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Infineon Technologies AG filed a lawsuit, through its subsidiary Infineon Technologies Austria AG, against Innoscience (Zhuhai) Technology Company, Ltd., and Innoscience America, Inc. and affiliates. Infineon is seeking permanent injunction for infringement of a United States patent relating to gallium nitride (GaN) technology owned by Infineon.
The patent claims cover core aspects of GaN power semiconductors encompassing innovations that enable the reliability and performance of Infineon’s proprietary GaN devices. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of the Northern District of California.
Infineon alleges that Innoscience infringes the Infineon patent mentioned above by making, using, selling, offering to sell and/or importing into the United States various products, including GaN transistors for numerous applications, within automotive, data centers, solar, motor drives, consumer electronics, and related products used in automotive, industrial, and commercial applications.
“The production of gallium nitride power transistors requires completely new semiconductor designs and processes”, said Adam White, President of Infineon’s Power & Sensor Systems Division. “With nearly two decades of GaN experience, Infineon can guarantee the outstanding quality required for the highest performance in the respective end products. We vigorously protect our intellectual property and thus act in the interest of all customers and end users.”
Infineon has been investing in R&D, product development and the manufacturing expertise related to GaN technology for decades. Infineon continues to defend its intellectual property and protect its investments.
On 24 October 2023, Infineon announced the closing of the acquisition of GaN Systems Inc., becoming a leading GaN power house and further expanding its leading position in power semiconductors.
Infineon leads the industry with its GaN patent portfolio, comprising around 350 patent families. Market analysts expect the GaN revenue for power applications to grow by 49% CAGR to approx. US$2 billion by 2028 (source: Yole, Power SiC and GaN Compound Semiconductor Market Monitor Q4 2023). Gallium nitride is a wide bandgap semiconductor with superior switching performance that allows smaller size, higher efficiency and lower-cost power systems.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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EPC announced the publication of its Phase-16 Reliability Report, documenting continued work using test-to-fail methodology and adding specific guidelines for overvoltage specifications and improving thermo-mechanical reliability.
Compared to the Phase 15 Reliability Report, this version presents expanded data and analysis. It now includes a general overview of the wear-out mechanisms of primary concerns for a given application. New to this version of the report, is a description of how to forecast the reliability of a system in a realistic mission profile that combines periods of substantial and minor stress.
Adding to the existing knowledge base, this report includes significant new material on the thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms and overvoltage guidelines. Thermo-mechanical wear-out mechanisms include a study of the impact of die size and bump shape on temperature cycling (TC) reliability. This report also includes a study of overvoltage robustness for both the gate and the drain of GaN transistors.
This report is divided into the following sections:
- Section 1: Determining wear-out mechanisms using test-to-fail methodology.
- Section 2: Using test-to-fail results to predict device lifetime in a system.
- Section 3: Wear-out mechanisms
- Section 4: Mission-specific reliability predictions including solar, DC-DC, and lidar applications.
- Section 5: Summary and conclusions
- Appendix: Solder stencil design rules for reliable assembly of PQFN packaged devices
According to Dr. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC, “The release of our Phase-16 report satisfies a critical need for ongoing research into GaN device reliability. This report provides valuable insights on mission robustness, ensuring devices meet the demands of diverse applications.”
Original – Efficient Power Conversion
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Navitas Semiconductor announced their AI data center technology roadmap for up to 3x power increase to support similar exponential growth in AI power demands expected in just the next 12-18 months.
Traditional CPUs require typically only 300W and the data center ac/dc power supplies would typically power the equivalent of 10 of these or 3,000W (3kW). High-performance AI processors like NVIDIA’s ‘Grace Hopper’ H100 are already demanding 700W each today, with next-gen ‘Blackwell’ B100 & B200 chips anticipated to increase to 1,000W or more by next year.
To meet this exponential power increase, Navitas is developing server power platforms which rapidly increase from 3kW to up to 10kW. In August 2023, Navitas introduced a 3.2kW data center power platform utilizing latest GaN technology enabling over 100W/in3 and over 96.5% efficiency. Now, Navitas is releasing a 4.5kW platform enabled by a combination of GaN and SiC to push densities over 130W/in3 and efficiencies over 97%. These two platforms have already generated significant market interest with over 20 data center customer projects in development expected to drive millions in GaN or SiC revenues starting this year.
Today, Navitas also announces its plans to introduce an 8-10kW power platform by the end of 2024 to support 2025 AI power requirements. The platform will utilize newer GaN and SiC technologies and further advances in architecture to set all-new industry standards in power density, efficiency and time-to-market. Navitas is already engaged with major data-center customers, with full platform launch anticipated in Q4 ’24, completing this 3x increase in power demands in only 12-18 months.
Navitas’ unique data-center design center is creating these system designs to address the dramatic increases in AI data center power requirements, and assist customers to deploy platforms quickly and effectively to meet the accelerated time-to-market demands of rapid AI advances. System designs include complete design collateral with fully-tested hardware, schematics, bill-of-materials, layout, simulation and hardware test results to maximize first-time-right designs and fast revenue generation.
“The rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) into global data centers has created a dramatic and unexpected power challenge for our entire industry,” noted Gene Sheridan, Navitas’ CEO and Co-Founder. “Our investment in leading-edge GaN and SiC technologies, combined with our unique data-center design center capabilities, have positioned us well. Our team has really stepped up to the challenge, with a 3x power increase in less than 18 months.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Wise-integration, a French pioneer in digital control of gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN ICs for power supplies, announced financing of €15 million. The Series B round wasled by imec.xpand, with participation from Supernova Invest, BNP Paribas Developpement, Région Sud Investissement (RSI), Creazur, CASRA Capital and Angels for Greentech.
The round will fuel mass production and commercial deployment of the company’s flagship products, WiseGan® and WiseWare®, its disruptive digital-control technology, and its support for clients globally as they adopt these solutions. It included the five investors from the previous funding and three new investors.
CEO Thierry Bouchet said, “The €15 million of new funding will accelerate the company’sinternational expansion, ongoing R&D programs and the introduction of new products and solutions. “This funding will enable Wise-integration to accelerate our commercial development and product development and the launch of a new generation of high-performance GaN technology, which is designed to seamlessly integrate with digital controls and boost the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” Bouchet continued. “A third roadmap focus will be to broaden our WiseWare® product development, targeting high-value markets, such as industrial, telecom and automotive sectors.”
Since its launch in 2020, the fabless company has established itself as an award-winning innovator in the power electronics industry, building a portfolio of more than 10 patent families. WiseGan® encompasses GaN power integrated circuits designed to maximize the benefits of GaN technology, including higher power density, efficiency and reduced heat generation. WiseWare® is a 32-bit, MCUbased, AC-DC digital controller optimized for GaN-based power supply architectures, offering simplified system design, a lower bill of materials and improved power density and efficiency.
The company’s target markets include consumer electronics, from laptops to e-bikes, scooters and motorcycles, to industrial applications like robotics, as well as data centers and electric vehicles. All its solutions address the increasing demands for miniaturization, electrification and efficient power management.
Wise-integration has established a first-class semiconductor GaN supply chain to support its mass production and commercialization strategy, while ensuring the most competitive costs in the market.
“Wise-integration’s GaN technology can play a significant role in the global shift to electrification by enhancing the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” said Cyril Vančura, imec.xpand partner. “In the four years since its founding, this start-up has demonstrated the vision, drive, execution and technological knowhow to deliver game-changing power-electronics solutions, and we look forward to witnessing the next phase of its growth journey.”
“With this new funding, Supernova Invest reaffirms its support for Wise-integration, a CEA-Leti spinoff that we have trusted since its creation,” said Damien Bretegnier, investment director, Supernova Invest. “We strongly believe in the huge potential of its WiseWare® digital control technology and associated WiseGan® components, anticipating a profound revolution in the power conversion market that propels GaN technology to replace legacy solutions even more rapidly.”
“Wise-integration is one of the finest up and-coming companies in the hardware sector, a key sector in our beautiful region,” said Pierre Joubert, general director of RSI. “A high-potential company with a top management team, it fits in perfectly with the investment thesis of our Transition fund and its 100 percent Paris Agreement strategy. It has all the assets to become one of the strong links in the regional economic development strategy.”
Original – Wise-integration
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Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is addressing higher power industrial applications with its ICeGaN™ technology which has already proved itself rugged, reliable and easy-to-use in high volume consumer devices. At the APEC 2024, IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, the company is introducing new reference designs and showing demos which address the broad and diverse industrial market.
Andrea Bricconi | Chief Commercial Officer, CGD
“We are acutely aware of the increasing power requirements of industrial applications, and the need for high efficiency. For example, as the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) proliferates, the power demanded by the exponential growth in power demanded by datacentres is growing almost exponentially. Other applications, such as solar inverters, amplifiers, transport and smart mobility, process control and manufacturing are also interested in GaN and the feedback we have received is that they love the simplicity of our ‘Drive it Like a MOSFET’ approach.”
At APEC, visitors to the booth are able to see the progress that CGD is making to support both emerging and existing markets for GaN technology..
With a high power density of 23 W/in3, GGD’s 350 W PFC/LLC reference design has an average efficiency of 93%, and a no-load power consumption of 150 mW. The CrM Totem Pole PFC + Half-Bridge LLC PSU has been realised using CGD’s 650 V, 55 mΩ, H2 series ICeGaN technology, and delivers 20 V / 17.5 A output.
The result of a partnership deal struck last year with Neways Electronics, a 3 kW photo-voltaic inverter is used to boost the DC solar voltage to a stable DC link voltage. With a maximum efficiency of 99.22% due to zero-current switching, it is a perfect example of how CGD’s GaN HEMT structure is simple for engineers to use, since it employs a standard silicon controller from Analog Devices Inc.
ICeGaN has been employed by AGD Productions in its compact AGD DUET amplifier which is rated at 300W 4Ω. This is the first time the company has used a 100% GaN power transistor design for both the power stage and the amplifier.
Finally, the GaNext project, a consortium of 13 partners from three nations has delivered compact 1 kW intelligent power modules featuring integrated drive, voltage control and protection circuits using CGD’s ICeGaN.
Original – Cambridge GaN Devices
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Power Integrations announced the InnoMux™-2 family of single-stage, independently regulated multi-output offline power-supply ICs. InnoMux-2 ICs consolidate AC-DC and downstream DC-DC conversion stages into a single chip, providing up to three independently regulated outputs for use in white goods, industrial systems, displays and other applications requiring multiple voltages.
Elimination of separate DC-DC stages slashes component count, reduces PCB footprint and increases efficiency by as much as 10 percentage points compared to traditional two-stage architectures. Efficiency is aided by the ICs’ 750 V PowiGaN™ gallium-nitride transistors, zero-voltage switching (without an active clamp) and synchronous rectification.
Roland Saint-Pierre, vice president of product development at Power Integrations said: “Most modern electronic systems rely on multiple internal voltages to operate various functions such as computing, communication and actuation function – typically heat, light, sound or motion of some kind. But losses in each conversion stage are compounded, degrading system performance and generating heat.
The InnoMux-2 IC overcomes this challenge by providing up to three independently regulated voltage outputs or two voltage output and a constant current output from a single stage, achieving a compact and efficient power sub-system with low component count.”
InnoMux-2 ICs deliver up to 90 watts of output power with accurate regulation of better than ±3 percent across the full input line, load, temperature and differential current step conditions. Total power system efficiency (AC to regulated low-voltage DC segment) is above 90 percent; the advanced InnoMux-2 controller also manages light-load power delivery, avoiding the need for pre-load resistors and reducing no-load consumption to less than 30 mW. This conserves power for necessary functionality in applications subject to the 300 mW allowance for standby usage under the European energy-using product (EuP) regulations.
InnoMux-2 devices leverage Power Integrations’ thermally efficient InSOP™24 and InSOP™28 packages with PCB cooling, so no heatsink is required. Device options include dual- and three-output constant voltage (CV); optionally, one output may be dedicated to constant current (CC) drive, suitable for powering LEDs in displays or for high-speed charging of an internal battery. Typical applications include TVs, monitors, appliances, networking, home and building automation, LED emergency lighting and industrial power supplies.
Original – Power Integrations
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EPC introduced the 100 V, 1 mOhm EPC2361. This is the lowest on-resistance GaN FET on the market offering double the power density compared to EPC’s prior-generation products.
The EPC2361 has a typical RDS(on) of just 1 mOhm in a thermally enhanced QFN package with exposed top and tiny, 3 mm x 5 mm, footprint. The maximum RDS(on) x Area of the EPC2361 is 15 mΩ*mm2 – over five times smaller than comparable 100 V silicon MOSFETs.
With its ultra-low on-resistance, the EPC2361 enables higher power density and efficiency in power conversion systems, leading to reduced energy consumption and heat dissipation. This breakthrough is particularly significant for applications such as high-power PSU AC-DC synchronous rectification, high frequency DC-DC conversion for data centers, motor drives for eMobility, robotics, drones, and solar MPPTs.
“Our new 1 mΩ GaN FET continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with GaN technology, empowering our customers to create more efficient, compact, and reliable power electronics systems,” comments Alex Lidow, EPC CEO and co-founder.
Original – Efficient Power Conversion
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Navitas Semiconductor announced that its GaNFast™ power ICs drive Samsung’s 25 W “Super-Fast Charging” (SFC) for the new, AI-enhanced Galaxy S24 smartphone.
Flagship hardware specifications include a 2340 x 1080 (FHD+) dynamic AMOLED 2X, and 120 Hz screen, plus the Galaxy S24 delivers innovative and practical AI features to help transform the way users communicate, create and discover the world. Galaxy AI features like Live Translate, Chat Assist and new “Circle to Search” with Google, to improve nearly every experience that S24 users can enjoy.
The 25 W GaNFast unit delivers 50% charge to the high-capacity 4000 mAh battery in only 30 minutes, while the USB PD 3.0 (Type-C) specification makes it compatible with other Samsung products including Galaxy Buds2 audio, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Flip and Galaxy A23.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the 25 W power adapter features a 75% reduction in power consumption sleep mode. Navitas’ GaNFast technology is deployed in a high-frequency, quasi-resonant (HFQR) topology running at 150 kHz – 3x faster than standard silicon designs – and delivers a 30% size shrink vs. conventional charger designs.
“We are excited to extend our relationship with Samsung as they continue to develop groundbreaking mobile phone technology,” said David Carroll, Sr. VP Worldwide Sales for Navitas. “Deploying GaNFast ICs has allowed Samsung to create an ultra-compact, lightweight and efficient 25W adapter that can rapidly re-charge the new Galaxy S24 and a variety of other phones and accessories in the Samsung range.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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Innoscience Technology will demonstrate industry-leadership at the upcoming IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) 2024.
At the industrial session, Innoscience will address the exponential demand in power by datacenters due to the processing power necessitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. The paper will show that with Innoscience’s 650V InnoGaN, it is possible to make a 2kW AC/DC conversion PSU with a high power density and a peak efficiency above 96%, thereby meeting the recent stringent 80 Plus titanium efficiency rating.
Thanks to the absence of a body diode on GaN devices, a simple Totem pole PFC architecture can be implemented while still reaching high levels of efficiency. At the booth Innoscience will also showcase a 4.2kW AC/DC conversion PSU meeting 80 Plus titanium efficiency rating within a power density of 130W/in3.
Moreover, to address the 48V to 12V DC-DC power conversion inside the data center, Innoscience will present an all GaN HEMTs based 1kW 48V-12V unregulated LLC solution that features GaN power devices both at the primary side (100V devices) as well as at the secondary side (40V devices). In order to maximize the power density and simplify the circuit, the solution uses Innoscience’s recent integrated SolidGaN solution (ISG3201), which integrates an half-bridge (made by two 100V/3.2mOhm InnoGaN devices) with its driver, protection etc.. in one package. The final all GaN 1kW 48V-12 converter has a size of only 50mmx30mmx9mm, which is 70% smaller than a Silicon counterpart rated only 600W. The converter achieves a peak efficiency of 98.5%.
Dr. Denis Marcon, General Manager Innoscience Europe, comments: “Reliability is also an important consideration for data centers, because they operate 24/7 and they must guarantee continuity of service. Therefore, in this paper we will also present strong reliability data of Innoscience’s HV and LV GaN power devices, including end-of-life testing for life-time calculation which shows reliability data at the parts-per-billion level.”
Yi Sun, General Manager Innoscience America comments: “Innoscience today has one of the widest portfolio of GaN power device solutions covering 30V to 700V applications, a family of GaN discrete available in standard packages (e.g. QFN, FCQFN, TO252 etc..) as well as integrated GaN IC solutions that include in one chip the GaN FET, the driver, protections etc.”
Visitors to the Innoscience booth at APEC will also see new products, such as the NV100FQ030A, a 100V bidirectional IC that can be employed to deliver high efficiency in applications including battery management systems, high-side load switching in bidirectional converters, and various switching circuits in power systems.
Yi Sun, adds: “Innoscience is leading the GaN industry with many new products that are industry firsts. That is why our devices are finding applications in all markets, from consumer chargers through industrial and communications and into the automotive sector. Join us at booth 1543 to find out more.”
Innoscience presentations:
- IS02.7 – Industry Session / Tuesday Feb 27th ,11:30-11:55am “Ultra-High Frequency (10MHz) Buck Converter with GaN HEMT for Mobile Phone Application” given by Dr Pengju Kong
- IS11.1 – Industry Session / Wednesday Feb 28th, 8:30-8:55am “Efficient and compact power conversions made possible with GaN technology” given by Dr Pengju Kong.
Original – Innoscience Technology
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Texas Instruments introduced two new power conversion device portfolios to help engineers achieve more power in smaller spaces, providing the highest power density at a lower cost. TI’s new 100V integrated gallium nitride (GaN) power stages feature thermally enhanced dual-side cooled package technology to simplify thermal designs and achieve the highest power density in mid-voltage applications at more than 1.5kW/in3.
TI’s new 1.5W isolated DC/DC modules with integrated transformers are the industry’s smallest and most power-dense, helping engineers shrink the isolated bias power-supply size in automotive and industrial systems by over 89%. Devices from both portfolios will be on display at this year’s Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), Feb. 25-29 in Long Beach, California.
“For power-supply designers, delivering more power in limited spaces will always be a critical design challenge,” said Kannan Soundarapandian, general manager of High Voltage Power at TI. “Take data centers, for example – if engineers can design power-dense server power-supply solutions, data centers can operate more efficiently to meet growing processing needs while also minimizing their environmental footprint. We’re excited to continue to push the limits of power management by offering innovations that help engineers deliver the highest power density, efficiency and thermal performance.”
Increase power density and efficiency with 100V integrated GaN power stages
With TI’s new 100V GaN power stages, LMG2100R044 and LMG3100R017, designers can reduce power-supply solution size for mid-voltage applications by more than 40% and achieve industry-leading power density of over 1.5kW/in3, enabled by GaN technology’s higher switching frequencies. The new portfolio also reduces switching power losses by 50% compared to silicon-based solutions, while achieving 98% or higher system efficiency given the lower output capacitance and lower gate-drive losses. In a solar inverter system, for example, higher density and efficiency enables the same panel to store and produce more power while decreasing the size of the overall microinverter system.A key enabler of the thermal performance in the 100V GaN portfolio is TI’s thermally enhanced dual-side cooled package. This technology enables more efficient heat removal from both sides of the device and offers improved thermal resistance compared to competing integrated GaN devices.
To learn more about the benefits of TI’s 100V GaN power stages for mid-voltage applications, read the technical article, “4 mid-voltage applications where GaN will transform electronic designs.”
Shrink bias power supplies by more than 89%
With over eight times higher power density than discrete solutions and three times higher power density than competing modules, TI’s new 1.5W isolated DC/DC modules deliver the highest output power and isolation capability (3kV) for automotive and industrial systems in a 4mm-by-5mm very thin small outline no-lead (VSON) package. With TI’s UCC33420-Q1 and UCC33420, designers can also easily meet stringent electromagnetic interference (EMI) requirements, such as Comité International Spécial des Perturbations Radioélectriques (CISPR) 32 and 25, with fewer components and a simple filter design.The new modules use TI’s next-generation integrated transformer technology, which eliminates the need for an external transformer in a bias supply design. The technology allows engineers to shrink solution size by more than 89% and reduce height by up to 75%, while cutting bill of materials by half compared to discrete solutions.
With the first automotive-qualified solution in this small package, designers can now reduce the footprint, weight and height of their bias supply solution for electric vehicle systems such as battery management systems. For space-constrained industrial power delivery in data centers, the new module enables designers to minimize printed circuit board area.
To learn more about the benefits of TI’s 1.5W isolated DC/DC modules, read the technical article, “How a new isolated DC/DC module can help solve power-density challenges.”
Pushing the limits of power at APEC 2024
These new devices are the latest ways TI is pushing power further and making innovation possible for engineers everywhere. At APEC 2024, TI will showcase the latest automotive and industrial designs for 48V automotive power; the first USB Power Delivery Extended Power Range full charging solution on the market; an 800V, 300kW silicon carbide-based traction inverter; high-efficiency power for server motherboards; and more.- Saturday, Feb. 24-Thursday, Feb. 29: Visit TI in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Booth No. 1145. See TI.com/APEC for more information.
- Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m. Pacific time: TI General Manager of Industrial Power Design Services Robert Taylor will present an industry session, “To Power Density and Beyond: Breaking Through Barriers to Achieve the Highest Power Density.” He will discuss innovations in packaging, integration and system-level techniques that are making greater power density possible.
- Throughout APEC: TI power experts will lead 20 industry and technical sessions to address power-management design challenges. The full schedule of TI experts’ industry and technical sessions is available at TI.com/APEC.
Original – Texas Instruments
