Category Archives: Power Electronics

Transphorm Inc. today announced that it has obtained a sole worldwide license to Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.’s extensive Gallium Nitride (GaN) power device portfolio that includes approximately 40 U.S. issued patents and 110 Japanese issued patents. Transphorm also has certain rights to sublicense these patents. The licensed family of patents encompasses various aspects of GaN power device manufacturing, materials and circuits, including key patents for GaN-on-Silicon epitaxial growth technology. As part of the agreement, Furukawa Electric also made an equity investment in Transphorm. The deal brings Transphorm’s total GaN IP portfolio to over 300 U.S. patents/applications and over 650 world-wide patents/applications, including a combination of internally developed, acquired and licensed patents.

Over the last several years, GaN semiconductors have emerged as a leading technology enabler for the next wave of compact and energy efficient power conversion systems, ranging from ultra-small adapters, high power density PCs, server & telecom power supplies, to highly efficient PV inverters and motion control systems.

Transphorm has established the next power conversion platform—demonstrating breakthrough performance and introducing the world’s first 600 Volt GaN HEMT products after successfully passing JEDEC qualification. Most recently it has demonstrated 100 million hours lifetime using high voltage accelerated testing—again a first for a GaN power device.

“As GaN power devices are now poised for rapid market penetration, a strong intellectual property position is essential to growing the GaN business,” said Roger Borovoy, Transphorm’s IP counsel from Fish & Richardson. “The Furukawa license combined with a very significant internal GaN portfolio unquestionably makes Transphorm the key player.”

“Furukawa Electric has conducted original GaN research starting from the 1990s and amassed a strong patent portfolio in GaN power devices and materials,” said Takahide Kimura, Corporate Senior VP, New Business Development, Furukawa Electric. “As we sought to unlock the value of this portfolio, as well as to secure a supply of GaN products for our own applications, Transphorm was an ideal choice. Additionally, Furukawa Electric is also willing to have further technical collaboration with Transphorm, as a strategic partner, beyond this license and investment.

“As a strong vote of confidence, Furukawa Electric has made a significant equity investment and obtained a minority equity stake in Transphorm,” said Fumihide Esaka, CEO, Transphorm. “We are pleased to announce this strong partnership with a global leader like Furukawa Electric.”

Element Six today announced that its Gallium Nitride (GaN)-on-Diamond wafers have been proven by Raytheon Company to significantly outperform industry standard Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon Carbide (GaN-on-SiC) in RF devices—reducing thermal resistance, increasing RF power density, and preserving RF functionality.

In high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices, Raytheon achieved a three times improvement in GaN-on-Diamond’s RF areal power density, compared to GaN-on-SiC devices. The GaN-on-Diamond devices also demonstrated a nearly three times reduction in thermal resistance. Raytheon used several industry standard thermal measurement techniques, including time-domain thermal reflectance (TDTR), laser flash, and resistance thermometry, as well as finite-element modeling, to establish the consistency of these results.

Upon reaching these milestones, Raytheon has met the aggressive objectives of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Near Junction Thermal Transport (NJTT) program, which aimed to develop GaN RF devices that exhibit three times or greater improvement in power density through improved thermal management.

“Heat issues account for more than 50 percent of all electronic failures, and limit GaN’s inherent power-density performance potential,” said Adrian Wilson, director of Element Six Technologies Group. “RF and high-voltage power device manufacturers that leverage GaN-on-Diamond will have access to unmatched wafer thermal conductivity, and be able to deliver rapid, efficient and cost-effective heat extraction. As the first company to make GaN-on-Diamond wafers commercially available, we look forward to collaborating with manufacturers to tap into the unique properties of synthetic diamond.”

Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced the new MicReD Industrial Power Tester 1500A for power cycling and thermal testing of electronics components to simulate and measure lifetime performance. The MicReD Industrial Power Tester 1500A tests the reliability of power electronic components that are increasingly used in industries such as automotive and transportation including hybrid and electrical vehicles and trains, power generation and converters, and renewable energy applications such as wind turbines.  It is the only commercially available thermal testing product that combines both power cycling and thermal transient measurements with structure function analysis while providing data for real-time failure-cause diagnostics.

Power components are used for applications in which electrical energy is generated, converted, or controlled and where very high reliability is required during many years of constant operation. This new product is built for industrial electronic manufacturers to test reliability by examining the thermally induced degradations within the module stack-up. Both power cycling and thermal transient measurements are conducted on the MicReD Power Tester 1500A, without needing to remove the components from the test environment.  A technician or engineer is able to see the failure as it progresses and determine the exact time/cycle and cause.

Reliability is a prime concern in many industries that use high-power electronics, so accelerated testing of these modules through a lifetime of cycles is a must for the component supplier, the system supplier, and the OEM. The MicReD Power Tester 1500A can power modules through tens of thousands—potentially millions—of cycles while providing “real-time” failure-in-progress data for diagnostics. This significantly reduces test and lab diagnosis time and eliminates the need for post-mortem or destructive failure analysis. Common thermally-induced mechanical failures that the Power Tester 1500A analyzes in “real time” include die-attach wire bond separations, die and package stack-up delamination and cracks, and solder fatigue.

“The ability to pinpoint and quantify degradation in the thermal stack for all semiconductor devices during development will greatly assist in the development of cost-optimized packaging solutions currently hampered by package-reliability concerns,” said Mark Johnson, professor of advanced power conversion, faculty of engineering, University of Nottingham. “Mentor’s Power Tester 1500A should be an invaluable tool for investigating thermal path degradation in all types of power modules.”

The MicReD Power Tester 1500A is based on the Mentor Graphics® T3Ster® advanced thermal tester used in industries worldwide for accurate thermal characterization of semiconductor device packages and LEDs. The Power Tester 1500A is the first product in the MicReD Industrial line and it provides fully automated power cycling and testing (both thermal and electrical measurement) of power modules to provide comprehensive data for failure cause assessment. This enables organizations to make product improvements for reliability and extended performance. The MicReD industrial products incorporate the laboratory-level accuracy of the T3Ster product in robust machines for operators to use inside manufacturing facilities.

“Our MicReD Power Tester 1500A serves the growing demand for power electronics components that need to perform under extreme conditions with high reliability,” stated Roland Feldhinkel, general manager of Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division. “We’re leveraging our expertise in thermal characterization and testing to deliver a product for industrial applications, where we see great potential – from electric vehicles and railway systems to renewable energy products.”

The MicReD Industrial Power Tester 1500A can perform power cycling tests of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and power diodes. The MicReD Power Tester 1500A provides a user-friendly touch-screen interface and can record a broad range of information during test, such as current, voltage and die temperature sensing; and detailed structure function analysis to record changes in the package’s thermal structure. This makes it an ideal platform for package development and quality checking of incoming parts before production.

As the total cost of non-active materials in solar systems outstrips that of photovoltaic (PV) modules, solar manufacturers are seeking new, high-performing materials able to drive down balance-of-system costs while increasing the efficiency and durability of their products. Against this competitive backdrop, Dow Corning today introduced Dow Corning EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant – the latest addition to its portfolio of advanced solutions designed to expand performance and durability of solar micro-inverters, power optimizers and other high value components.

“EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant exemplifies the materials innovation needed to drive down solar inverter system costs, enhance overall performance and help solar technology become ever more competitive with traditional energy sources,” said Geoff Gardner, global strategic marketer for Electronics at Dow Corning.

Offering a tailored balance of low viscosity, room-temperature cure, low hardness and good thermal conductivity, EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant is a two-part silicone formulation that helps minimize processing costs compared to competitive polyurethane encapsulant materials. Unlike polyurethanes, which often require pre-heating before application, Dow Corning’s advanced silicone formulation eliminates the pre-heating step – with its associated costs – and enables electronic assemblies to be filled more quickly. Additionally, where polyurethane encapsulants generally take 90 minutes to cure, EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant offers simple room-temperature cure with the option to reduce cure time to 20 minutes at temperatures of 50° C, further minimizing processing costs.

Dow Corning’s advanced low-stress encapsulant protects sensitive electronic components against mechanical strain caused by thermal cycling while also providing mechanical adhesion to prevent corrosion from moisture ingress. This improves the reliability, durability, and therefore the value of solar micro-inverters. The components in electronic modules encapsulated with EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant were exposed to 60 percent less stress in accelerated aging tests, compared to components in modules encapsulated with polyurethane. This indicates that Dow Corning’s new material can help extend the lifetime of solar installations even under harsh conditions. Its dielectric properties and low viscosity also make it ideally suited for use in today’s smaller designs where traditional encapsulants can entrap voids or experience property changes with exposure to humidity.

“As the leading innovator of silicone-based materials for more than 70 years, Dow Corning is committed to pioneering solar solutions and collaborating with global customers to enable them to provide products that are more reliable, durable and cost competitive”, said Alan Gu, global segment leader for Industrial and Energy Markets at Dow Corning. “Our advanced silicone solar solutions are quickly emerging as the material of choice for today’s solar manufacturers innovating next-generation inverter components for a more sustainable future.”

Dow Corning today established a higher industry standard for silicon carbide (SiC) crystal quality by introducing a product grading structure that specifies ground-breaking new tolerances on killer device defects, such as micropipe dislocations (MPD), threading screw dislocations (TSD) and basal plane dislocations (BPD). This groundbreaking new grading structure aims to optimize the range, performance and cost of next-generation power electronic device designs fabricated on Dow Corning’s high-quality Prime Grade portfolio of 100mm SiC wafers, which the company now offers in three new tiers of manufacturing-quality substrates labeled Prime Standard, Prime Select and Prime Ultra.

“As a global technology leader in advanced silicon carbide materials, Dow Corning recognizes that wide-bandgap semiconductor technology must deliver much more than high quality alone – it must deliver exceptional overall value,” said Gregg Zank, chief technology officer, Dow Corning. “Another Dow Corning industry first, our new SiC wafer grading structure meets this need head on. It is the direct result of our close collaboration with the globe’s leading power electronics device manufacturers, and aims to help give them what they need to quickly achieve their evolving design goals at an optimal price point.”

Each successive Prime Grade wafer tier under Dow Corning’s new product grading structure offers tighter tolerances for defect density and other critical performance properties that allow customers to precisely balance wafer quality and price, depending on the demands of their specific device applications. While many SiC substrate manufacturers promise low micropipe densities, Dow Corning is the first to specify low tolerances of other killer defects, such as TSD and BPD. Such defects reduce device yields, and inhibit the cost-efficient manufacture of large-area, next-generation power electronic devices with higher current ratings.

All 100-mm Prime Grade SiC wafers from Dow Corning offer consistently excellent mechanical characteristics to ensure compatibility with existing and developing device fabrication processes. The Prime Grade portfolio includes:

  • Prime Standard SiC wafers that guarantee MPD of 0.5 cm-2 or less, offering an attractive option for balancing performance and cost when designing simpler SiC power electronic components, such as Schottky or Junction Barrier Schottky diodes, with low to medium current ratings.
  • Prime Select SiC wafers that deliver more stringent tolerances for MPD (≤ 0.2 cm-2) and BPD (≤ 800 cm-2), making them suitable for more demanding SiC devices like pin diodes or switches.
  • Prime Ultra SiC wafers enable design of high-power devices that require the highest crystal quality. SiC substrates in this tier deliver extremely low MPD (≤ 0.1 cm-2), BPD (≤ 500 cm-2), TSD (≤ 300 cm-2) and a tightened wafer resistivity distribution for the design of today’s most advanced SiC power electronic devices. These include next-generation switching devices like metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), junction gate field-effect transistors (JFETs), insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) or pin diodes. In addition, the superior substrate quality in this tier can benefit high-voltage (3.3 kV and higher) and high-current device designs.

“The precise tolerances defining each grade’s crystal quality coupled with Dow Corning’s highly competitive pricing structure reflect the company’s deep familiarity with the competitive demands of the silicon semiconductors market,” said Tang Yong Ang, vice president, Compound Semiconductor Solutions, Dow Corning. “Few competitors can bring Dow Corning’s legacy of technological excellence, application expertise and collaborative innovation in silicon materials, and apply it to the development of next-generation compound semiconductor technology. With the launch of this new wafer grading structure, we aim to provide SiC substrates that offer silicon-like quality and enable customers worldwide to compete and succeed in the fast-growing power electronics industry.”

By Dan Tracy, senior director, Industry Research & Statistics, SEMI

Given the slow economic growth in the U.S. during the first quarter, coupled with challenging geo-political developments around the world,uncertainty once again permeates the industry outlook for the year.  With that said, industry trends show the first quarter of this year being generally stronger than the first quarter of one year ago. This week, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced that semiconductor sales reached $78.6 billion in the first quarter, the highest-ever first quarter sales.

Industry data collected by SEMI and its data partners also demonstrate a positive first quarter compared to one year ago. Combined equipment billings reported by SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ), as reported in our respective book-to-bill programs, have first quarter 2014 billings at about $7.9 billion, over 30 percent higher than one year ago.  Leadframe unit shipment growth, reported to SEMI, is up 14 percent compared to the same period one year ago.

Segment

1Q 2013

1Q 2014

Year/Year Growth

Equipment Billings* ($B)

$5.9

~$7.9

~33%

Leadframe Shipments

77.2

88.4

14.5%

*- Combined billings reported by the SEMI and SEAJ book to bill, respectively

Following two years of decline in investments, equipment spending is expected to improve this year — off of the lower base, while steady semiconductor unit growth will drive spending growth on semiconductor materials.  Combined spending on equipment and materials will approach $85 billion globally for the year.

Over the previous ten years, approximately $110 billion has been spent on equipment and materials in North America for semiconductor manufacturing, and another $12 billion (or more) in spending for 2014 will enable manufacturers here to maintain their prominent rankings in the industry.  With this investment, North American wafer fabs continue to represent over 14 percent of the total installed base globally.

The encouraging start to the year, coming off of two years of declining investments, will result in growth for semiconductor equipment and materials in 2014. Clarity in the overall economy and in demand growth for electronics will determine just how strong investment and spending growth will unfold for the year.

The SEMI/Gartner Market Symposium at SEMICON West on Monday, July 7 will provide an update on the semiconductor market outlook. In addition to presentations by SEMI and Gartner analysts, Sunit Rikhi, VP of Technology and Manufacturing Group and General Manager, Intel Custom Foundry, will present on “Intel Custom Foundry – Competing in Today’s Fabless Ecosystem.”

Other upcoming SEMICON exhibitions and conferences include SEMICON Russia (May 14-15), SEMICON Taiwan (September 3-5),SEMICON Europa (October 7-9), and SEMICON Japan (December 3-5).

GaN Systems, a developer of gallium nitride power switching semiconductors, has announced that Julian Styles, Director of Business Development USA, has been elected to the Board of the Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC), the US industry consortium of suppliers, OEMS, stakeholders and research companies committed to accelerating development and growth of power electronics in the US. PEIC’s aim is to increase investment in manufacturing capabilities and advance innovation in power electronics in the US as energy efficiency becomes ever more important globally.

“We are thrilled that GaN Systems has joined PEIC’s Board of Directors,” said PEIC Board President, Mark Bellinger. “Julian’s expertise is extremely valuable and he will certainly be a great addition to the Board.”

GaN Systems has developed a range of gallium nitride power switching products based on its proprietary Island Technology. The company’s devices overcome the limitations of traditional silicon semiconductors, offering far greater efficiency in power conversion applications such as solar, wind, smart-grid, electric and hybrid vehicles and power supply applications. GaN Systems has recently announced its products will be widely commercially available this year.

“Innovative semiconductor companies like GaN Systems succeed best when they are part of a thriving power electronics ecosystem. We are very impressed with PEIC’s efforts to build and strengthen this ecosystem in the USA, and are delighted to be able to get involved,” said Styles.

Following the successful inaugural event in 2013, the 2nd annual SEMI Vietnam Semiconductor Strategy Summit will be held September 16-17, 2014 at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.  This executive event brings together key decision-makers shaping the future of the industry in Vietnam, and international participants from major companies in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. The connections and relationships forged during the Summit will drive further growth over the next decade and beyond.

Executives from the world’s leading microelectronics companies will meet with delegates representing Vietnamese government, academia, research, and industry to explore and discuss the key strategies and opportunities in the growing Vietnam semiconductor industry at the 2nd Vietnam Semiconductor Strategy Summit.

“Vietnam remains committed to entering the global microelectronics world, moving beyond backend and breaking ground on its first 200mm semiconductor front-end fab in the Saigon Hi-Tech Park,” said Kai Fai Ng, president of SEMI Southeast Asia.  “While the first Summit provided a platform to discuss the requirements for a sustainable local supply chain, workforce development and R&D collaboration, many challenges still remain as the fab project nears the approval stage. From infrastructure and process technology to device design and IP creation and protection, this year’s Vietnam Semiconductor Strategy Summit will provide a platform to advance these critically important discussions.”

Global stakeholders with an interest in Vietnam’s semiconductor market — from the equipment, materials, and device and R&D communities — are invited to share their vision, insights and outlook with Vietnam’s local business, technology and educational communities.

The 2nd annual SEMI Vietnam Semiconductor Strategy Summit is organized by SEMI (www.semi.org) and co-organized by the Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) and the Ho Chi Minh City Semiconductor Industry Association (HSIA). Participation in the SEMI Vietnam Semiconductor Strategy Summit is available through sponsorships and individual registrations.

For additional information on corporate sponsorships and to inquire about an invitation, please contact [email protected] or visit www.semi.org/vietnam.

After the successful premier of a program to connect early-stage companies with strategic investors and venture capitalists (VCs) in the U.S., SEMI is expanding the program to Europe as part of SEMICON Europa 2014 in Grenoble, France (October 7-9). The new expanded program, called Innovation Village, will extend the original scope of SEMICON West’s Silicon Innovation Forum (SIF) with a conference and three-day start-up and innovation partner exhibition, held in a dedicated area at SEMICON Europa (www.semiconeuropa.org).

Located at the heart of SEMICON Europa, Innovation Village will bring together up to 50 of the most innovative European start-ups with top investors from the semiconductor industry. The goal of Innovation Village is to encourage exchanges between early-stage technology companies and investors interested in identifying investment opportunities. Participating start-ups will have the opportunity to exhibit for three days at individual kiosks in the Innovation Village exhibition hall and actively participate in the SIF, presenting their innovations in a series of short pitches and, for selected companies, performing a product demonstration. The Innovation Village exhibition hall will also host several key companies and investors in exclusive VIP booths fully equipped with private meeting space.

“Grenoble has gained a reputation for being one of Europe’s leading cities in innovative research and has successfully hosted a high number of start-ups,” says Heinz Kundert, president of SEMI Europe. “With SEMICON Europa coming to Grenoble for the first time, it is an excellent occasion to demonstrate the region’s capabilities in innovation and commercialization of new technologies.”

Innovation Village will represent the most viable new technology in Europe. Interested start-ups are invited to fill out a Request for Participation (RFP) form online at the SEMICON Europa website (www.semiconeuropa.org/Segments/InnovationVillage). Start-ups are encouraged to apply as early as possible. RFPs will be judged by the SEMICON Europa SIF Committee, experts in venture capitalism and new technology investment: Lisa Müller, 3M New Ventures; Jean-Marc Girard, Air Liquide Electronics; Eileen Tanghal, Applied Ventures; Claus Schmidt, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH; Jong Sang Choi, Samsung Venture; Loic Lietar, STMicroelectronics; and Jim Traynor, TEL Venture Capital.

To encourage visibility for both investors and start-ups, Innovation Village conferences and the exhibition will be free-of-charge for all SEMICON Europa visitors. Speakers will attract diverse visitors, including large companies, SMEs, and start-ups to the Innovation Village area. Dedicated innovation lounge areas set amidst the exhibition kiosks will allow visitors, investors and start-ups to interact with each other. For more information on Innovation Village and the Silicon Innovation Forum Europe (www.semiconeuropa.org) contact Anne-Marie Dutron, SEMI Europe-Grenoble, at [email protected]

Nanoelectronics research center imec and ROHM Semiconductor Co. Ltd., a supplier of electronic components, announced today that they have entered into a strategic partnership for research collaboration on ultra-low power (ULP) radio technology for small battery-operated wireless devices.

In current short-range radios, the Power Amplifier typically uses around 50 percent of the total power consumption of the system, while the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) is responsible for another 30-40 percent of the power consumption. While a low power PA can contribute to the low power consumption of transmission only, a low power PLL can contribute to both the low power consumption of  transmission and reception.  As a member of imec’s ULP wireless systems program, researchers from ROHM will closely collaborate with imec’s research team at Holst Centre, to jointly develop RF technology components that enable significant reduction of the power consumption of the complete radio system. By combining innovative architectures, advanced ULP design IP and efficient low power circuits, imec’s ULP radios achieve best-in-class performance and reduce power consumption between three to ten times that of today’s radios. Moreover, imec’s ULP high-performance radios are compliant with state-of-the-art wireless standards, such as Bluetooth Low Energy and ZigBee.

“Combining application, circuits and technology know-how, imec/Holst Centre provides a complete solution, shortening the time-to-market for our industrial partners,” said Harmke de Groot, program director ULP wireless technologies at imec/Holst Centre. “We are pleased that ROHM Semiconductor has joined our ULP wireless systems R&D program. This partnership reinforces the value of our research to leading industrial semiconductor companies.”

“ROHM Semiconductor is committed to supplying high quality wireless products to the market with ever increasing power efficiency,” said Koji Taniuchi, Unit leader at Incubation Unit, R&D Headquarters, within ROHM Co., Ltd. “We further improve on our current strengths in the low power wireless communication LSI, by integrating a low power consumption PLL that is co-developed with imec. We expect that in the near future these results become standard technology in wireless sensor networks.”