broken down into conductionloss, gate charging loss, and switchingloss.Conduction (PDC) is according to

equation 4 approximately

(4a)

(4b)

where D is the duty cycle. The factor 1.3accounts for the increase in MOSFET on-

resistance due to heating. Alternatively,the factor of 1.3 can be ignored and theon-resistance of the MOSFET can beestimated using the RDS(ON) versustemperature curves in the MOSFETdatasheet. Gate charging loss, PGC, resultsfrom the current driving the gatecapacitance of the power MOSFETs and isapproximated as

(5)

whereQg refers to the total gate charge of an

individual MOSFET, and ‘n’ is the numberof MOSFETs. If different types of MOSFETsare used, the ‘n’ term can be ignored andtheir gate charges summed to form acumulative Qg. The switching frequency(FSW) chosen in this particular case is130kHz. Gate charge loss differs fromconduction and switching losses in that theactual dissipation occurs in the LM5116and not in the MOSFET itself. Further loss inthe LM5116 is incurred as the gate drivingcurrent is supplied by the internal linearregulator. Switching loss occurs during thebrief transition period as the MOSFET turnson and off. During the transition periodboth current and voltage are present in thechannel of the MOSFET.The switching loss can be approximated

as

(6)

where tR and tF are the rise and fall times

Figure 2: Architectureof the dual phaseBoostcap charger




of the MOSFET. Switching loss is calculatedfor the high-side MOSFET only. Switchingloss in the low-side MOSFET is negligiblebecause the body diode of the low-sideMOSFET turns on before the MOSFET itself,minimising the voltage from drain to sourcebefore turn-on.For this example, the maximum drain-to-

source voltage applied to either MOSFET is10V. VCC provides the drive voltage at thegate of the MOSFETs. The selectedMOSFETs must be able to withstand 10Vplus any ringing from drain to source, andbe able to handle at least VCC plus ringingfrom gate to source. A good choice of high-side MOSFET for the design example is theSIR892DP featuring a RDS(ON) of 3.2mΩ, totalgate charge of 40nC, and rise and fall timesof 9ns. For the low-side MOSFET a goodchoice is the SI7192DP with RDS(ON) of1.9mΩ, total gate charge of 90nC, and riseand fall times of 10 and 9ns respectively. Inthis application two devices are used inparallel.Once the MOSFET and the sense resistor

are selected, it is possible to obtain the restof the BOM just following the calculationsuggestions available on the datasheetonline.The external clock (see Figure 2) is used

to apply two out of phase signals to thetwo ICs (each of them provided with anexternal pin for the synchronisation) inorder to obtain 180° out of phase outputs.

Measurement resultsThe LM5116 contains a current limit

monitoring scheme to protect the circuitfrom possible over-current conditions. Sincethe ramp amplitude is proportional to VIN -VOUT, if VOUT is shorted, there is animmediate reduction in duty cycle. Aninternal counter counts clock pulses whenin current limit. When the counter detects256 consecutive clock cycles in currentlimit condition, the regulator enters a lowpower dissipation hiccup mode. Theregulator is shut down by momentarilypulling UVLO low, and the soft-startcapacitor discharged. The regulator isrestarted with a full soft-start cycle onceUVLO charges back to 1.215V. This processis repeated until the fault is removed(Figure 3).For an ultracapacitor charger this feature

is not required, since the LM5116 needs toprovide the maximum current; for thisreason the soft start pin is left at highimpedance (no soft start capacitor) and nocapacitor is used on the under voltagelockout pin. Figure 4 shows a plot of theoutput current and the two switching nodes180°out of phase. As the output voltageramps from 0 up to 2.7V the duty cycle hasto follow the relation D = Vout/Vin andtherefore start from 0% up to D max

Figure 3: Constantshort circuit at 10A.CHANNEL 2 (blue)shows the UVLO pinthat is pulled downafter 256 cycles;CHANNEL 4 (green)shows the outputcurrent equal to thecurrent limit 10A;CHANNEL 1 (yellow)shows the drainvoltage

Figure 4: Switchnodes signal (Channel2 and Channel 3) andcurrent (Channel 1) atthe beginning of thecharging phasevoltage

Figure 5: Switchnodes signal (Channel2 and Channel 3) andcurrent (Channel 1)when the voltageacross the Boostcap is2.5V

Figure 6: Switchnodes signal (Channel2 and Channel 3) andcurrent (Channel 1) atthe end of thecharging cycle


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(2.7V/Vin) without runaway current at lowduty cycle due to the ECM. The deviceworks in current limit mode providingmaximum current equal to 50A.In the next phase, the voltage across the

capacitance is at 2.5V and the current startsto decrease as shown in Figure 5. This isdue to the voltage drop across the cablewhich has a length of 60mm. In the lastphase, the ultracapacitor is completelycharged at 2.7V and the current suppliedby the ultracapacitor charger drops (Figure6). The plot in Figure 7 shows the voltageacross the ultracapacitor during thecharging cycle. The charging time of a 650Fcapacitor takes a little more than 30s (0 to2.7V at 50A).The ultracapacitor charger is shown in

Figure 8; this is a four-layer board with70µm thickness. The main components arethe LM5116, MOSFETs (SIR892DP,Si7192DP) from Vishay, current sense BVS-A-R0004 from Isabellenhuette, InductorSER2915 from Coilcraft, electrolyticcapacitor 16SVPC270M from Sanyo andceramic capacitor C4550X5R1A686M,C4532X7R1E226M from TDK.

ConclusionIn this article, the design of a high

power charger for an ultracapacitor hasbeen presented highlighting theadvantages and the high performance ofNational Semiconductor’s LM5116 withemulated current mode control.Ultracapacitors are ideal for applicationsthat require additional high power for afew seconds. For this reason, theyrepresent a good fit in automotivesystems as they can help to overcomethe voltage drop in start/stop systemswhere the engine has to be started on aregular base. The ultracapacitor today

represents an energy buffer which helpsto extend battery life tremendously. In thefuture, DC/DC converters like theLM5116 will be fundamentally importantin the development of advanced systemssuch as the power electronic interfacewith ultracapacitor for fuel cell electricvehicles.

Literature1. N. Mohan, Tore M. Undeland,

William P. Robbins, ‘Power ElectronicsConverters, Applications and Design’2. S.M. Nayeem Hasan Iqbal Husain.

‘Power Electronic Interface with ultra-capacitors and Motor Control for a FuelCell Electric Vehicle’

3. A.F. Burke, ‘ElectrochemicalCapacitorsfor Electric Vehicles,Technology Update and ImplementationConsiderations’4. Hans Kahlen, ‘Energy and Power

from Supercapacitors andElectrochemical Sources’5. National Semiconductor Datasheet

LM5116 ‘Wide Range Synchronous BuckController from the PowerWise Family’6. John M.Miller PE Maxwell

Technologies ‘ultra-capacitor Efficiency’7. John M.Miller, Michaela Prummer,

Adrian Schneuwly, MaxwellTechnologies, ‘Power Electronic Interfacefor ultra-capacitor as Power Buffer in aHybrid Electric Energy Storage System’



Figure 7: Charge cycleof the Maxwell 650FBoostcap Capacitor

Figure 8: Final layout of the dual phase Boostcap charger


New Sensor Technology for TotalBattery ManagementWhenever a battery is used as a critical source of energy such as with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS),electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and mobile life support equipment, it is essential thatthe user has complete confidence in the battery’s ability to deliver its expected amount of energy. It is alsoimportant that the user can have faith in the battery status display. Raztec recognised this gap in currentsensing technology some years back, and have recently developed a device specifically tailored formeasuring battery current for battery management purposes. Warren Pettigrew, CTO Raztec Sensors,Christchurch, New Zealand

In practice it has been remarkablydifficult to accurately determine the state ofhealth (SOH) and the true state of charge(SOC) of a battery. There is just such a bigstack-up of variables. However, with goodand appropriate sensing technology andthe use of refined algorithms appropriatefor the chemistry, it is now possible tocompute reliably the SOH and SOC of abattery.With most battery applications, the

fundamental issue is simply theminimisation of the cost of operation. Somuch the better if battery life can beextended by predictive maintenance andthe charging programme monitored toassure correctness (very commonlybatteries are destroyed through incorrectcharging techniques). Cost of operationis very much linked to the cost of failure– failure for the battery to deliver itspower when vitally needed. It is muchbetter to replace or repair the batterybefore it fails when the SOH monitorpredicts the need.Additionally, the battery management

system may be required to protect thebattery or its load from overload, as well asto generate alarms if parameters falloutside prescribed safety windows.

Variables for SOC determinationMonitoring the cell/battery voltage is a

common, simple, but inaccurate method.Many variables overlay the voltage/capacityrelationship:• If it is to be measured during discharge,then battery resistance must be considered- but resistance is capacity, time andtemperature dependant.• Cell voltage is temperature dependant.• There is a memory/hysteresis effect aftercharge/discharge with a logarithmicapproach to a settling voltage.• Newer high performance batteries such

as Lithium Ion have a very flat chargedischarge characteristic such thattemperature effects dominate cell voltagechanges.• Battery voltage changes as a battery agesand its cycle count increases.• Generally, there is inequality of individualcell performance.

Net coulomb count: One may believethat a battery will give up the ampere-hours (Ah) that are put into it. But this isfar from the case. Many batteries will giveup less than half their capacity under fastdischarge - with some chemistries andstructures behaving worse or better thanothers. This effect also applies forcharging. You never get out the Ah thatare put in. Again, temperature is adominate variable with many batteriesperforming very poorly indeed at lowtemperature.

Battery impedance: There is areasonably consistent relationship betweenSOC and battery impedance. Theimpedance measurement may be a steady-state DC impedance or an impedancemeasured under AC conditions. Thealgorithm has to be calibrated for aparticular chemistry, structure, capacity andmanufacturer and is still affected by theusual gambit of variables.

Specific gravity measurement: This isonly applicable for batteries that have a freeelectrolyte. This method can givereasonable results provided the system ispre-calibrated and temperature isconsidered. It is also important that theelectrolyte is stirred, with stratification beinga common problem.

Variables for SOH determinationCapacity: Rarely possible to measure

this during normal usage.Cycle count: When used according to

specification, batteries have a designdischarge/charge cycle count with thedepth of discharge thrown in as amodifier. For a battery subjected to cyclicusage this method may be appropriatebut it does not accommodate abuse orfaulty cells.

Impedance measurement/ripplevoltage: As a battery ages, its DC and ACimpedance rises in a fairly predictablemanner so a number of SOHmeasurement products are based on thismeans. The product has to be calibrated fora particular battery and indications arediluted if only one cell of a long stringbegins to fail.

Float/leakage current: The float currentfor a particular voltage and temperature is agood indicator of SOH. This parameterincreases as the battery ages and alsoincreases as the result of a number offailure mechanisms. The challenge is itsactual measurement.

Individual cell temperature: A batterywhich has all its cells at equal temperatureduring charge and discharge is probably ingood health. Again this technique is moreappropriate for cyclic usage.

Individual cell voltage: A batterywithout a cell equalisation strategy whichhas good equality of voltage down thestring is likely to be in good health.Effectively though, this is a measure ofleakage or float current for each cell.

Electrolyte monitoring: Where a batteryhas free electrolyte, specific gravity andelectrolyte level trends can be monitored togive an indication of battery and cell SOH.This technology being more appropriate forlarger battery sets and where cost of failureis high such as in nuclear power stations.

How do battery monitors operate?Because of the seemingly impossible

number of variables, the best approach is

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to build a mathematical model of thebattery based on parameter measurementand real life experience. The model thenoperates by sensing as a very minimum:• Battery voltage including ripple voltage• Battery current including ripple current• Battery temperature• Real time.

Additionally, it could also sense:• Cell voltage• Cell temperature• Ambient temperature• Cycle count• Specific gravity and electrolyte level• Connection resistance• Ground fault current.

The model must accommodate:• Battery chemistry and structure• Capacity• Cell count• Temperature dependencies• Affect on capacity of charge/dischargecurrent• Self-discharge parameters• Charge/float voltages.

This all adds up to a very complexmachine, highly dependant on softwarealgorithms rather than hardware, but thereare some measurement issues particularlyof current.

Measurement issuesIn order to assure reliability of a battery

which has more than about 10 cells inseries, it is desirable to monitor cell voltageand also force cell equalisation. This addssignificantly to hardware costs but cangreatly improve battery reliability and life.

Cell equalisation can be via cell currentextraction or addition. Subtraction being theeasier to manage. This is effectively forcingequal cell self discharge.

Individual cell temperature monitoring isalso worthwhile, as one hot cell indicatesconclusively a problem. Again, all this ishardware intensive.

Finally, we have battery current sensing.With reliable current sensing it is possible to

measure the following parameters:• Coulomb count• Ripple current• Float current• Charging current• Discharge current• Earth leakage current• Ohmic resistance• Connection resistance.

Current measurement techniquesFigure 1 outlines the current range and

appropriate sensors for batterymanagement. The simplest way tomeasure current is by using a shunt,however, shunts have a number of

shortcomings: A shunt that is required tomeasure both high and low currents willgenerate considerable heat at high currentlevels. A shunt has to break the batterycircuit. In other words, an intrusiveconnection which is often not desirable.Shunt output voltage often has a verypoor signal to noise ratio. Shunts areincapable of measuring the dynamic rangeof float currents and discharge currents.

Another method is to use Hall-effectcurrent sensors – either open or closed-loop. These sensors are non-intrusive, sodon’t have the noise issues of shunts,but traditionally don’t give the dynamicrange as they can’t accurately measure

currents much less

24 UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER www.raztec.co.nz


Figure 1: Currentrange andappropriate sensorsfor batterymanagement

Figure 2: Widedynamic rangecurrent sensor basisstructure

Table 1: Raztec WideRange digital andanalogue currentsensor properties


than 0.5 of an ampere.Sophisticated sensors based on flux-gate

technology may work, but they areexpensive and there are practical issueswith the dynamic range of the outputsignal. There are presently two offerings:• An analogue sensor with separate low andhigh current outputs. The low current outputbeing heavily filtered to allow the extractionof float current in the presence of a highripple current as is typical in doubleconversion UPS systems.• A sensor with a very high bit count digitaloutput to give 1mA resolution which alsoexhibits good precision and stability in themA float current region. This sensor avoidsthe noise issues typical associated withmeasuring sub-millivolt DC signals.

Raztec offers a choice of current sensorsto address the measuring challengesoutlined above.

Non-intrusive:• Assures no common mode voltage andnoise issues• No extra heat generated from the primaryconductor• Complete flexibility with the mountingposition• Excellent signal to noise ratio.

Wide dynamic range of currentmeasurement (Figure 2 and Table 1):• Achieved from dual range analoguecircuits• Or from a very high bit count A/D withfloating point and sophisticated noise

filtering techniques.Hysteresis cancelling (Figure 3):

• Automated degaussing eliminateshysteresis issues.

Thermal drifts often associated withhall magnetic field sensors:• Minimised by the use of very highperformance sensors which exhibit minimaldrift• Performance further enhanced by driftcancelling techniques which use thermalmapping.

Environmental immunity:• Comprehensive shielding protects againststray electric and magnetic fields.

Cost management:• The power of modern microcomputersallows extensive circuit integration therebyreducing cost and improving reliability.

LiteratureCurrent Sensing Solutions for Hybrid

Electric Vehicles, Power ElectronicsEurope 3/2008

Current Sensor Selection forDemanding Applications, PowerElectronics Europe 2/2008

Selecting the Most Effective CurrentSensing Technology, Power ElectronicsEurope 8/2007

Guide for Selection and Use of BatteryMonitoring Equipment in StationaryApplications, Standard IEEE1491

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Figure 3: Automateddegaussing eliminateshysteresis issues


26 LIGHTING POWER www.irf.com


Silicon for Mini-Ballasts Illuminatesthe WayManufacturers of energy-saving fluorescent lighting for industrial and commercial installations are underpressure to deliver advanced capabilities and target smaller fitment sizes. With smaller form factors, lightfixtures are become more numerous, allowing greater control over ambient light settings while operatingat lower power. Also, by keeping power low – below 26W – they are excluded from the power factorcorrection requirements applied to larger installations. This has further increased the appeal of smallfixtures and is promoting developments in the mini-ballasts used to drive them. And one of thosedevelopments, typically found in fluorescent lighting, is the ability to dim the light output. New ballastdevices well-suited for thin lamps including the increasingly popular T5 lamp reduce part count andsimplify design. Tom Ribarich, Director Lighting Design Center, International Rectifier,El Segundo, USA

The IRS2530D DIM8 is a lineardimming ballast control IC with half-bridge driver in a compact 8pin formfactor. The new device provides acompetitive solution to replace inefficientincandescent bulbs in multi-level andthree-way compact fluorescent lighting(CFL) applications. The IRS2158D 16pinfluorescent dimming ballast control ICwith half-bridge driver is designed forapplications requiring dimmingperformance below 10%.Comprehensive protection features suchas protection from failure of a lamp tostrike, filament failures and end-of-lifeprotection are offered, making the devicewell-suited for thin lamps including theincreasingly popular T5 lamp (Figure 1and Table 1).Traditional ballasts require a noise

blocking input filter, rectifier andsmoothing capacitor for converting the ACvoltage input to a DC supply. They alsorequire a sub-circuit to produce the highfrequency square-wave voltage. Thiscircuit comprises a control IC and half-bridge, as well as a resonant output stagefor preheating, igniting and running thefluorescent lamp. Adding a dimmingcontrol requires a further isolated inputwith a current sensing sub-circuit tomeasure the lamp current, and a closedloop feedback circuit to compensate forthe lamp’s non-linear characteristics. Thisadds significantly to the componentcount, cost and space of the solution(Figure 2).

Reducing component count and costNow, however, the situation is changing

with the advent of increasingly integrated

Figure 1: IRS2530Dand IRS2158D 600Vcontrol ICs forenergy-efficientdimming fluorescentlighting ballastapplications

Table 1:Specifications ofIRS2530D andIRS2158D

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IC solutions. And the latest developmentin this arena is a single highly-integrateddevice that enables mini-ballasts toincorporate dimming functionality withoutincreasing the overall form factor. TheIRS2530D DIM8 dimming ballast controlIC brings together the company’spatented High Voltage IC process (HVIC)and a proprietary approach to dimming,allowing the entire ballast and dimmingcircuitry to reside within a single 8pinSO8 package.A block diagram of the new device is

shown in Figure 3. Conventional ballastoperation already requires six of theavailable eight pins; four are neededfor the high- and low-side gate driveralone (VB, HO, VS, LO). Adding thedimming functionality required someinnovation, which IR achieved bycombining the DC reference with theAC lamp current, to provide bothreference and feedback functions forclosed-loop dimming, through a singlepin. The result is that, using the newIC, it is now possible to createdimmable mini-ballast that requiresless than 50 components.

Figure 2: Addingdimmable circuitry toa mini-ballast

Figure 3: Block diagram of IRS2530D

Figure 4: State diagram for IRS2530D


28 LIGHTING POWER www.irf.com


Operation and designThe state diagram in Figure 4 shows

that when VCC is first applied the ICmoves from UVLO mode to thePreheat/Ignition mode. The internalcurrent source at the VCO pin beginscharging an external capacitor, as theintegrated half-bridge oscillator starts atits maximum frequency. The lampfilaments are preheated by secondarywindings from a resonant tank inductoras the frequency decreases towards theresonance frequency of the tank circuit,and the output voltage across the lampincreases. The lamp ignites as the voltagepasses the ignition threshold voltage, andas the lamp current begins to flow the ICenters DIM mode.

When implementing a design basedon the new IC it is important to observerelevant precautions in the developmentthe PCB layout. For instance, in order tomaintain the best performance goodnoise immunity must be achieved;failure can occur in an otherwise correctlyconnected circuit if poor componentlayout is applied. Best practicetechniques include maintaining theproper creepage and clearance distancesbetween high and low voltagecomponents; keeping decouplingcapacitors close to their respectivesupplies; placing critical components asclose to their IC pins as possible toachieve good noise filtering, and keepingthe dimming feedback components asfar away as possible from the highvoltage switching components.

Other recommendations include using adouble filter at the supply to isolate highcurrent spikes that could be generated bythe charge pump. The use of gate resistorsis also recommended, to avoid Millercurrents flowing back in to the gate driveoutputs. It is also important to ensure therecommendations for connecting the COMnode are observed.

Typical applicationA typical schematic is shown in Figure 5.

The AC input voltage is full-wave rectifiedand passes through an EMI filter, beforebeing smoothed by the DC bus capacitor.Thanks to IR’s HVIC process, theIRS2530D is able to control the preheat,ignition and lamp dimming voltage bydirectly driving the half-bridge formed byMHS and MLS.

As the schematic also shows, theresistors RVCC1 and RVCC2 provide theIC’s start-up current, which is replaced bythe charge pump formed by CSNUB,DCP1 and DCP2, once the half-bridgestarts oscillating. The supply filter, asoutlined in the recommendations above,is provided by CVCC1, CVCC2, RLIM1 andRLIM2. The high voltages needed forlamp ignition are achieved through theresonant tank circuit (LRES and CRES),which also provide the low pass filteringnecessary for lamp dimming. The DCblocking capacitor, CDC, protects thelamp against mercury migration, a causeof lamp end blackening and a shortenedlamp life.

The galvanically isolated 10VDC

reference voltage applied to the DIMinput is provided by T1 and itsassociated components, which is biasedon its secondary side through CVS, RVS1and RVS2, in order that its input andoutput track each other. The AC lampcurrent measurement across the currentsensing resistor, RCS, is coupled to theDIM pin through the feedback circuitCFB and RFB. Further components arepresent to provide protection againststrike failure, power outage or filamentfaults.

Additional design supportThrough its HVIC process and some

innovative design, a single-chip solutionhas been developed that will speed thedevelopment of low power dimmablemini-ballasts. In order to further simplifythe design process for applications basedon the IRS2530D, a Ballast DesignAssistant software application has alsobeen developed. Freely downloadablefrom the IR website, this allows engineersto quickly target applications with differentline input voltage ranges, lamp types andlamp configurations. The software packagethen generates the necessary ballastoutput data, IC programmable componentvalues and inductor specifications alongwith schematics and a complete bill ofmaterials.

The IRPLDIM4E, IRPLDIM5E, IRPLCFL8Ureference designs, featuring the IRS2530D,are also available, in addition to theIRPLDIM3 reference design which featuresthe IRS2158D.

Figure 5: Typical application schematic


Digital Power Control BenefitsFluorescent Lighting ApplicationsLighting is responsible for around 20% of the world’s energy consumption and there are number ofinitiatives being implemented to reduce this demand. Around the globe legislation is being enforced tooutlaw inefficient lamp types, whilst the development of norms and standards is helping to improve theperformance of others. Enabling this trend are the introduction of better lamp technologies and thedevelopment of enhanced lamp control electronics that convert power more efficiently and control it moreeffectively. David Compton, Michael Herfurth, Infineon Technologies, Munich/Neubiberg, Germany

The ICB2FL01G is a fluorescent lamp(FL) ballast controller designed for T5/T8Linear and Compact FL Ballasts (Figure 1). Itcomes in a standard lead-free DSO packagewith 19 pins. The device integrates thefunctions of lamp inverter and power factorcorrection (PFC) circuits. Digital/ mixed-signal power control was chosen as it offersa number of advantages in this application.Operating time constants and the handlingof abnormal operation modes can beprogrammed using only resistors. This hasthe dual benefit of simplifying someelements of ballast design whilst increasingdesign flexibility. The elimination ofcapacitors for programming functions hasbeen found to improve ballast stability andto offer a useful reduction in system cost.

Circuit start-upDuring pre-start, lamp fault and under-

voltage lockout (UVLO) conditions, thesupply current is held below 200µA. Controlcurrents flowing in the high-side and low-sidelamp filaments allow the presence of up tofour lamps to be detected by the two lampvoltage sense (LVS) input pins (Figure 2).

Having ensured that the PFC bus voltageis above start-up threshold (12.5% ofnominal), The Inverter and PFC stages arestarted. PFC start-up is delayed slightly toallow the VCC charge pump supply tostabilise. A detected bus voltage lower than12.5% and higher than 105% of nominalvalue inhibits Gate drive to all MOSFETs.

Half-bridge inverterThe inverter operates with a start-up

frequency of 135kHz which is maintaineduntil the PFC bus voltage has reached 95%of its nominal value. This measure providesimproved start-up behaviour, especially inuniversal input voltage designs. Inverterfrequency is then decreased to the pre-heating frequency over 10ms to providesoft-start. Pre-heating frequency, runfrequency and pre-heating time can all

Figure 1: Controller for T5/T8 Linear andCompact FL ballasts in standard lead-free DSOpackage with 19 pins

Figure 2: Typical application schematic of ICB2FL01G ballast controller for up to four lamps to bedetected by the two lamp voltage sense (LVS) input pins

Figure 3: Ignition offluorescent lamp byfrequency shifttowards resonantfrequency

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be programmed using only resistors.Following pre-heating time, the inverter

frequency is further reduced to the resonantfrequency of the series resonant circuit(Figure 3). Because the FL is connected inparallel with the resonance capacitor, theirvoltages increase in unison. As soon as theignition voltage of the lamp is achieved, thelamp voltage breaks down and the controllertransitions to pre-run mode for 600ms.During this time the range of monitoringfunctions is reduced. After this period run-mode is adopted and all monitoringfunctions are enabled. (Figure 4).The current in the low-side MOSFET of the

inverter is measured via the shunt resistor atpin LSCS. As soon as the programmed levelis reached, the ignition control becomesactive and maintains the current at this peaklevel. This measure ensures that the ignitionvoltage is held within pre-set limits shouldthe lamp fail to ignite. In this case, thefrequency shift is stopped either until thelamp ignites or the maximum ignition time isexceeded, whereupon the IC adopts the faultprotection mode.

Monitoring featuresOver-current protection of the inverter is

active during all operating modes. During runmode all monitoring features are enabled:lamp overvoltage leads to a shut down whenthe condition lasts longer than 620µs;capacitive mode operation is sensed via theshape of the current at the shunt resistor andis handled in the same way; rectifier effect ofthe lamp is detected via a DC level at the twoLVS pins and halts operation when the effectlasts longer than 2500ms. The timing iscontrolled by a multiple counters in order toensure effective capture of the failure events.A state machine manages controller

operation including the detection andhandling of failure modes and lampremoval. The state machine features an in-circuit test mode which accelerates start-upand fault detection sequences. This featurecan be used during ballast production toreduce test times. Pre-heating can beskipped after a breakdown of the linevoltage shorter than 500ms, which enables

com-pliancy with emergency lightingrequirements according to VDE 0108.

DCM PFC preconverterThe PFC stage starts in fixed operating

frequency mode with increasing on-timeand switches to critical conduction mode(CritCM) operation as soon a presetthreshold is exceeded at pin PFCZCD.During CritCM operation, the end of thedemagnetisation phase of the boostinductor is sensed via the detector winding.The current limiting resistor connecting thedetector winding to pin PFCZCD is alsoused to tune the increase of on-time at lowinput voltage levels. This measure improvesthe THD of the AC input current.The PFC section features an integrated

digital control loop which removes the need forexternal components for loop compensationand synchronisation to the AC input voltage.

The digital control allows fast dynamic responseand high rejection of superimposed ripple onthe bus voltage. During light load conditions thePFC control changes the operating mode fromCritCM to discontinuous conduction mode(DCM), which allows stable operation down tozero load (Figure 5).

ConclusionLighting offers tremendous scope for

electronics to help reduce wasted energy;electronic fluorescent ballasts, for example, useup to 25% less energy than their magneticcounterparts. High performance analogueblocks can ensure efficient conversion ofpower whilst the judicious application of digitalcontrol can ensure its effective use. Thedescribed ICB2FL01G lamp ballast controller issupported by comprehensive applicationdocumentation including a fully featureddemo board (Figure 6).

30 LIGHTING POWER www.infineon.com/lighting


Figure 4: Operating modes and typical frequencyvariation during start-up

Figure 5: Change ofoperating mode fromCritCM to DCMduring light load

Figure 6: Bottom and top side of fully featured demo board for ICB2FL01G lamp ballast controller

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Enhanced Performance withDigital DC/DC ConvertersNewly designed DC/DC converters can provide measurable benefits to the user in terms of the design,manufacturing and utilisation phases of the product lifecycle. The internal design of these 3E DC/DCconverters uses digital power control techniques, and some of the optional user implementations of theseproducts can benefit from utilisation of system level digital power and energy management approaches.The digital power management concept can be a powerful tool. While saving a few milliwatts in one smallsubassembly may not seem terribly important, the cumulative power savings in a system of even moderatesize can quickly add up. Patrick Le Fèvre, Ericsson Power Modules, Stockholm, Sweden

Conventional analog DC/DC convertersuse a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)control chip in conjunction with a multitudeof external resistors, capacitors, inductorsand active discrete semiconductor devicesto achieve the feedback and controlfunctions needed by the board mountedpower supply (BMPS). The required timeconstants are formed with linear analogcomponent networks. Ericsson PowerModules uses the term ‘digital powercontrol’ to describe a power converter orregulator design in which much of theanalog control functionality is replaced withdigital circuitry (Figure 1).

Digital versus analogTypically, the digital content will include

the feedback loops, MOSFET gate drivegeneration, stability control, and faultdetection. The MOSFET switches and themain output LC filter are often quite similarto those in an analog DC/DC converter.The main point to be made here is thatdigital power control can be transparent tothe end-user of the BMPS. Two devices,one implemented digitally and one withanalog circuitry, can be plug-compatible,and may even be indistinguishable as far asthe end-user is concerned. However, usingdigital techniques internal to a DC/DCconverter can offer significant density andperformance advantages, as well asdrastically increase the DC/DC converter’sflexibility and configurability.

While digital power control only appliesto circuitry contained within a power supplyand is designed and controlled by theBMPS manufacturer, digital powermanagement and energy managementextends beyond the physical boundaries ofa DC/DC converter or POL regulator andinto the end-use system. This extensionsignificantly increases the capabilities of theend-use system, but will also require the

power system designer to participate in theimplementation of the digitalcommunications structure. The term ‘digitalpower management’ is used by EricssonPower Modules to describe a system inwhich DC/DC converters and/or POLregulators communicate digitally with eachother and/or other elements in the systemfor the purposes of monitoring andcontrolling the behaviour of the powersupplies. This digital communication istypically used for the functions of powermonitoring, fault handling, powersequencing, and efficiency optimisation,and is facilitated by a digital interfacereferred to as the power management bus(PMBus).

While digital power control must operateon a cycle-by-cycle basis at the powersupply’s operating frequency to control theenergy flow, digital power managementusually operates on a slower time scale toreact to changes within the system.

The efficiency of DC/DC converters andPOL regulators has always been a keyperformance criterion. It is receiving evenmore attention as more emphasis is placedon energy consumption and theenvironmental impacts of large scale dataprocessing and telecom installations. Afortuitous synergy results when digital powercontrol and digital power management arecombined. Digital power control allows for‘on-the-fly’ reconfiguration of operating

Figure 1: In an Intermediate Bus Architecture (IBA) a board-level Intermediate Bus Converter (IBC)feeds multiple POL regulators, which are located in proximity to the load circuitry and supply the finaloperating voltages

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parameters within a power supply as afunction of system operating conditions.If a digitally controlled DC/DC converter is

operated in a system with digital powermanagement, the system status can be usedto dynamically program the operatingconditions of the power supply. For example,the power transistor dead-time could bevaried as a function of the DC/DC converter’sinput and output voltage and output currentto optimise the real-time efficiency over abroad variety of operating conditions.Similarly, the intermediate bus voltage

provided by an IBC can be dynamicallyvaried to optimise the overall efficiency ofthe combination of IBC and POL losses asa function of the current system operatingcondition. Ericsson Power Modules refers tothis combined usage of digital powermanagement and digital power control as‘digital energy management’. Impressivesavings in total energy consumption can beachieved in this way. In effect, digitalenergy management replaces compromisewith optimisation.

3E DC/DC product overviewThe first 3E DC/DC converter product is

the BMR453 series, an isolated DC/DCconverter capable of 400W or 33A ofoutput in a quarter brick form factor (seeFigure 2). These converters are designed tocomplement the 3E POL regulators, andprovide outstanding levels of efficiency,power density, flexibility and performance.Unlike other quarter brick DC/DC

converters, the BMR453 achieves thispower density while providing tight 2%output voltage regulation over an inputvoltage range of 36 to 75V at efficiencylevels in excess of 96%. The output voltageis variable from 8.5 to 13.5V.The importance of the BMR453

introduction can best be understood bytaking a broader view of the DC/DCconverter and IBC market. In recent years,this market has been somewhatsegmented. Traditional DC/DC converterswere considered ‘high performance’products with tight output voltageregulation. The trade-off for this moreprecise regulation was lower power densityand lower efficiency when compared withIBCs. The IBC eliminated the output voltageregulation function in order to achievebetter power density, efficiency and costthan was available with DC/DC converterproducts. The BMR453 combines the bestattributes of the traditional DC/DCconverter and the IBC, along with thebenefits of digital power control and digitalpower/energy management.

3E DC/DC benefitsThe BMR453 converters are available

both with and without a baseplate. Acommunications pin header is used forconnection to the PMBus. For users whoelect to not use the PMBus interface, anoptional version of the converter isavailable without the communications pinheader. While eliminating the opportunity

for system level digital power management,this option will still provide the benefits ofdigital power control internal to the DC/DCconverter.For the normal DC/DC converter power

input and output pins carrying large amountof current, thick low resistance pins are used.For other interfaces, such as remote sensingand clock/data lines that conduct minimalcurrent, an industry standard connectorheader is selected. This selection, in additionto reducing the PCB area needed forinterconnection, results in cost savings to theend user. The low current connector headeris widely used in the industry with highproduction volumes and low cost. Thisselection also eliminates the technical risk ofdeveloping a new pin design.Figure 3 shows the typical efficiency

characteristics of the BMR453 as a functionof input voltage and output current. Notethat the curve is relatively flat over a widerange of output current and extends above96% for output currents from 10 to 25Awith the most common 48V input voltage.This is outstanding efficiency performance.Even though it is a fully regulated DC/DCconverter, the efficiency is higher than thatof most IBCs without load regulation.BMR453 DC/DC converters can be directlyconnected without external components inan automatic current sharing configuration,even in systems that do not utilise thePMBus for digital power managementpurposes. The current sharing is balancedwithin a maximum of 10% between the

32 DIGITAL POWER www.ericsson.com/powermodules


Figure 2: The first 3E DC/DC converter product isthe BMR453 series, an isolated DC/DC convertercapable of 33A or 400W of output power in aquarter brick form factor, which combines thetight output tolerance of the traditional DC/DCconverter and the high power density andefficiency of the IBC, along with the benefits ofdigital power control and power management

Figure 3: Typicalefficiencycharacteristics of theBMR453 as a functionof input voltage andoutput current forboth 12 and 9Voutput


converters resulting in a maximum outputpower of up to 720W for two units. Twoparalleled units will have a typical efficiencyof over 96% over an output load range of25 to 55A. The ability to share currentunder dynamic load conditions is alsoimportant. These converters are directlyconnected without any ORing diodes andcommunicate inbetween each other toactively balance the load without furtherneed for external control supervision.

Almost all DC/DC converters aredeployed in a system environment thatrequires an EMI filter between them andthe input power source so that theappropriate regulatory requirements can bemet. One of the design objectives of theBMR453 was to minimise the input ripplecurrent so that the size and complexity ofthe EMI filter could be minimized.

This was achieved by automaticallysynchronising the operation of paralleledDC/DC converters. The synchronisation isdone in a ‘master-slave’ implementation.The slave converter assumes the sameoperating frequency as the master, but witha 90° phase shift between them. This phaseshift is critical for minimising the input ripplecurrent of the combined converters with theinterleaved full-bridge topology. The effectof this approach is shown in Figure 4. Themaximum ripple current (and moststringent EMI criteria) for this topology

actually occurs at light load, so the testingwas done with no load on the output.

Optimisation using energymanagement

Using the PMBus together with a hostcontroller in the ATE during the manufacturingprocess provides fast and reliable setting ofpower sequencing routines. This represents avast improvement in complexity relative totraditional systems that used analog-basedpower controllers for this purpose.

The BMR453 series is particularly flexiblein this regard. It has a ‘power good’ outputsignal to indicate when it is in its regulationband and operating normally, which isuseful for event-based power sequencing.The voltage tracking feature can be used tocreate custom user-defined output voltageramp-up profiles based on a control voltageramp. It is also easy to implement voltagemargin testing during manufacturing toverify system operation over the extremesof the design space. Fault detection andhandling can be easily optimised. The hostcontroller can be programmed to setcustomised limits on each of the faultsensors (temperature, voltage and current),not only for absolute limits, but also for‘warning’ conditions.

The wide output voltage adjustmentrange of the converter can be used tooptimise overall efficiency and energy

consumption in a system by means ofdigital power management via the PMBus.Conventional analog DC/DC convertersand POL regulators are designed formaximum efficiency under the mostcommonly expected system operatingconditions. But each system application isunique, and any individual system willexperience different operating conditions asa function of installed features andoperating mode. Consequently, the outputcurrent of each BMPS will vary with time,as will its efficiency. The converter’s outputvoltage can be dynamically programmedvia the PMBus to optimise either its ownefficiency or that of the entire powersystem. POL regulators, especially at lightloads, are generally most efficient at lowervalues of input voltage (DC/DC converteroutput voltage). The total system wouldthen be optimised by using a low value ofBMR453 output voltage – perhaps in therange of 9 to 10V.

But during conditions of high outputcurrent, the system power demand mayrequire a higher intermediate bus voltage inorder to increase the power output availablefrom the DC/DC converter. In this scenario,the converter’s output voltage could beautomatically increased to 12V or above bysensing the system current demand andprogramming the BMR453 via the PMBus.The host controller, knowing the efficiency

www.ericsson.com/powermodules DIGITAL POWER 33


Figure 5: Active utilisation of parallel versussingle DC/DC converter operation is a powerfultool that reduces energy consumption byoptimisation of the efficiency over the full loadrange

Figure 4: The synchronisation feature of the BMR453 may be used to attenuate input ripple current, thus facilitating EMI filter design


34 DIGITAL POWER


curves of the POL regulators and the DC/DC converter, can select the optimalintermediate bus voltage to maximise the total system efficiency. This techniquecan be very useful for system energy management and can have significantimpact on the cumulative energy usage and power utility costs.Figure 5 shows the combined efficiency of two paralleled DC/DC converters,

as well as the efficiency curve of a single unit. As noted earlier, the efficiencycurve of the paralleled units is exceptionally broad, exceeding 96% from 25 to55A. Output current values of less than 25A means the single DC/DC converterwill be more efficient than a paralleled pair. For systems in which there is a verywide range of current demand combined with a high priority on operatingefficiency, digital power management can be used for efficiency optimisation.The host power controller can automatically switch the DC/DC converter

function from a current shared paralleled connection to a single converterwhen the system current requirements are low. This communication would bedone via the PMBus. The negotiated switching point would need to contain afair amount of ‘overlap’ or hysteresis, so that a single converter would not beoperated near its maximum current rating to avoid over-current conditions.With this type of automated converter changeover capability, the compositeefficiency curve of the BMR453 is truly impressive, with 96% efficiencyachieved from10 to 55A. The efficiency is above 90% even at loads down to2.5A. This approach results in significant savings in power losses, since at lightsystem loads the switching losses of a single converter will be about half thoseof two paralleled converters.Practical implementation will require seamless switchover without disruption of

the system intermediate bus voltage load or generation of any fault conditions.A more demanding condition occurs when switching from one converter to

a paralleled connection. Synchronous rectification is used in the converters tomaximise efficiency with the output rectification via MOSFETs, which canconduct current in either direction. This can create difficulties when starting upinto a pre-biased load, which is exactly the scenario presented with the start-upof the second converter in the paralleled configuration. Without propermanagement of the start-up, the converter could be over-stressed by areversecurrent and there could be a significant dip in the output voltage. ORingdiodes could be used as a solution, but were rejected due to their negativeimpact on efficiency and packaging density. Instead, the ORing function isimplemented with intelligent control of the output transistors. This approachwould normally require the addition of a specialised controller IC, but with thedigital control the start-up is handled by the existing self-containedmicrocontroller without the need for any additional components.Another possible extension of this capability, which could be useful in some

high availability systems, would be to automatically disable a failed paralleledconverter to permit the system to continue operation at a reduced power levelin ‘limp along’ fashion until a repair action could be accomplished.

ConclusionThe PMBus offers increased functionality, flexibility and opportunity for system

optimisation by using it as an interface during system development,manufacturing testing or in the field environment. One of Ericsson PowerModules’ goals is to make the transition from analog to digital powermanagement systems as convenient as possible for the end-user, by supportingthe new products with a wide variety of applications assistance. An evaluation kitconsisting of a demonstration board with provision for hosting two BMR453 3EDC/DC converters, up to six 3E POL regulators, USB cable, CMM software onCD, device drivers, sample configuration files and complete documentation canbe used as a development platform. This evaluation kit is highly recommendedas a first step for users who may be considering exploring usage of the 3Eproducts or designing a power system configured with a PMBus.

LiteratureDigital Power Forum Europe, Power Electronics Europe, 8/2007Advanced Power Modules for Telecom Applications, Power Electronics

Europe, 2/2007The Age of Digital Power, Power Electronics Europe, 2/2006Digital Power on the Move, Power Electronics Europe, 1/2006More Power and Communication for DC/DC Converters, Power

Electronics Europe, 1/2005

The Power Ring Film Capacitor™

• 1000 µF/600 VDC • High Power Density • 200 ARMS with less than 10°C TRISE

A Single Capacitor for DC Link Applications

Website: Contact Info: www.SBElectronics.com [email protected]


PRODUCT UPDATE 35


Cirrus Logic has introduced the Apex Precision Power SA306-IHZ andSA57-IHZ, high current PWM ICs targeted at fractional horsepower DCmotor drive applications in the 9V to 60V supply range.The SA306-IHZ and SA57-IHZ feature of up to 5A of continuous

output current (8A with A Grade versions), and PEAK output of 17Aand is housed in a 64pin Power Quad package with a footprintmeasuring less than 2cm². Inside the package, the SA306-IHZ andSA57-IHZ deliver cycle-by-cycle current limit, which provides the uniqueability to precisely control motor current in real time for each motorphase.With this ability the SA306-IHZ and SA57-IHZ allow the power

system structure to ‘partner’ with the processor or DSP to controlcurrent in real time for each motor phase, rather than just settle forlimiting the overall current to a safe value.These devices implement current mirrors in each leg of the driver to

continuously monitor and regulate motor current in all phases, andcompare these levels to a pre-determined ‘safe’ limit. Should currentexceed the limit, the drivers will shut down all outputs for the remainderof the switching cycle and re-set the outputs with the start of the nextcycle. An extended benefit of cycle-by-cycle current limit is the ability tosoft start the motor by allowing the driver to handle the inrush of start-up current.In terms of digital interface, the SA306-IHZ and the SA57-IHZ are

designed to provide customers with a seamless interface to either adigital microcontroller (MCU) or a DSP. The top side and bottom sideoutput FETs on these PWM drivers can be individually controlled viadirect signals from the processor. This communication includes currentsensing for each phase.

www.cirrus.com

DC/DC µModule RegulatorACAL Technologyoffers theLTM8021, acomplete DC/DCregulator for point-of-load (POL)applications fromLinear Technologywith on-boardinductor andpower componentsin a package thatresembles asurface-mount IC.The LTM8021

operates frominput suppliesfrom 3 to 36V (40Vmaximum) and delivers up to 500mA. The LTM8021’s tiny footprint (6.25mm x11.25mm), low profile (2.8mm) and light weight (0.49g), enable system designersto solder the device on the backside of the circuit board. It includes a DC/DCcontroller IC, power switch, inductor, compensation circuitry and input andoutput bypass capacitors. Its design is as simple as a linear regulator and has theadvantage of less heat dissipation and smaller size.Target applications are systems with 5V, 12, 24 and 28V input supply rails such

as medical, industrial, avionics and after-market automotive.

www.acaltechnology.com

LDO with Three Operating ModesRicoh’s new 300mA LDO RP200 with three operating modes isdesigned for applications which require the specifications ofthe LDO to adapt to their different modes of operation. It hasa new additional Automatic Eco mode control pin to selectmanually between either a continuous Fast Transient mode(when required), or an Automatic Mode Shift operation.The Automatic Mode Shift feature allows the LDO to switch

automatically between Fast Transient and Low CurrentConsumption mode, depending on the current demand of theapplication. In particular, the LDO supply current in lowcurrent consumption mode (compared with previousproducts) improved significantly (5.5 to 1µA), as well as theoutput voltage accuracy and the temperature drift coefficient.As for protection, an embedded fold-back current limit

circuit decreases the output current in case of a short-circuitto approximately 50mA, thus protecting the LDO and otherelectronic parts of the application from damage. An optionalfeature is the auto-discharge function, which discharges theoutput capacitor fast once the LDO is disabled, avoiding oddbehaviour of the application during the power-downsequence.For stable operation, small ceramic capacitors with low ESR

and a minimum value of 1.0µF can be used. RP200 isavailable in a regular SOT23-5 and SC-88A packages.

www.ricoh.com/LSI/

High Current PWM ICs

p35-36 Products.qxd:Products - 1 page 20/1/09 10:00

36 PRODUCT UPDATE


Eight-Channel PowerSequencer

High Current PackagePowerMOSFETs

Texas Instruments offers a new eight-channelsequencer and monitor with non-volatile error logging.The device supports the latest generationmicroprocessors, ASICs and DSPs, to improve systemreliability and ease sequencing on boards withmultiple points of load. The sequencer operates froma 3.3V supply and does not require external memoryor a clock, to help reduce board space in a variety ofequipment, including telecommunication switches,servers, industrial, networking and test equipment. TheUCD9081 allows to constantly monitor the health ofthe power supply system and manage the increasingnumber of power supply rails.The device’s non-volatile error logging stores any

system failure to flash memory, which allows forfurther diagnostics of any power supply failures. TheUCD9081 independently monitors eight voltage railswith 3.5mV resolution. In addition, the flexible railstart-up and shutdown sequence and fault responseoptions add further system and load protection. TheUCD9081 also provides up to four additional general-purpose outputs for other board-level functions suchas power good or reset signals. A GUI allows toconfigure the UCD9081 via an I²C interface.

www.ti.com/ucd9081-pr

International Rectifier’s new power MOSFETs provide apackage current rating of up to 195A, delivering a 60%improvement over typical package current ratings.These MOSFETs also provide improved on-stateresistance compared to previous offerings and areavailable in the TO-220, D2PAK and TO-262 packages.Moreover, the 7pin D2PAK achieves a package currentrating of 240A and reduced on-resistance making itone of the most rugged surface mount packagesavailable. The higher current rating from thesepackages can provide more guard band fromunwanted transients and help reduce part count inparallel-type topologies where several MOSFETs sharehigh current. The N-channel MOSFETs provide avoltage range of 60 to 200V and are qualified toindustrial grade and moisture sensitivity level 1(MSL1).

www.irf.com

1000W AC/DC Power BricksTDK-Lambda addsmore functionality toits PFE range of AC-DC MEGA-brickpower supplies withthe introduction ofthe 1000W PFE-FSeries.Like the existing

lower power PFEmodules, PFE1000Fcombines the AC toHVDC front-end withDC/DC converter intoa single module. Inaddition, thebaseplate cooleddesign satisfy theincreasing requirement for fanless high power, especially for outdoor electronics whensuitably enclosed. Up to six PFE1000F units can be operated in parallel, achieving outputs ofup to 5.1kW.For use in high reliability equipment, N+1 redundant parallel operation is possible. Space

savings of 25% are possible with PFE applications compared to previous generationsolutions that utilised a two stage AC/DC front end module and DC/DC backend module.Models in the fully-regulated PFE1000F series are available in 12, 28 and 48V nominaloutputs and can be adjusted ±20%.The 12V versions deliver 720W with a maximum baseplate temperature of 100°C, while the

28 and 48V models provide 1008W.

www.emea.tdk-lambda.com

Low ESR MLCCAVX’s new MH Series provides a ceramiccapacitor that combines the attributes ofceramic devices, low ESR, non-polarconstruction, high frequency behaviour,voltage stress capabilities and widetemperature range, with the enhancedmechanical protection of a molded case.

In addition, the MH Series provides alead free, RoHS compliant solution forcustomers who have previously beenunable to use large case size ceramiccapacitors, or stacked ceramic capacitorsolutions because of thermal,mechanical, or environmental concerns.

The MH Series is rated at up to 100Vwith a maximum capacitance of 22µF.The operating temperature is -55 to125°C. Applications include, input/output capacitors for industrial andtelecoms applications, smoothingcircuits, HID, and automotive high CVapplications previously impossible dueto case size limitations.

www.avx.com

p35-36 Products.qxd:Products - 1 page 20/1/09 10:00

WEBSITE LOCATOR 37


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

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.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

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

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

Connectors & TerminalBlocks


Current Sensors

www.collmer.comCollmer Components IncTel: 001 972 248 2888

www.hvca.comHV Component AssociatesTel: +49 (0) 89/891 374 80


p37-38 Website Locator.qxd:p41-42 Website Locator 20/1/09 11:18

Power Modules

Power Protection Products

Power Substrates

Resistors & Potentiometers

Simulation Software

Thyristors

Smartpower Devices

Voltage References

Power ICs

Suppressors

Switches & Relays

Switched Mode PowerSupplies

Thermal Management &Heatsinks

















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


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


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

www.denka.co.jpDenka Chemicals GmbHTel: +49 (0)211 13099 50

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

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



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

38 WEBSITE LOCATOR


ADVERTISERS INDEX

ADVERTISER PAGE

Agilent Technologies 11

AR Europe 4

Coilcraft OBC

CT Concepts 21

Danfoss 25

Digi-key 7

ADVERTISER PAGE

Fuji Electric 17

International Rectifier IFC

Microsemi Power 15 & 34

National Semiconductor 9

PCIM 2009 IBC

SBE 34

Linear Converters

Mosfets

Optoelectronic Devices



Packaging & Packaging Materials






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



p37-38 Website Locator.qxd:p41-42 Website Locator 20/1/09 11:18

International Exhibition& Conference forPOWER ELECTRONICSINTELLIGENT MOTIONPOWER QUALITY12 – 14 May 2009Exhibition Centre Nuremberg

2009

Power for Efficiency!

Veranstalter/Organizer:Mesago PCIM GmbH, Rotebühlstr. 83-85, D-70178 Stuttgart, Tel. +49 711 61946-56, E-mail: [email protected]

MesagoPCIM

39_PEE_0109:39_PEE_0109 20/1/09 11:02 Page 1

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PEE PSDE40_PEE_0109:40_PEE_0109 20/1/09 11:00 Page 1

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