news review
European project targets more efficiency for power electronics
LOW ENERGY consumption and high output powers are the core requirements for modern power converter systems. Power transistors are the elementary devices in electronic power converters transforming continuous and alternating current into the voltages used by systems. Such transistors can be found in almost every technical device.
Over the next three years, the EU project HiPoSwitch, which is coordinated by the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), is focusing on novel GaN-based transistors. They are the key switching devices which shall ensure increased efficiency in future power converter systems and shall require less volume and weight along with enhanced performance. Usually, the efficiency of present systems is largely limited by the active components used. Nowadays, they are mostly based on silicon which has now advanced to the point that the material itself is basically at its limits.
SiC, on the other hand, is rather expensive and will thus prevent more widespread applications. With its superior material properties, GaN promises to be a suitable material for power switching. It is the basis for power switches operating at significantly higher frequencies without suffering from major switching losses. This is due to the drastically lower on-state
resistance of GaN power transistors, combined with considerably reduced in and output capacitances.
The joint project has a total budget of € 5.6 million and is being funded by the
European Community who aim to provide nearly € 3.6 million.
Eight European project partners provide a portfolio of complementary competencies covering the complete value added chain, from research and development ((FBH ; Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electrical Engineering; Vienna University of Technology; University of Padua) to industrial application (Aixtron SE, Artesyn Austria GmbH & Co. KG, EpiGaN, Infineon Technologies Austria).
After project completion, GaN power transistors and 200 mm GaN-on-silicon substrates will be commercially available and marketed worldwide.
Throughout the project, normally-off GaN power transistors in vertical device architecture will be jointly developed by the German research institute FBH and Infineon. Processing will be carried out mainly on GaN-on-Si wafers provided by EpiGaN but also benchmarked against GaN-on-SiC epitaxial wafers delivered by FBH. This work package aims at rapidly
Mobile broadband device market to hit 525 million by 2016
THE UK market analyst Strategy Analytics is predicting that the Mobile Broadband Device market will claim a global installed base of over 525 million units by 2016. The report, “Mobile Broadband Devices: 5-Year Market Forecast for Embedded and External Modems,” shows steady growth for external modems over the forecast period.
This expansion will be driven by device costs, more flexible tariffs, a shift to LTE and growth in mobile hotspots for multiple devices, such as tablets and other consumer electronics. Embedded modems, however, will experience slower growth due to the higher cost of embedding cellular capabilities and the
need for additional data services. “Strategy Analytics anticipates continued growth in mobile broadband devices as operators improve user segmentation, such as flexible plans and content bundling all underpinned by LTE, ” commented Andrew Brown, Director, Wireless Enterprise Strategies and author of the report.
“Mobile hotspots have been a highlight in this sector, typically enabling up to five devices at a time to connect anywhere on one data plan. The growth in the number and variety of Wi-Fi enabled devices, has considerably increased the value proposition of these mobile hotspot
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net November/December 2011
transferring the process modules from FBH to the high-volume process line at Infineon. Explorative concepts towards novel normally-off power transistors and devices operating.
In parallel to the device developments, the industrial partners concentrate on transferring the technology developed to a high-volume production environment: The Belgian company EpiGaN focuses on 200 mm GaN-on-Si epitaxy developments whereas the German corporation Aixtron sets the prerequisites for high-volume epitaxy by optimising the respective growth reactors.
Infineon Technologies Austria AG evaluates the developed transistor concepts and the GaN-on-Si wafers from EpiGaN in their process line. Artesyn Austria will finally demonstrate the capability of the newly developed technology by building a highly efficient kilowatt class inverter system to be implemented, for example, in new- generation base stations for mobile communications.
devices,” he added.
This Strategy Analytics report includes forecasts of shipments of mobile broadband devices, both embedded and external, as well as sizing of the installed base of mobile broadband devices. Also included in this report is further segmentation for embedded and external mobile WiMax devices.
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