Power Electronics Europe Issue 4 - November 2022

CONTENTS www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2022 Power Electronics Europe 3 Editor Achim Scharf Tel: +49 (0)892865 9794 Fax: +49 (0)892800 132 Email: PowerElectronicsEurope@t-online.de Production Editor Chris Davis Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Financial Manager Caren Brown Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Email: caren.brown@dfamedia.co.uk Reader/Circulation Enquiries Perception Tel: +44 (0) 1825 701520 Email: dfamedia@dmags.co.uk INTERNATIONAL SALES OFFICES Mainland Europe: Victoria Hufmann Norbert Hufmann Tel: +49 911 9397 643 Fax: +49 911 9397 6459 Email: pee@hufmann.info Eastern US Ian Atkinson Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Email: ian@dfamedia.co.uk Western US and Canada Ian Atkinson Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Email: ian@dfamedia.co.uk Japan: Yoshinori Ikeda, Pacific Business Inc Tel: 81-(0)3-3661-6138 Fax: 81-(0)3-3661-6139 Email: pbi2010@gol.com Taiwan Prisco Ind. Service Corp. Tel: 886 2 2322 5266 Fax: 886 2 2322 2205 Publisher & UK Sales Ian Atkinson Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 Email: ian@dfamedia.co.uk www.power-mag.com Circulation and subscription: Power Electronics Europe is available for the following subscription charges. Power Electronics Europe : annual charge UK/NI £95, overseas $160, EUR 150. Contact: DFA Manufacturing Media, 192 The High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BE Great Britain. Tel: +44 (0)1732 370340 . Fax: +44 (0)1732 360034 . Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will only be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unless specifically guaranteed within the terms of subscription offer. Editorial information should be sent to The Editor, Power Electronics Europe , PO Box 340131, 80098 Munich, Germany. The contents of Power Electronics Europe are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. Printed by: Warners. ISSN 1748-3530 PAGE 6 Why gate drivers are key to successful electric vehicle designs By Allegro MicroSystems PAGE 10 Wolfspeed grows to meet supply challenge and launches high performance Gen 3+ die Silicon Carbide (SiC), known for long as the ideal semiconductor technology for power devices, has with design and manufacturing innovation not only increased its share of the existing market but enabled new applications, such as electric vehicles (EVs), by offering higher power density, better high-speed switching performance, higher breakdown field, higher thermal conductivity, higher chip temperatures, and lower leakage currents than are possible with Silicon (Si). Anri Mikirtichev, Product Marketing Engineer, Wolfspeed, Amy Romero, Power Die Applications Engineer, Wolfspeed PAGE 13 GaN Power Behind Mild Hybrid Vehicle Electrification The hybrid vehicle market has more than doubled from 2017 from 2.0 to 5.1 percent [1] and by 2025, one of every 10 vehicles sold worldwide is projected to be a 48 V mild hybrid. 48 V systems boost fuel efficiency, deliver four times the power without increasing engine size, and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions without increasing system costs. A 48 V mild hybrid is estimated to provide 70 percent of the benefit of a high-voltage hybrid at 30 percent of the cost while boosting electrical power available in the vehicle from 2.5 kilowatts (kW) to 10 kW [2]. These systems will require a 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converter, with power range between 1.5 kW and 6 kW. The design priorities for these systems are size, cost, and high reliability. Michael de Rooij and Yuanzhe Zhang, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA PAGE 19 How to Design a Thermally Balanced Current-Sharing System for Multi- Phase Power Designs The car of tomorrow is envisioned to be an audiovisual wonderland on wheels, including wraparound screens and dozens of speakers. Driving on the road in the future will immerse passengers in an incredible sensory experience with content streamed via ultra-fast 5G. To achieve this content-rich, connectivity-heavy paradigm of future mobility, emerging digital cockpit systems continue to demand exponentially greater computing capability. These increasing computing requirements consequently result in a demand for higher power. This article proposes a novel, cost-effective approach to achieve a high-power, offline battery (12 V) power management stage that multi-phases two buck controllers. Xavier Ribas, Applications Engineer, MPS, USA PAGE 23 Solving the Current Sensor Footprint Problem when Designing Compact EV Traction Inverters Electric vehicles (EVs) are said to be the future of transport as the trend for electric mobility moves forward. This article is focused on the challenges of current sensing in high-power integrated traction inverters and highlights the benefits of using compact magnetic core-based sensors. Sofiane Serbouh, Product Manager of Large Drives, LEM, Switzerland PAGE 26 Finding the Right Technology to Solve Datacenter Power Challengesin Wind Power Applications Although Silicon (Si) is the most familiar technology, its smaller bandgap limits operating temperature, its low breakdown electric field restricts its use to lower voltages, and its low thermal conductivity limits power density compared to wide bandgap (WBG) materials, like gallium nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC). Digitization and the rapid deployment of cloud services have boosted the growth of datacenters worldwide. WBG helps to reduce their power consumption. Anuj Narain, Director Power Platforms and Applications, Wolfspeed, USA NewSpace demands low voltage, high current power for performance and longevity Matt Renola, Senior Director, Global Business Development – Aerospace & Defense More details on page 16. FEATURE STORY