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Texas Instruments Incorporated reported third quarter revenue of $4.15 billion, net income of $1.36 billion and earnings per share of $1.47. Earnings per share included a 3-cent benefit for items that were not in the company’s original guidance.
Regarding the company’s performance and returns to shareholders, Haviv Ilan, TI’s president and CEO, made the following comments:
- “Revenue decreased 8% from the same quarter a year ago and increased 9% sequentially. Industrial continued to decline sequentially, while all other end markets grew.
- “Our cash flow from operations of $6.2 billion for the trailing 12 months again underscored the strength of our business model, the quality of our product portfolio and the benefit of 300mm production. Free cash flow for the same period was $1.5 billion.
- “Over the past 12 months we invested $3.7 billion in R&D and SG&A, invested $4.8 billion in capital expenditures and returned $5.2 billion to owners.
- “TI’s fourth quarter outlook is for revenue in the range of $3.70 billion to $4.00 billion and earnings per share between $1.07 and $1.29. We continue to expect our fourth quarter effective tax rate to be about 13%.”
Original – Texas Instruments
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LATEST NEWS / SiC / WBG2 Min Read
Electric drives are becoming increasingly prevalent in the boat and ship sector. At METSTRADE, Bosch Engineering is unveiling a newly developed, high-performance electrification solution for electrical systems with voltages of up to 800 volts, which further extends the potential use cases of electric drives in maritime applications while also raising system efficiency.
“With the latest generation of our electric motor and inverter with silicon carbide power modules, we offer a complete system that allows not only recreational boats but also larger sailing yachts and working boats to be operated with an efficient, quiet, yet still very powerful electric drive,” states Philip Kurek, who is responsible for off-highway and maritime solutions at Bosch Engineering.
The new electric motor SMG 230 is designed for system voltages of 400 to 800 volts. In an ideal voltage and temperature range, it offers a continuous power output of up to 200 kilowatts and around 250 newton meters of torque. Thanks to the 800-volt technology, the power density has also been increased significantly. The SMG 230 delivers 80 kilowatts more power than a comparable 400-volt machine with identical weight or, with the same level of performance, boasts more compact dimensions and a much lower weight.
The inverter with silicon carbide semiconductors, which is also designed for electrical voltages of up to 800 volts, is characterized by its impressive efficiency of more than 99 percent. The silicon carbide semiconductors in the power modules enable faster switching operations, meaning that significantly less energy is lost in the form of heat.
Bosch’s complete kit for the electrification of boat drives comprises electronic control units, inverters, electric motors, and transmissions for both 400- and 800-volt applications. This gives shipyards and system integrators maximum flexibility when adapting the electrification strategy to the respective requirements and allows them to integrate the relevant components quickly and easily into their ships. The system components are based on modern automotive technology and combine high robustness with utmost reliability. With its comprehensive kit for the electrification of ship drives, Bosch is making a crucial contribution to the ongoing reduction of greenhouse gas and noise emissions.
Original – Bosch
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GaN / LATEST NEWS / SiC / WBG2 Min Read
At this month’s IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Expo (ECCE), Navitas Semiconductor introduced conference attendees to ‘IntelliWeave’ – an innovative patented new digital control technique for improving next generation AI data center power supply (PSU) efficiency.
In a world where ever-more energy is needed for the processing of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based applications, minimizing power consumption has become a priority for data center architects and operators. Combining next-generation GaN and SiC semiconductors with new control technique strategies to power conversion plays a key role in achieving this goal.
IntelliWeave’s novel digital control enables highest system efficiencies with precision current sharing, ultra-fast dynamic response and minimal phase error. A patented dual-loop and dual-feed-forward interleaving control achieves absolute zero voltage switching (ZVS) across the full-load range to enable highest efficiencies.
The digital control for Critical Conduction Mode (CRM) interleaving Totem Pole Power Factor Control (PFC) enables 30% reduction in power losses compared to existing Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) solutions. The digital control combined with high-power GaNSafe power ICs has been proven on a 500 kHz GaN-based interleaving 3.2 kW CrM PFC PSU operating at 99.3% peak efficiency including EMI filter loss.
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona from October 20th to 24th, IEEE ECCE 2024 features both industry-driven and application-oriented technical sessions and brings together practicing engineers, researchers and other professionals for interactive and multidisciplinary discussions on the latest advances in various areas related to energy conversion.
On October 21st Tao Wei presented “Novel digital control for a GaN-based CrM interleaved TP PFC”.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Wolfspeed, Inc. announced that Thomas Seifert and Woody Young have been nominated to Wolfspeed’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Their nominations will be considered by shareholders at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “2024 Annual Meeting”), scheduled for December 5, 2024.
Mr. Seifert has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cloudflare, Inc., a leading internet security company, since June 2017. Prior to joining Cloudflare, Mr. Seifert held executive leadership positions at a number of technology and semiconductor companies, including serving as Chief Financial Officer of Symantec Corporation, Brightstar Corp., and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Mr. Seifert currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of First Derivatives plc, an ultra-high-performance analytics software company.
Mr. Young most recently served as the President and a member of the Board of Directors of Solidigm, a flash memory semiconductor company, from October 2022 until August 2023. Mr. Young has over 30 years of experience as an investment banker and is the former Chairman of Mergers and Acquisitions at Perella Weinberg Partners LP. He previously served as the Co-Head of Global Telecommunications, Media, and Technology at Lazard and in similar roles at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers. Mr. Young currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (Nasdaq: FYBR), a fiber internet provider.“We are delighted to nominate Thomas Seifert and Woody Young for election to the Wolfspeed Board of Directors,” said Thomas Werner, Chair of the Wolfspeed Board. Mr. Werner continued, “With yesterday’s CHIPS Act capital structure update, I believe the Company successfully took a key step towards funding the execution of its business plan. We believe Thomas and Woody will be valuable additions to the Board as we focus on executing that plan, driving operational execution improvement, and continuing our previously disclosed efforts to explore ways to enhance shareholder value and unlock Wolfspeed’s strategic value.”
Clyde R. Hosein and John B. Replogle, who have served on the Board since 2005 and 2014, respectively, are not standing for re-election and will retire from the Board following the expiration of their terms at the 2024 Annual Meeting. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Clyde and John for their dedication and exemplary service to Wolfspeed over many years,” said Mr. Werner.
Original – Wolfspeed
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LATEST NEWS2 Min Read
Ideal Power Inc. announced the start of third-party automotive qualification and reliability testing of B-TRAN™ devices.
“This is a significant milestone in our commercialization roadmap as third-party automotive qualification and reliability testing of B-TRAN™ is now underway. Demonstration of compliance with automotive standards, the most stringent reliability standards for power semiconductor devices, is expected to accelerate the adoption of B-TRAN™ with large industrial customers as well as automotive OEMs and Tier 1 automotive suppliers,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power.
Ideal Power successfully performed a critical subset of reliability testing of packaged B-TRAN™ devices in its lab and at a third-party testing site to confirm readiness for third-party automotive qualification and reliability testing. This testing focused on the reliability of packaged B-TRAN™ devices in extreme environmental conditions and under high electrical and thermal stress as well as blocking voltage and shock testing.
All of the tested devices packaged by commercial packaging partner passed these tests indicating a robust B-TRAN™ packaging design. As a result, the Company engaged a third-party to commence full automotive qualification and reliability testing.
The automotive qualification and reliability testing includes a broader array of testing as required by automotive codes and standards utilizing specified parameters and a wide range of test conditions. The testing to achieve automotive qualification requires over a thousand packaged B-TRAN™ devices from multiple wafer runs.
The process includes tens of thousands of power cycles at various current levels, thermal cycling at extreme temperature and humidity levels, blocking voltage and shock and vibration testing, and visual inspection. These tests are designed to expose B-TRAN™ to conditions that are intended to accelerate failure mechanisms and demonstrate the long-term reliability of the devices. Successful completion of B-TRAN™ automotive qualification and reliability testing is expected in the first half of 2025.
Original – Ideal Power
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Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is exhibiting at the prestigious IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Expo on Booth 319. Now in its 16th year, ECCE 2024 is sponsored by both the IEEE Industrial Application Society (IAS) and IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS). The event continues to grow, both in attendance and content.
ECCE 2024 will feature two-page Late Break Research Briefs, Post-Journal paper presentations, and the standard technical papers. It will also offer special sessions on emerging technologies and industry-oriented topics, and of course, tutorials, which have become a staple element of the ECCE technical program.
Andrea Bricconi | Chief Marketing Officer, CGD
“It is important for CGD that we spread our message that GaN is the future of power electronics, in terms of energy efficiency, power density and smallest carbon footprint, and that our ICeGaN® GaN power ICs are the most rugged and easiest-to-use devices available. Therefore we are delighted to exhibit for the first time at ECCE.”
At the event, CGD will show a number of demos that employ ICeGaN, including:
- 3 kW PFC reference design
- QORVO motor drive evaluation kit developed in partnership with CGD and utilising ICeGaN
- Slim 100W adaptor
- Half-bridge, full-bridge as well as ICeGaN in parallel evaluation boards
- 300W PFC+LLC
- Single leg of a 3-phase automotive inverter demo board, developed in partnership with French public R&I institute, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN)
- ICeGaN vs discrete GaN circuits comparison in half bridge (daughter cards) demo board
Original – Cambridge GaN Devices
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LATEST NEWS2 Min Read
NOVOSENSE Microelectronics, a semiconductor company specializing in high-performance analog and mixed-signal chips, is set to present its latest innovations in automotive and industrial control technologies at electronica 2024, Munich.
Attendees to the show are invited to visit booth #450 in Hall B5 to explore NOVOSENSE’s state-of-the-art advancements in intelligent vehicles, electrification, industrial control, renewable energy, and power supply solutions.
NOVOSENSE’s CTO, Yun SHENG, stated,”As intelligent vehicles become increasingly prevalent in the automotive industry, there is a growing demand for innovative solutions that improve safety, efficiency, and the overall driving experience. In response to this dynamic market, NOVOSENSE is proud to present our latest advancements, including multi-channel half-bridge drivers, programmable stepper motor drivers, and compact temperature and humidity sensors specifically designed for the next generation of automotive applications.”
These products include:
- The 40V multi-channel half-bridge driver NSD830x supports multiple load types and has been engineered for HVAC and climate control.
- The programmable stepper motor driver NSD8381 features sophisticated capabilities for adaptive headlights and central thermal management systems, ensuring exceptional performance and reliability.
- The compact high-precision temperature and humidity sensor NSHT30 integrates a capacitive RH sensor, CMOS temperature sensor, and signal processor, supporting intelligent in-vehicle systems.
- The NSOPA9xxx series includes high-voltage operational amplifiers suitable for automotive and industrial applications, including OBC/DC-DC converters and traction inverters.
NOVOSENSE will also highlight a comprehensive selection of sensors and drivers designed for next-generation vehicles and industrial systems, emphasizing high-performance and compact designs.
- The NSI22C1x series of isolated comparators enhance the reliability of industrial motor drives by supporting overvoltage, overtemperature, and overcurrent protection.
- The NSIP605x series of transformer drivers provides cost-effective adaptability while ensuring superior EMI and ESD performance for streamlined system design.
- The NSI7258 solid state relays featuring a 1700 V withstand voltage, support high-voltage measurement and insulation monitoring across industrial and automotive applications.
- Compliant with AEC-Q1000 reliability requirements, the NSM2311 delivers a fully integrated high-isolation current sensing solution with low primary impedance and high continuous current capacity.
- Designed for high reliability in switching power supplies, the NSI6801 outperforms traditional optocoupler gate drivers, making it an ideal choice for photovoltaic inverters and motor drive systems.
Electronica will be held at the Messe München in Munich, Germany, from November 12-15, 2024. NOVOSENSE is in Hall B5, booth 450.
Original – NOVOSENSE Microelectronics
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LATEST NEWS / PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY3 Min Read
For next-generation power electronics, BASF has developed a polyphthalamide (PPA) that is especially suited for manufacturing housings of IGBT (insulated-gate bipolar transistor) semiconductors. Ultramid® Advanced N3U41 G6 addresses the growing demand for high-performance, reliable electronic components for e.g., electric vehicles, high-speed trains, smart manufacturing and the generation of renewable energy.
Semikron Danfoss, a global technology leader in power electronics, now uses the BASF PPA as housing in its Semitrans 10 IGBT which can be installed in inverters of photovoltaic and wind energy systems. Due to its outstanding chemical resistance and dimensional stability, the Ultramid® Advanced N grade enhances the robustness, long-term performance and reliability of these IGBTs, thus meeting growing needs for energy saving, higher power density and increased efficiency. IGBTs enable efficient switching and control of electrical circuits in power electronics.
“IGBTs are a key element of modern electronics, particularly in the renewable energy sector,” explains Jörn Grossmann from research and predevelopment at Semikron Danfoss. “IGBTs must operate at higher temperatures while maintaining long-term stability and performance. The Semitrans 10 has set a new benchmark for performance and efficiency benefiting from the unique properties of BASF’s PPA. We chose this material because of its extraordinary electrical isolation even in harsh environments and because of its excellent robustness against short-term temperature peaks in the assembly process.” The combination of high-performance material and smart design allows for faster switching speeds, lower conduction losses, and improved thermal management, thus addressing key needs in power electronics.
In today’s IGBTs, BASF’s proven Ultradur® (PBT: polybutylene terephthalate) is widely used. The new PPA is designed to meet the stringent requirements of next-generation IGBTs for rapidly evolving power electronics. They demand materials that can withstand higher temperatures, provide sustained electrical insulation, and maintain dimensional stability under challenging environmental conditions like humidity, dust and dirt.
The laser-sensitive Ultramid® Advanced N3U41G6 with non-halogenated flame retardant combines high thermal stability with low water uptake and excellent electrical properties. It is characterized by a high CTI (Comparative Tracking Index) of 600 (acc. to IEC 60112): This supports miniaturization of IGBTs by lower creepage and better insulation than materials so far used for power switches. The UL-certified grade shows an excellent electrical RTI (Relative Temperature Index) value of 150°C.
“BASF’s PPA compound is globally available and ready for sampling”, says Jochen Seubert, senior application expert for power electronics at BASF. “Backed by our customer-focused technical support in part development, we expect this innovative material to significantly contribute to the advancement of power electronics, supporting the global transition to renewable energies.” For manufacturing of IGBTs, the BASF PPA is compatible with potting materials used to assemble the semi-conductors with metal pins and clamps after injection molding.
BASF’s polyphthalamide portfolio is based on the six polymers Ultramid® Advanced N (PA9T), Ultramid® Advanced T1000 (PA6T/6I), Ultramid® Advanced T2000 (PA6T/66), Ultramid® T KR (PA6T/6), Ultramid® T6000 (PA66/6T) and Ultramid® T7000 (PA/PPA). They open the door to the next generation of lightweight, high-performance plastic components in many different sectors including the automotive industry, electronics and electric devices, mechanical engineering and consumer goods.
The PPA portfolio is available globally and complemented by BASF’s Ultrasim® simulation tool and extensive experience in application development. It includes more than 50 compounded grades for injection molding and extrusion, products with or without flame retardants. The compounds are available in different colors, from colorless to laser-markable black, with short-glass, long-glass or mineral fiber reinforcement, and with various heat stabilizers.
Original – BASF