Power Technology Roadmap Forum

Abstract: Electric power system is undergoing rapid transformation that includes large scale integration of renewables and support for electrification of transportation. For the grid to operate reliably,  there is a greater need for energy storage systems and intelligent power conversion systems with advanced circuit topologies and high speed communication infrastructure. This presentation describes current trends in the development of grid energy storage technology, and current trends, needs, and opportunities in the development of power electronic infrastructure for tomorrow’s utility systems.

Presenter: Victor Veliadis, PowerAmerica

Dr. Victor Veliadis is Executive Director and CTO of PowerAmerica, a member driven wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor power electronics consortium. At PowerAmerica, he has managed a budget of $150 million that he strategically allocated to over 200 industrial and University projects to accelerate WBG semiconductor clean energy manufacturing, workforce development, and job creation. His PowerAmerica educational activities have trained 420 University full-time students in applied WBG projects, and engaged over 4300 attendees in tutorials, short courses, and webinars.

Dr. Veliadis is an ECE Professor at NCSU and an IEEE Fellow and EDS Distinguished Lecturer.  He has 27 issued U.S. patents, 6 book chapters, and over 140 peer-reviewed publications. Prior to entering academia and taking an executive position at Power America in 2016, Dr. Veliadis spent 21 years in the semiconductor industry where his work included design, fabrication, and testing of SiC devices, GaN devices for military radar amplifiers, and financial and operations management of a commercial semiconductor fab. He has a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from John Hopkins University (1995).

Abstract: 

Magnetic components present a critical bottleneck on the size, efficiency, and capability of power electronic converters. Active research for eliminating these bottlenecks includes using MHz switching frequencies, leveraging new magnetic materials, developing improved winding techniques, and employing planar magnetic constructions. This talk describes a new, but complementary, research direction in which magnetic and electronic systems are hybridized, viewed and designed as one coupled system, rather than their conventional treatment as separate elements. These are named "Coupled Electronic and Magnetic Systems" (CEMS).

First, the CEMS paradigm is explained and the key features which differentiate it from conventional magnetic components are elucidated, including important distinctions in how circuit models are generated. We then consider two systems developed under this paradigm: the Variable Inverter/Rectifier Transformer (VIRT) and its multi-phase counterpart, the Split-Phase Half-Turn VIRT (SPHTV), both of which enable fractional-turn transformers capable of achieving wide gain variation. In comparing these systems to the state-of-the-art, we demonstrate their high performance capability, further explore their salient features, and highlight key differences to previously proposed fractional-turn transformers. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities for the CEMS paradigm in today's and future high-performance power electronic converters.

Presenter: Mike Ranjram, Arizona State University

Dr. Mike Ranjram received the Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA in 2021. In 2022, he joined the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University as an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering. His present research interests include system- and component-level techniques for miniaturizing power electronic converters, and the application of these techniques to enable the next generation of sustainable systems and devices. He has also previously worked on modular power electronic converters for high-voltage dc transmission and battery energy storage systems for dc microgrids. Dr. Ranjram is a recipient of the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics Prize Paper Award.

Abstract: 

Studies of indoor crop production show that the cost of energy is frequently second only to the cost of labor. Controlling and reducing the cost of Energy over time is therefore critical to the current and future competitiveness of produce grown in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facilities. Moving from outdoors to indoor farming has many advantages, there are also some disadvantages. Two of the main disadvantages are cost of lighting and the cost of HVAC; these also use most of the energy in a facility. They are low handing fruit and will help bend the curve of higher energy usage. Datacenters have bent the energy curve by innovating hardware and software architectures. The Horticulture industry needs to follow suit with higher overall system efficiency in the areas of lighting, heating, and cooling requirements.

The presentation will review the Datacenter energy curve vs. the Horticulture energy curve. We will discuss the change of indoor grow system to the newer higher efficiency architectures. The new approach is being used and is now part of the DLC specifications. This approach is bending the curve. The Design Lights Consortium® (DLC) is a non-profit organization with a mission to achieve energy optimization. Future opportunities in reducing energy usage will also be discussed.

Presenter: Frank Cirolia, Advanced Energy

Frank Cirolia has 40 years of experience in the power supply industry. He is currently working at Advanced Energy where for the past 17 years he has worked as a Systems and Applications Engineer. Frank's technical expertise includes project management, circuit design, layout, packaging, and production support for all types of power converters.

For the last 5 years, Frank has been working on reducing energy and overall cost for horticulture LED lighting systems. His experience includes: Military and Aerospace with Lockheed,  Medical and Telcom with companies such as Unipower, ABB, Ascom, Delta, Artesyn, and Advanced Energy, and 6 years in the US Army working as a Medic and Xray technician.

Abstract: This webinar provides an examination of GaN device-based BLDC motor drives including a review of low voltage BLDC motors that covers elements such as motor sizing, torque and speed relationship, and requirements for specific mechanical loads. Over-drive limitations to prevent demagnetizing or overheating the motor and motor parameter determination will also be presented.

Details for two experimentally verified GaN IC BLDC motor drives will be given with various benefit examples such as the difference between 20 kHz and 100 kHz operation and the effect of dead-time. These parameters impact audible emissions, DC to mechanical efficiency, torque ripple, and DC filter requirements. Finally, a look at how to control GaN FET based motor inverters using tools such as: 1) Microchip’s motorbench, and 2) ST’s Motor Control Workbench.

Presenter: Marco Palma, EPC

Marco Palma joined EPC in 2019, where he is Director of motor drives systems and applications. He has over 20 years of experience in motor control power electronics ranging from switches to gate drivers, controllers, and algorithms. For International Rectifier, Marco worked on the smallest 13 kW fully integrated and programmable motor drive power modules in 2002, the first industrial sensor-less FOC controller IC in 2004, and the smallest 100 W, fully integrated fan drive module in 2009. For Infineon technologies, he worked on the smallest programmable 100 W fully integrated motor control power module in 2018. He is the author of several articles and patents in the field of motor control. Marco received an MSEE from Politecnico di Torino and an MBA from Bocconi Milano.

Abstract: Battery energy storage is becoming central to all things digital. And energy storage is poised to transform electrification of transportation and storage is critical for decarbonization of the electric grid. This talk will give an overview of battery energy storage technologies including Li-ion batteries, flow batteries, high temperature batteries, lead acid and alkaline batteries, highlight recent developments in solid state batteries, and discuss what the future holds for new energy storage technologies.

Presenter: Babu Chalamala, Sandia National Laboratories

Dr. Babu Chalamala is head of the Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. He currently serves as chair of the IEEE PES  Energy Storage and Stationary Battery. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Inventors. Authored over 120 published articles and awarded 9 US patents.

Abstract: Fast, safe, and efficient wireless power transfer technology, powered by innovations in power electronics and electromagnetics can not only catalyze the transition to electric vehicles but also revolutionize patient care among others.

This webinar will walk you through the key discoveries enabling groundbreaking wireless charging performance that is leading the movement to electrify work, logistics, transportation, and patient care. These innovations include high-efficiency wireless power transfer through high-frequency power electronics and optimized electromagnetics design, maintaining constant voltage and power output at greater distances and regardless of orientation, and achieving high performance whether powering a tiny 3 mm medical device, or a power-hungry Lift Truck, for which Resonant Link’s 19.2 kW, 400 A wireless charger is the fastest and most reliable option.

Join us at this webinar to learn about the same breakthroughs, and magnetic fundamentals, behind all of these applications and more, including Resonant Link’s multilayer self-resonant structures (MSRS) technology to the proprietary tools that simulate real-world conditions with a high degree of accuracy.

Presenter: Phyo Aung Kyaw, Resonant Link

Phyo Aung Kyaw received a B.A. in Physics from Amherst College, an Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, where his research focused on improving the efficiency and compactness of next-generation higher-frequency power electronics. Together with Aaron Stein, Grayson Zulauf and Charles Sullivan, Phyo is a co-founder of Resonant Link, pursuing a better way to wirelessly power everything from life-critical implantable medical devices to industrial and electric vehicles, with the potential to a completely transformed grid. Today, Phyo, Aaron, and Grayson have built a team of engineers, scientists, and innovators, created a remote-first, human-centric culture anchored by offices in South Burlington, VT, Zurich, and Boston, MA, and amassed double-digit customers in healthcare, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics, including multiple Fortune 500 companies. With backing from top investors and government agencies, they are poised to continue their exponential growth and lead the movement to electrify work, logistics, transportation, and patient care for a safe, strong, and sustainable future.

Abstract: Road transportation, which accounts for 22 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, is undergoing a major transformation with the advent of ridesharing, autonomous driving, and vehicle electrification. Collectively these technologies, in conjunction with renewable sources of electricity, have the potential to dramatically reduce the negative impact of road transportation on the health of the planet. The successful convergence of these technologies will require electric vehicles that are low cost and fully autonomous. These attributes can be realized through dynamic wireless charging. However, this will require wireless charging technology that is well beyond current capabilities, and opens new areas of research related to power and transportation infrastructure. Using examples from the Cornell University High Frequency Power Electronics Group's research on capacitive wireless charging (as opposed to the more common inductive techniques), which leverage very high frequency power electronics, this talk will highlight the opportunities and challenges in dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles.

Presenter: Khurram Afridi, Cornell University

Khurram Afridi is an Associate Professor of ECE at Cornell. He received the BS degree in electrical engineering from Caltech, and SM and PhD degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT. His research interests are in power electronics and energy systems incorporating power electronic controls. His experience includes positions at CU Boulder, MIT, LUMS, Techlogix, Schlumberger, Philips, Lutron, and JPL. He is an associate editor of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics and a distinguished lecturer of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. He has received Caltech’s Carnation Merit Award, the BMW Scientific Award, the LUMS Werner-von-Siemens Chair, and the NSF CAREER Award. He is co-author of six IEEE prize papers.

Abstract: Electric power system is undergoing rapid transformation that includes large scale integration of renewables and support for electrification of transportation. For the grid to operate reliably,  there is a greater need for energy storage systems and intelligent power conversion systems with advanced circuit topologies and high speed communication infrastructure. This presentation describes current trends in the development of grid energy storage technology, and current trends, needs, and opportunities in the development of power electronic infrastructure for tomorrow’s utility systems.

Presenters: Babu Chalamala and Jacob A. Mueller, Sandia National Laboratories

Babu Chalamala is head of the Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. He currently serves as chair of the IEEE PES  Energy Storage and Stationary Battery Committee. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Inventors. Authored over 120 published articles and awarded 9 US patents.

Jacob A. Mueller received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. After graduating in 2018, he joined the Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories, where he is currently Senior Member of Technical Staff. His research efforts at Sandia focus on high-performance power conversion systems for utility-scale energy storage.

Abstract: Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices are getting increasingly popular and finding traction in not only exotic, high-end power converters but also in mainstream applications. While the benefits of WBG devices such as excellent Qg*R(on) figure of merit and lack of reverse recovery are well known, utilizing these benefits and demonstrating high performance power converters has often been difficult. The goal of this presentation is to touch base on the advantages of WBG devices, showcase some example topologies where WBG devices have demonstrated marked improvement in the performance of a power converter. Further, another goal is to dispel some myths around WBG devices (e.g.  they are applicable exclusively in exotic high frequency topologies) and showcase some examples where key attributes of WBG devices can be exploited at traditional frequencies to improve efficiency and thereby power density. 

Presenter: Ajay Hari, ON Semiconductor Ajay Hari is an Applications Director at ON Semiconductor, where he leads a team of product definers, systems, and applications engineers working on of Ac-Dc and isolated Dc-Dc applications. Prior to ON Semiconductor, Ajay worked for National Semiconductor/TI, specializing in isolated power converters and has defined many PWM ICs for telecom, automotive, and industrial markets. Ajay started his career at General Electric as a design engineer. Ajay has a Master’s in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Florida and has authored many technical papers, articles, and holds over 12 patents.

Abstract: As adoption of wide bandgap devices in power electronics is occurring, the industry is focused on creating an ecosystem that will enhance this adoption.  Such an ecosystem  is dependent upon recognizing the current knowledge and maturity of wide bandgap devices, as well as acknowledging the devices may be used in an unique manner compared to how silicon could have been used.   Thus,  modified testing methodologies are required to accurately assess the unique materials. Similarly, validation test results must be reframed to consider how the devices are being used in application.  Methods used for qualification and reliability assessment also must be appropriate for wide bandgap devices and their applications.  JEDEC’s committee for Wide Bandgap Power Electronic Conversion Semiconductors (JC-70) has been addressing these needs and producing guidelines for the industry. The importance of this work is demonstrated by JC-70 being the fastest growing and 3rd largest committee, even though it is the newest JEDEC committee. This webinar will review the new guidelines which have been issued, current focus areas, and how they relate to various applications, such as automotive and industrial.  Join this webinar to learn of this exciting work and how you can become involved.

Presenters:

Stephanie Watts Butler, Ph.D., P.E., is the Technology Innovation Architect in High Voltage Power at Texas Instruments (TI), driving new high voltage and isolation technology innovations from concept to revenue by leading partnerships with TI's technology organizations, manufacturing sites, universities, and product development teams.  Through this role, Dr. Butler also identifies unique product requirements and specifications which enable valuable GaN based systems.  In her career, she has produced innovations in the areas of control, process and package development, R&D management, and new product development. Dr. Butler has authored more than 40 papers and 17 U.S. patents. She is the Chair of JEDEC's JC-70 Wide Bandgap Committee, a Fellow of the AVS, and a Senior Member of IEEE and AIChE.  Dr. Butler is also a member of theIEEE PELS WIE Committee and the Power Electronics Magazine Advisory Board.  SWE honored Dr. Butler with their highest award, the Achievement Award for Outstanding Technical Contributions, and Business Insider named Dr. Butler to their most powerful female engineers list of 2017. Dr. Butler also serves on the TxGCP Champion Board and UT Austin Department of Chemical Engineering Advisory Council.

Dr. Peter Friedrichs was born in 1968 in Aschersleben, Germany. After achieving his Dipl.-Ing. in microelectronics from the Technical University of Bratislava in 1993, he started a Ph.D work at the Fraunhofer Institut FhG-IIS-B in  Erlangen. His focus area of expertise was the physics of the MOS interface in SiC power MOSFETs.  In 1996 he joined the Corporate Research of the Siemens AG and was involved in the development of power switching devices on SiC, mainly power MOSFETs and vertical junction FETs.

Peter Friedrichs joined SiCED GmbH & Co. KG, a company being a joint venture of Siemens and Infineon and originated from the former Siemens research group, on March the 1st, 2000. Since July 2004 he was the managing director of SiCED, responsible for all technical issues. In 2009 he achieved the Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. From the University of Hagen. After the integration of SiCED’s activities into Infineon he joined Infineon as Senior Director Silicon Carbide from April 1st, 2011. He is a member of the ECPE board and acts as co-chair for the JEDEC JC70.2 committee. He holds numerous patents in the field of SiC power devices and technology and is an author or co/author of more than 50 scientific papers and conference contributions.

Abstract: Wireless sensors can be easily and cost effectively retrofitted in and around equipment and infrastructure in factories to capture sensory data. This is of particular interest to adopters of industry 4.0 where the vision is to have machines which are augmented with sensors, connected to a system that can visualise the entire production line and ultimately make decisions on its own or at least help operators make better informed decisions to improve energy and resource utilisation and improve factory agility. This webinar outlines the types of opportunities presented particularly in the areas of asset management and condition monitoring. It also covers the challenge related to reliably powering such devices and the potential for energy harvesting and micro-power management to extend battery life. Real life use cases and solutions developed with be covered in the presentation along with scope for usage for many industry 4.0 related applications. The activities of PSMA’s energy harvesting committee and the EU EnABLES project which give industry and academia free of achage access to leading laboratories and expertise to do ‘power IoT’ experiments are also introduced.

Presenters: 

Mike Hayes is well known internationally as a technology and thought leader in ‘powering the internet of things’. He is head of the ‘ICT for Energy Efficiency’ (ICT4EE) Group at Tyndall National Institute, Ireland developing power management solutions for wireless IoT edge devices. Prior to this he worked for 20 years in the Power Electronics industry at Artesyn Technologies in various technical and senior management design engineering roles.

He is work package leader on several national and EU funded projects in factories of the future, smart grid and energy efficient buildings, most notably as co-ordinator of Tyndall’s family of PMICs (power management ICs), Energy harvesting simulation projects & the EU research infrastructure project EnABLES for ‘powering IoT’. Mike is also currently chair of board of directors at PSMA, co-chair of their Energy harvesting Committee and co-founder of PSMA’s EnerHarv biennial energy harvesting workshop.

Pete Haigh is a Chartered Engineer and Principal Engineer at Tyndall’s ICT4EE group developing integrated power systems for IoT applications. Prior to his 5 years at Tyndall he has over 25 year of industry experience in companies such as Analog Devices, Harris & M/ACom gaining extensive experience in the development and management of a wide range of radio systems. Pete’s current focus areas are Micro Power Energy Harvesting, Ultra Low Power Wireless Sensing systems for IoT and RF Communications. He has been Tyndall’s technical lead on EU funded projects RECO2ST, PVadapt and COMPOSITION, managing and designing complete IoT sensing systems from sensor to cloud for Building Energy Management, micro-grid and Factories of the Future projects.

Abstract: This presentation will first focus on the challenges associated with the packaging of Wide Bandgap semiconductors.  The presentation will address, electromagnetic limitations and a 3-D integration concept  for a simple switching cell in both SiC and GaN applications. It will discuss the progression from the switching cell packaging to a full converter, including cooling aspects, and other developments which are currently being addressed in ongoing projects at G2ELab.

Presenter: Dr. Jean-Luc SCHANEN is Professor at Université Grenoble Alpes since 2003. He is leading the power electronics group of G2ELab, composed of 12 permanent academic researchers, and roughly 30 Ph.D students. This group works both in collaboration with academia and industry, in the field of converter design automation, packaging and EMC in Power Electronics.

Abstract: Based on extensive validation testing research and execution—this session’s first segment addresses the most effective methods to properly analyze test data. Previous reliability sessions have addressed fundamental modeling, test selection strategies and test execution methods. This session builds on that foundation to define:

• Conservative modeling strategies
• Advanced methodologies for Voltage Accelerated Early Life Failure testing (including HTRB)
• Potential pitfalls to consider when conducting accelerated testing
• Best practices for choosing test voltages for stress testing
• Benchmark results for both 650 V and 900 V GaN technologies

The second segment introduces Transphorm’s next generation Gen IV SuperGaNTM that continues the evolution of our two-switch normally-off GaN switch configuration designed to increase performance and overall device ruggedness. Based on learning both internally and from customer product application use, these innovations:

• Drastically cut internal source inductance to:
  • Extend high power operation
  • Deliver higher performance and flatter efficiency curves by eliminating di/dt current limitations (half-bridge type topologies)
• Reduce packaging complexity, hence cost
• Maintain best-in-class robustness and reliability

Competitive analysis will also be presented showing comparisons between this GaN design versus other GaN device technologies and alternative WBG technologies such as SiC.

Presenters: 

Ronald Barr, VP of Quality and Reliability, Transphorm Inc.

Ron leads the quality and reliability validation initiatives for Transphorm’s high voltage GaN power transistors. His team is responsible for defining the company’s quality standards as well performing engineering analysis of product reliability test data. Previously, Ron held similar quality and analytics roles at KLA-Tencor and Nanosys. He has also worked at Read-Rite Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, Signetics and Fairchild Semiconductor with responsibilities in front end wafer fab engineering and operations.

Ron holds a BS in Chemistry from Syracuse University along with an MBA in Business from Santa Clara University. He is a certified manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence (ASQ CMQ/OE) and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (ASQ CSSBB)

Yifeng Wu, Sr. VP of Engineering, Transphorm Inc.

Yifeng joined Transphorm in 2008, leading the engineering effort in developing GaN power conversion device products and applications. He previously worked at WideGap Technology LLC and Cree Inc. for 11 years.  He received his Ph.D. degree from UC Santa Barbara, where he established himself as a pioneer in GaN Electronics. His contributions span from basic device processes to cutting-edge device designs, from millimeter-wave power amplifiers to sub-kV high-efficiency power converters. He was the first to demonstrate a GaN microwave power HEMT and set several world records for the highest power densities of any solid-state transistor. He holds 112 US patents and has authored many high-impact papers, resulting in more than 15,000 citations in Google Scholar.

Abstract: As part of EU energy strategy, targets have been set for energy efficiency for 2020 and 2030 in addition to those for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewables.   The Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labeling Regulation are two policy instruments used in the EU to drive products toward higher energy efficiency.  Out of fifteen product categories requiring energy labels, five product groups are undergoing labeling reform.  The primary change relates to an aggressive re-scaling of energy efficiency classes, or grades, in order to enable consumers to make better-informed decisions and purchase more efficient products.  For each of these five product groups, including refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, electronic displays, and lighting, the presentation will cover upcoming changes as well as definitions and formulae used to determine respective energy efficiency classes.  In the category of electronic displays, furthermore, a deeper analysis will be provided to show how EU standards compare in stringency to those for ENERGY STAR® in the US.

Presenter: Mr. David Chen joined Power Integrations in September 2015 as Director of Applications Engineering.  With twenty-five years of experience in power system design and applications, David has held senior management positions at both publicly traded and privately held companies, including Volterra (acquired by Maxim), Akros Silicon, and Jade Sky Technologies, an LED driver start-up which he co-founded.  David received both his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and is the author of two patents.

Abstract: A new Epoxy Resin Composite Dielectric (ERCD) laminate has been made available with thicknesses down to 120µm, Rth=10W/mK, VB≥40kV/mm, Tg≥250°C and bondable to prepeg, Al and Cu boards. The thinness provides better thermal performance than DBC alumina with higher reliability. The laminate is ideal for high temperature applications in cost sensitive applications such as automotive and telecom power. This new substrate approach opens new module configurations for heterogeneous integration of power and signal, along with sensing, and supports the recent advances in small-die-size power WBG devices. This webinar takes a comprehensive approach to introducing components, materials, equipment and processes for working with new laminates, and provides a detailed design approach to double-sided power electronics converter modules.

Presenters: Prof. Doug Hopkins, Ph.D. is professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University, and directs the Laboratory for Packaging Research in Electronic Energy Systems (PREES). His primary research is in very high frequency, high density power electronic systems, extreme environment electronics, organic-based circuits for power and energy systems, high temperature (>300˚C) composite packaging with integrated ceramics, and true 3D electronic packaging. Professor Hopkins has over 25 years of experience in industry and academia. His early career was at the R&D centers of the General Electric and Carrier Air-Conditioning Companies, and received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining NCSU, he was at the University at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo), and has published over 120 journal and conference articles.

Tzu-Hsuan Cheng received his B.S. from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, in 2012, and the M.S. degree from the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 2014. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University. He was a Power IC Packaging R&D Engineer in Delta Electronics, Taoyuan, Taiwan, where he was involved in the development of power packaging technologies. His current research interests include packaging process development using organic dielectric material and advanced package design.

Abstract: Lidar is a form of remote sensing which compares a transmitted optical signal to its reflection to determine properties of a remote target of interest. Distance-sensing lidar has shown explosive growth in the last decade, and GaN power FETs have been a key enabling factor in this growth. Two significant forms of lidar dominate the lidar industry today: direct time-of-flight (DToF) and indirect time-of-flight (IToF). Typical DToF lidar sends individual pulses, and times the reflection to compute the distance to the target. IToF lidar works by comparing the phase of transmitted and reflected pulse trains. Both depend on short, high current pulses to drive a laser diode transmitter, where pulse currents range from a few amps to hundreds of amps, and pulse widths can be less than 2 ns. GaN FETs make this possible in a cost-effective and compact manner. This webinar discusses both approaches to 3D imaging, where each technology will find its position in the autonomous vehicle of the future, and how GaN enables this future. Recent advances in GaN technology, and especially the advent of lidar GaN ICs, will be shown that improve system performance and significantly reduce system cost. Performance examples are shown, including results of GaN lidar-specific reliability testing. The latter shows that there are no major new failure mechanisms surfaced by the new and extreme operating conditions of lidar transmitters.. 

Presenter: John Glaser, Efficient Power Conversions (EPC) John Glaser, Ph.D., received his BSEE from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and went to Motorola to design RF power amplifiers for mobile and fleet radio systems, after which he earned an MSEE and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He then spent two years at Hughes Missile Systems working on power electronics for TWT amplifiers, after which he joined General Electric Global Research. From 1998 to 2014, he worked on power electronics for consumer, commercial, medical, industrial, aerospace and wide-bandgap semiconductor applications, for power levels ranging from milliwatts to megawatts and frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to > 100 MHz. In 2014, he joined Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) as Director of Applications, where he develops applications, circuits, and methods to maximize the benefit of GaN power transistors, and to help engineers realize the advantages of GaN technology. He has published more than 35 papers and has been granted 33 US patents and 12 non-US patents, with several more pending, and is an IEEE Senior Member.

Abstract: In past decades much of the academic work in microprocessor power delivery involved developing an understanding of ground bounce, imperfect power planes, and computational simulation methods.  Models were created of varying complexity to estimate the impact of layout, capacitor selection, placement and mounting inductance to a wide variety of proposed performance metrics.  Like other technical areas, many of the early struggles in Power Delivery Network (PDN) design have dissipated with the development of modern simulation tools and compute power.  Today, for most microprocessor applications designing the PDN has become an execution problem rather than an academic challenge.  Industry knows how to design a PDN, but creating one that meets design cost, manufacturability, and performance in the light of other complex design and supply constraints is the challenge of the 2020’s. 

This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the typical microprocessor PDN design.  It will focus on issues related to modern decoupling capacitors used in PDNs and the challenges they create in the development of tomorrow’s high-volume microprocessors.  Desirable component features that will useful in the next generation PDNs will be discussed.

Presenter: Michael J. Hill is a Principal Engineer at Intel Corporation in Chandler, Arizona.  He has been with the Electrical Core Competency group working on microprocessor power delivery analysis and metrology development since 2002.  His work in this area includes the development of new tools and techniques to allow precise characterization of microprocessor power delivery networks and their components. Much of his work has focused on characterization techniques for microprocessor power delivery systems that utilize integrated voltage regulators.  In addition to his work in Power Delivery, Michael also is responsible for developing characterization methods for other packaging related performance metrics. He has worked on developing ultra-precise material characterization techniques to enable and validate technologies like package-based antenna arrays for 5G wireless applications.   Michael is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Etta Kappa Nu and is also a senior member of the IEEE.  He holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arizona.  Michael can be reached by email at: Michael.j.hill@intel.com

Abstract: Reliability is often a function of the amount of test and analysis applied. But programs are often budget and time constrained. So, what is the right ratio to achieve optimum reliability? Many industries lean on test, eschewing analysis as too expensive. For many programs, reference designs are employed without pessimism and no analysis is performed at all. This presentation discusses where can we focus our efforts to improve the reliability of high-reliability applications. How analysis compliments test and has changed over time, existing and emerging standards, BOL vs EOL tolerance impacts, methods for performing WCCA efficiently on new technologies, how to properly perform and interpret Monte Carlo analysis, and what circuit characteristics often fail stress and WCCA are discussed.

Presenter: Charles Hymowitz, AEi Systems Mr. Hymowitz is a technologist, marketer, and business executive with over 30 years of experience in the electrical engineering services and EDA software markets. Mr. Hymowitz has been Chairman and CEO of AEi Systems, LLC since its re-organization in 2002. He currently guides all aspects of the company’s operations including technical services, product quality, sales and a staff of over 30 in-house and consulting engineers. In 2012, Mr. Hymowitz was recognized as the only independent (not employed directly by a prime aerospace contractor) SME (subject matter expert) on Worst Case Circuit Analysis ("WCCA"). Mr. Hymowitz was a key contributor to Aerospace Corporations’ industry guidelines (“TOR”) for WCCA. Mr. Hymowitz is also the Vice President of Marketing for Picotest, makers of Power Integrity test equipment.

In 1985, Mr. Hymowitz co-founded Intusoft, a leading CAE/EDA software corporation where he was a Director and held several positions, including Chief Operating Officer. He has co-authored several books on SPICE including, “SPICE Circuit Handbook”, “Simulating with SPICE”, “The SPICE Cookbook”, “The SPICE Applications Handbook” and the Intusoft EDA Newsletter. Mr. Hymowitz is a graduate of the Rutgers University, with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering.

Abstract: It is widely realized that SiC is now an established technology that is transforming the power industry in many applications across the industrial, energy and automotive segments - from watts to megawatts. Using leading edge technology development to achieve both performance and scale, Wolfspeed is expanding the reach of Silicon Carbide power devices into broader applications where silicon fails to deliver. Silicon carbide is now way past an interesting concept and is being widely adopted in all major market segments and end user systems. Wolfspeed is leading this charge with the industries commanding position both in established product offering and new technology and this webinar will describe and discuss, compare and contrast several power topologies that are commonly used across many applications, and will show how SiC is implemented and the advancements over incumbent silicon it brings.

Presenter: Guy Moxey, Wolfspeed Guy Moxey has spent his entire career in the power semiconductor industry with various roles in applications, product marketing and product line management. His career has included employment at International Rectifier, Siliconix and Fairchild Semiconductor. Mr Moxey currently serves as the Senior Director of Power Marketing and Applications for Wolfspeed. He has authored numerous technical papers and application notes and received his B.Eng (Hons) in electrical/electronic engineering from the University of Brighton and his MSc in power electronics from the University of Birmingham.

Abstract: Power electronics generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to semiconductors’ high-speed switching transitions and naturally occurring parasitic coupling paths.  EMI makes power conversion hardware less reliable and presents compatibility issues for surrounding equipment.  While it is generally a nuisance, EMI also contains useful diagnostic information about the power electronics, its energy sources, and loads.  This is because EMI changes with the age of components.  

This presentation teaches the fundamentals of using conducted EMI as a tool for diagnosing capacitor health.  The talk begins by comparing this method to existing approaches used in literature and applications.  Next, it reviews the precursors for capacitor failure.  Afterwards, it illustrates, via circuit analysis techniques, how certain precursors impact conducted EMI. It further demonstrates the use of digital signal processing (DSP) techniques and machine learning (ML) tools as a means for improving diagnostic capabilities of prognostic and health management (PHM) systems.  The presentation includes experimental results to support the theoretical analysis provided to the audience.

Presenter: Mark Scott, Miami University Mark J. Scott received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2005, 2013, and 2015, respectively.  Currently, he is an assistant professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA. His previous work experience includes developing and installing industrial automation systems and validating power electronics for automotive applications.    Dr. Scott researches the design trade-offs of using silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power devices in electrified transportation and renewable energy. This includes developing resonant power conversion topologies as well as measuring and mitigating conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI). He also explores prognostic and health management techniques for power conversion hardware. Dr. Scott has multiple publications in IEEE journals and has presented at several conferences and workshops.   He is also actively involved with service to IEEE and PSMA.

Abstract: Rise of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, tools, and platforms, and their coupling with the availability of large-scale data acquisition and processing systems is transforming the enterprise of science and technology all over the world. This is precursor to paradigm-shifting changes on how power electronics systems and associated components will be designed for, and utilized in various applications. Every major industry is adopting AI techniques for improving their technologies, products and services. Unfortunately, clear and unambiguous discussions on how power device and electronics industry is planning to take advantage of these transformative tools and frameworks in its roadmap of developing more efficient and reliable technologies are somewhat lacking. In this talk, the speaker would like to show some possibilities and provide some pointers on these topics. The goal is not as much emphasizing a specific application of AI in power electronics so as to stimulating ideas and start the conversation.

Presenter: Tirthajyoti Sarkar, Adapdix Dr. Tirthajyoti Sarkar works as a Data Science Engineering Manager at Adapdix Corp. where he leads the development of Artificial intelligence and Machine learning modeling and data analytics for Industrial IoT systems on an edge-computing platform. Application areas include photonic assembly, semiconductor manufacturing, automotive factories, etc. Before this, Tirthajyoti spent 12 years in the power semiconductor industry. He was a Sr. Principal Engineer at ON Semiconductor, where he developed advanced semiconductor technology and products that powered everything from smartphones and data centers to electric cars.

He has published data science books, and regularly contributes highly cited AI/ML-related articles on top platforms. Tirthajyoti has also developed multiple open-source software packages in the field of statistical modeling and data analytics. He has 5 US patents and ~30 technical publications in IEEE journals/conferences. He also contributes to community activities in IEEE and PSMA including being the co-chair of the PSMA Semiconductor committee. Tirthajyoti holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and a B.Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Abstract: Magnetic core loss modeling is a long-standing and important challenge for high-performance power electronics design.

Abstract: Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) provide isolation and power flow control between medium-voltage and low-voltage AC or DC systems, and are formed by input- and output-side power electronic converters, which are linked through a medium-frequency transformer. Accordingly, SSTs show high power density and are offering full controllability of the terminal currents and/or the transferred power and, in case of AC voltages, the reactive power at the input and the output side.  Therefore, SSTs are well suited for replacing bulky low-frequency (LF) transformers of high-power EV charging stations, datacenters, traction vehicles etc. and are in general seen as key elements of future smart microgrids. However, the connection to MV, the high overall complexity, the relatively high realization costs, and the potentially lower efficiency in case of AC/AC conversion are still major challenges for practical applications.

The webinar starts with a brief review of transformer scaling laws and then identifies the motivation, requirements, and challenges associated with SST applications. Next, we discuss the most important conceptual and design aspects of SSTs such as single-cell vs. multi-cell topologies using Si or SiC semiconductors, isolated front-end vs. isolated back-end converter architectures, reliability of multi-cell converters, protection, and medium-frequency transformer realization. In this context, we also present latest results of research at ETH Zurich, which currently targets advanced air-core medium-frequency transformer designs considering close similarities to inductive power transfer systems. Finally, the most promising mid-term application scenarios for SSTs, e.g., ultra-fast EV charging, modular power supply systems of datacenters, collector grids of utility-scale PV plants or wind farms, and AC and DC microgrids in smart cities, are identified and briefly described. Furthermore, we outline future research areas before we conclude with a critical evaluation of the SST concept against LF-transformer-based solutions.

Presenters: Prof. Johann Kolar & Dr. Jonas Huber, ETH Zurich 

Johann W. Kolar is a Fellow of the IEEE and is currently a Full Professor and the Head of the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. He has proposed numerous novel converter concepts incl. the Vienna Rectifier, the Sparse Matrix Converter and the Swiss Rectifier, has spearheaded the development of x-million rpm motors, and has pioneered fully automated multi-objective power electronics design procedures. He has supervised 75+ Ph.D. students, has published 900+ journal and conference papers and 4 book chapters, and has filed 200+ patents. He has served as IEEE PELS Distinguished Lecturer from 2012 – 2016. He has received 36 IEEE Transactions and Conference Prize Paper Awards, the 2014 IEEE Power Electronics Society R. David Middlebrook Achievement Award, the 2016 IEEE PEMC Council Award, the 2016 IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award, and two ETH Zurich Golden Owl Awards for excellence in teaching. He was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering as an international member in 2021.  The focus of his current research is on ultra-compact/efficient WBG converter systems, ANN-based design procedures, Solid-State Transformers, ultra-high speed drives, and bearingless motors. 

Jonas E. Huber received the MSc and the PhD degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland, in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Since 2012, he has been with the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory, ETH Zurich and became a Postdoctoral Researcher, focusing his research interests on the field of solid-state transformers. From 2017, he was with ABB Switzerland Ltd. as an R&D Engineer designing high-power DC-DC converter systems for traction applications, and later with a Swiss utility company as a Business Development Manager. He then returned to the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory as a Senior Researcher in 2020, extending his research scope to all types of WBG-semiconductor-based ultra-compact, ultra-efficient or highly dynamic converter systems. 

Abstract: The changing resource mix of the bulk power system, particularly the increasing deployment of wind power and solar PV, has resulted in an increasing portion of the resource mix being asynchronously connected through inverters - Inverter Based Resources (IBRs). These resources behave differently than traditional synchronous resources, which has necessitated investigation into viable alternate control schemes for use during operation of the system. A major theme of alternate schemes proposed in research has been on ensuring that these IBRs conform to the operational norms and limits that are presently followed. However, as a faster response can be obtained from IBRs, this talk will explore the capabilities to exploit fast response characteristics of an IBR to obtain superior frequency control. The   talk will also  look towards providing performance specifications that can be expected from power electronic resources in a future power system.

Presenter: Deepak Ramasubramanian is a Technical Leader at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the Grid Operations and Planning Group. He joined EPRI in 2017 where his work is in the area of modeling, control and stability analysis of the bulk power system with focus on the associated impacts of large-scale integration of converter interfaced generation. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Arizona State University, Tempe, USA in 2017 and his M.Tech. degree in Power Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India in 2013. He is a recipient of an Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) Excellence Award.

Abstract: IoT applications and the integration of smart sensors become more and more common in industrial applications. In many cases condition monitoring and predictive/preventive maintenance are the core drivers. Rotating machineries, which are commonplace in indus-trial applications, are no exception. With moving parts, however, the wiring of these components can become a challenge, raising a demand for wireless communication and power supply alternatives.

Presenter: Sebastian Bader, STC Research Centre, Mid Sweden University Dr. Sebastian Bader is an associate professor of embedded systems at the Department of Electronics Design at Mid Sweden University, and a senior researcher at the STC Research Centre. He received his PhD degree in 2013 with a focus on energy-efficient and self-powered networked embedded systems. His research focus currently lies on energy harvesting technologies and systems, with a focus on kinetic energy harvesting and photovoltaics for low-power sensor systems. Dr. Bader has been a visiting researcher in Australia and the UK, is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the PSMA energy harvesting committee, as well as an associate editor for the journal on sustainable computing: informatics and systems.

Abstract: When the world eventually emerges from this global pandemic and supply chains re-normalize, there is optimism that the semiconductor shortages will subside. Among these improvements will be the ability to deliver silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor power devices more rapidly and at lower price points. However, as has been well-documented, there are advancements beyond the power devices themselves that play a role in the adoption of SiC technology in new design starts. This talk will touch on some of those. Economy and performance are benefits that come with high power density power electronics, analogous to VLSI electronics. High density power electronics require the heterogeneous integration of disparate technologies including power semiconductor devices, driver, protection and control circuitry, passives and voltage isolation techniques into single modules. One of the keys to advancing power electronics integration has been the commercial reality of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices made from silicon carbide and gallium nitride. The ability to design and manufacture wide bandgap integrated circuits as sensors, drivers, controllers, and protection circuitry allows them to be packaged in close proximity to the power device die to minimize parasitics that would adversely impact system performance. These impacts include excessive ringing, noise generation, power loss, and, potentially, self-destruction. This talk will describe emerging trends in SiC-based integration. Advanced 3D electronic module packaging approaches driven by simultaneous electro-thermal-control design methods and multi-objective optimization techniques will also be described.

Presenter: Prof. Alan Mantooth, University of Arkansas H. Alan Mantooth received the B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from Georgia Tech in 1990. He then joined Analogy, a startup company in Oregon, where he focused on semiconductor device modeling and the research and development of modeling tools and techniques. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he currently holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. His research interests now include analog and mixed-signal IC design & CAD, semiconductor device modeling, power electronics, power electronics packaging, and cybersecurity. Dr. Mantooth helped establish the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) at the UA in 2005. Professor Mantooth serves as the Executive Director for NCREPT as well as two of its centers of excellence: the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) and the Cybersecurity Center on Secure, Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2015, he also helped to establish the UA’s first NSF Engineering Research Center entitled Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) that focuses on high power density systems for electrified transportation applications. Dr. Mantooth has co-founded three companies in design automation (Lynguent), IC design (Ozark Integrated Circuits), and cybersecurity (Bastazo) as well as advising a fourth in power electronics packaging (Arkansas Power Electronics International) to maturity and acquisition as a board member. Dr. Mantooth holds the 21st Century Research Leadership Chair in Engineering. He currently serves as Senior Past-President for the IEEE Power Electronics Society and Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics. Dr. Mantooth is a Fellow of IEEE, a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu, and registered professional engineer in Arkansas. 

Abstract: Magnetics design has become a critical issue for power electronics because of increasing trends towards high efficiency and high power-density. Rapid progress in wide-bandgap semiconductors has revolutionized active devices in power converters, leaving the indispensable passive magnetic components as the bottleneck against further system-level miniaturization and performance improvements. However, conventional design and modeling of magnetic components largely reply on behavioral-level regression methodologies that are inadequate to provide theoretical guidance and feasibility for advanced applications. This talk starts from the external characteristics of magnetic components, and then shifts from macroscopic performance to microscopic behavior for magnetic materials in order to reveal the hierarchy of interactions between material properties and component applications. Preliminary modeling works derived from the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation governing the microscopic physics of magnetic materials will be presented. The modeling techniques are validated initially with thin-film magnetic filters used for RF applications, which will be extended to power magnetic components. The model not only provide powerful tools for analyzing magnetic-related issues in the next generation of high-frequency and high-density power electronics with improved accuracy and generality; but also bridges the gap between magnetic material development and their performance in practical applications.

Presenter: Dr. Helen Cui, University of Tennessee Helen Cui received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Tianjin University, Tianjin, China, in 2011, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, in 2013 and 2017, respectively, both in electrical engineering. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee since 2020. Before joining UT, she was a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA working on RF magnetics. Her research interests include magnetic components for high-density and high-frequency applications; magnetic material modeling in power electronics with wide-bandgap devices.

Abstract: Since production launch in Q1 2018, high-voltage gallium nitride (GaN) power ICs have moved into mainstream power applications. High-frequency, high-power-density system optimization poses new questions and presents new opportunities for GaN power IC designers to extend system performance advantages over GaN discretes, and legacy silicon.

Next-generation integration enables even higher efficiency, autonomy and reliability with precision sensing of system current, voltage and temperature and real-time control and protection. External monitoring components - such as large, lossy sense resistors – are eliminated, reducing system power loss, reducing complexity and reducing cost. Autonomous characteristics include current sense and protection, low-power standby, etc.

The presentation will present worked-examples covering mobile fast chargers in the range 30-300W, and including PFC options and ACF/QR examples. 

Presenter: Dan Kinzer, COO / CTO, Navitas Semiconductor For 30 years Dan has led R&D at semiconductor and power electronics companies at the VP level or higher. His experience includes developing advanced power device and IC platforms, wide bandgap GaN and SiC device design, IC and power device fabrication processes, advanced IC design, semiconductor package development and assembly processes, and design of electronic systems. Before Co-founding Navitas, Dan served as VP R&D, VP Advanced Product Development, and Chief Technologist at International Rectifier, and SVP Product & Technology Development & CTO at Fairchild Semiconductor. In 2018, Dan was an inaugural inductee to the International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD) Hall of Fame. Dan holds over 180 US patents, and a BSE degree in Engineering Physics from Princeton University.

Abstract: As representatives of governments, businesses, and other organizations with an influence over the future of the automotive industry and road transport, we commit to rapidly accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Together, we will work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets. During the COP26 in Glasgow major automotive players and governments agreed on moving forward to the next steps of electrification in order to reduce climate change. The vehicle electrification is becoming real and it is changing the automotive industry and its tiers, including semiconductors. During this presentation an overview on Vehicle Electrification from the Power Electronics and Semiconductor perspective will be provided. Furthermore challenges and trends in power semiconductors will be discussed. 

Presenter: Vittorio Crisafulli, onsemi Dr. Vittorio Claudio Crisafulli is a Product Line Manager at onsemi, where he is responsible for the Automotive WBG product line. He has more than 15 years’ experience working in the semiconductor sector and has held several positions, ranging from R&D to Application,  to Marketing. Vittorio has been a part of the power electronics industry since 2006 and has worked for companies including STMicroelectronics, Whirlpool, Power Integration, Semisouth and onsemi. Vittorio’s educational background includes a Master Degree in Electronic Engineering from University of Catania, a Ph.D. in Energy from the Scuola Superiore at the University of Catania, and a Masters in Business and Administration (GEMBA) from the SDA Bocconi. Vittorio also has a visiting Ph.D. at the department of Energy of Aalborg University. Vittorio holds four patents, and has authored or co-authored more than 20 international technical publications.

Abstract: This webinar for the PSMA Power Technology Roadmap series will describe emerging trends in battery energy storage, covering a broad range of energy levels and applications. This will include some information based on recent energy storage contributions to a PSMA white paper - Energy Harvesting for a Green Internet of Things and the Nanoelectronics Roadmap for Europe developed in the NEREID EU project for energy requirements in future integrated systems utilising energy harvesting and storage. 

Presenter: James Rohan, Tyndall National Institute Dr James Rohan established and leads the Electrochemical Materials and Energy research group at Tyndall National Institute in University College Cork, Ireland. Prior to that he was a senior scientist at EIC Laboratories in the US working on lithium ion batteries for EVs after his Ph.D. at Southampton University in the UK where he used microelectrodes for analysis of lithium metal electrochemistry. He is chair of the Energy for the IoT research cluster in Tyndall. He has contributed to road-mapping energy harvesting and storage solutions for the IoT including the most recent IEEE International Roadmap for Devices and Systems https://irds.ieee.org/ He is a funded investigator in the Connect Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for future networks and communications and lecturer in the UCC School of Chemistry. 

Abstract: In numerous cost and volume sensitive applications reactive components  (inductors and capacitors) of switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) have become main contributors to the overall size, cost, and weight of electronic devices.  Furthermore, conflicting requirements for size reduction of the SMPS and increase in their power delivery requirements have pushed conventional dc-dc SMPS solution close to (or beyond) their limitations. 

This seminar will address those limitations and present several emerging practical control and topological solutions that, potentially, provide drastic reduction of the size of SMPS and power processing efficiency improvements at the same time.

Practical on-chip implementation of fast transient control methods, based on minimum voltage deviation, will be presented.

On the topological side, classes of reduced voltage swing converters, which are based on hybrid capacitive and inductive energy processing, will be reviewed and several new topological solutions presented. Also, several class-specific control and implementation challenges will be addressed and solutions for the same presented.

Presenter: Prof. Prodic obtained his Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of NoviSad (Serbia) in 1994 and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2000 and 2003, respectively. In 2003 he joined the University of Toronto, where he formed Laboratory for Power Management and Integrated Switch-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS).

His research interests are in power electronics converter topologies, mixed-signal control, and IC design for power electronics. The applications of interest range from on-chip power supplies for portable devices to power management systems in EV and Hybrid vehicles. His research also covers use of power electronics in biomedical applications. He has published more than 100 research papers. His research also resulted in more than 30 patents; many of them have become commercial products.

He is a recipient of an IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER  ELECTRONICS  Paper  Award, multiple conference  paper  awards and multiple Canadian Government Awards.  He also received the  2012  and  2013 Inventor of the Year Awards from the University of Toronto, but he is the most proud of four Excellence in Teaching Awards, elected and given by the University of Toronto undergraduate  students.

Abstract: SiC is gaining rapid adoption in various electric vehicle (EV) applications, including on-board charging, off-board charging, and drive-train inverters. Now over seven years since the introduction of SiC MOSFETs, product portfolio expansion and product support continues to grow. According to the article Power Semiconductors Market Update, by Richard Eden and Kevin Anderson, Jan 04, 2018, “… although silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET revenue is only about 3% of the total MOSFET market, it is expected to grow by more than 40% in 2018, fueled by its use in hybrid and electric vehicles, PV inverters, and other industrial segments.”

To update the PSMA community, Wolfspeed will present results on a two different automotive applications. First, a 20kW Bi-Directional 3 phase AC-DC converter will be presented, which utilizes a 3-phase grid-tied AC-DC system for fast charging stations for electric vehicles. This 20kW converter allows for 3-phase fast off-board charging for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). With bidirectional functionality of the converter, it is also possible to deliver power from vehicle to grid.

Secondly, a 250kW 3 phase inverter will be presented which utilizes 900V, 400-800A ½ bridge power modules in a three phase inverter designed for an EV bus voltage up to 700V. Motor speed and efficiency data will be presented, including details on the expected vehicle savings for EV in city and highway driving.

Presenters: Dan Martin, Adil Salman, Wolfspeed, a Cree, Inc. Company

Daniel Martin is a senior power electronics engineer at Wolfspeed and has been utilizing high-speed SiC and GaN devices in power electronic systems for over 6 years. His role at Wolfspeed covers everything from low inductance module optimization to full system design. His experience utilizing SiC in a variety of applications has enabled insight into devices behavior, optimized power module packaging, optimal gate driver control/design, and system level optimization to fully enable the utilization of SiC devices.

Adil Salman is a Product Marketing Engineer at Wolfspeed where he is supporting SiC MOSFETs and Diodes product line. Before joining Wolfspeed, Adil has been involved in the design and development of power conversion systems specifically designed for medical, automotive and aerospace applications.

Abstract:  In this webinar, Yole developpement and System Plus Consulting will share our view on the power electronics devices technology and market status.

The analyst from Yole developpement will talk about the power device market, covering IGBT, MOSFET etc, and then give a focus on the SiC and GaN devices, where the driving markets and challenges will be addressed.

In support to market data, System Plus Consulting will present some technical examples of available devices and their cost analysis. The comparison between Si based devices and SiC and GaN devices will highlight the main technical and cost challenges facing WBG devices today.

Presenters: Dr. Hong Lin, Yole Développement, Dr. Ana Villamor, Yole Développement, and Dr. Elena Barbarini, System Plus Consulting

Dr. Hong Lin has worked at Yole Développement as a Senior Technology and Market Analyst since 2013. She is  in charge of Compound Semiconductors activities and providing technical, marketing and strategical analysis. She is the main author of the Power SiC  and Power GaN market report.  Before joining Yole Développement, she worked as an R&D Engineer at Newstep Technologies, overseeing the development of cold cathodes made by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for nanotechnology-based visible and UV lamp applications. She holds a PhD in physics and chemistry of materials.

Dr. Ana Villamor serves as a Technology & Market Analyst | Power Electronics at Yole Développement. She is involved in many custom studies and reports focused on emerging power electronics technologies at Yole Développement, including device technology and reliability analysis (MOSFET, IGBT, HEMT, etc.). In addition, Ana is leading the quarterly power management market updates released in 2017. Previously Ana was involved in a high-added value collaboration on SJ Power MOSFETs, within the CNM research center for the leading power electronic company ON Semiconductor. During this partnership, and after two years as Silicon Development Engineer, she acquired extensive relevant technical expertise and a deep knowledge of the power electronics industry. Dr. Villamor is author and co-author of several papers as well as a patent. She holds an Electronics Engineering degree completed by a Master’s in micro and nano electronics, both from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (SP).

Dr. Elena Barbarini is Activity Leader in Power Electronics and Semiconductor Compounds at System Plus Consulting. She is responsible of technical, process manufacturing and cost analyses of devices and modules. She is the main author of Power and Compound’s reports and leads the activity of cost models and tool development.  Previously Elena worked as R&D engineer at Vishay Semiconductors on development of metal interfaces and as R&D manager at OSAI A.S. on automatic equipment for semiconductors manufacturing. Elena holds master's degree in Nanotechnologies for the ICT from Politecnico di Torino, EPF Lausanne and INP Grenoble and a PhD in Electronic Devices.

Abstract:  Cloud servers, advanced gaming systems, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency mining, and automotive electronics are all converging rapidly on 48 Volts as the new standard bus voltage.  48 V has the advantage of not requiring isolation and is therefore simpler, smaller, more efficient, and lower cost than other power conversion architectures.  In every case, the relatively new GaN transistors and integrated circuits have demonstrated the ability to convert to-and-from 48 Volts with higher efficiency, and smaller size.  GaN is also able to significantly reduce costs.  In this seminar we will show the various applications and topologies used in these markets and show the steps taken to convince conservative design engineers that the best solution involves GaN.

Presenter: Alex Lidow is CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC). Prior to founding EPC, Dr. Lidow was CEO of International Rectifier Corporation. A co-inventor of the HEXFET power MOSFET, Dr. Lidow holds many patents in power semiconductor technology and has authored numerous publications on related subjects, including co-authoring the first textbook on GaN transistors, GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion. Lidow earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Caltech and his Ph.D. from Stanford.

He received the 2015 SEMI Award for North America for the commercialization of more efficient power devices and was elected to the Engineering Hall of Fame and selected as the 2015 SEMI Award for North America for innovation of power device technology.

Abstract:

This presentation explains the gate drive relevant parameters of Silicon Carbide MOSFET datasheets, such as the influence of gate-source threshold and others. It maps the SiC MOSFET datasheet parameters to gate driver IC parameters as a selection guide line for a robust gate driver IC design.

Presenter: Wolfgang Frank, Infineon Technologies

Wolfgang Frank, received the degree of Diplom-Ingenieur from the University of Technology Munich in 1995 and PhD from the Federal Armed Forces University in 2000. He has worked in power electronics since 1994.

Dr. Frank started at Infineon in 2000 as concept engineer for PFC and switch mode power supply control IC.

He changed to discrete transistors and diodes in 2003 at Infineon Technologies Austria.

In 2005, he began concentrating on system engineering for packages, IGBT and freewheeling Diodes at Infineon Technologies in Munich / Germany. After working on concepts for highly-integrated intelligent power modules, he is now responsible for gate drive ICs for power transistors.

Abstract:

Forty years ago, the industry experienced a first revolution in power electronics. The silicon (Si) bipolar-junction transistor was surpassed in on-state and switching performance by the development of commercial power MOSFETs such as International Rectifier’s ‘HEXFET’. With the new, ‘fast’ powertrain components came advances in magnetic materials.  New, kHz-switching regulator topologies or ‘switched-mode power supplies’ (SMPS) challenged the dominance of traditional 50 Hz linear regulators, offering the promise of higher efficiencies, higher densities and even lower cost. Device integration, in the form of analog application-specific ICs (ASICs) developed by Silicon General, Unitrode & others, was the catalyst to enable simple, cost-effective and industry-proven designs.

In the following decade, the power supply industry experienced a 5x increase in power density, a 5x reduction in losses in energy savings and a 3x reduction in costs. The next 30 years saw incremental improvements but no performance shifts as dramatic as the first revolution.

Today, we are at the start of the second revolution. Gallium Nitride (GaN) powertrains replace Si switches, MHz-switching magnetic materials are broadly available and new, soft-switching topologies such as Active Clamp Flyback (ACF) and critical conduction mode (CrCM) totem-pole PFC are available. Forty years later, device integration is again the catalyst to sparking the performance, size and cost revolution.

Early discrete GaN implementations need complex, expensive control and protection circuits, which restrict device performance and so limit application advances and market adoption. Now, the monolithic, lateral integration of FET, drive and logic - all in GaN – creates easy-to-use, high-speed, “digital-in, power-out” GaNFast™ Power ICs to drive speed and efficiency increases in power conversion. Designers can now achieve 3x power density increases at similar or lower BOM costs vs. typical old and slow Si systems.

The seminar will introduce the 650 V eMode GaN power IC structure, with a step-by-step review including device- and circuit-related reliability structures / techniques. System benefits will be described using a wide range of converters from 27W to 3.2kW and 300 kHz to 1MHz+.

Presenters: Dan Kinzer and Stephen Oliver, Navitas Semiconductor

Dan Kinzer received his B.S.E. degree in engineering physics from Princeton University. He is the chief technology officer and chief operating officer for Navitas Semiconductor. For 25 years, he has led research and development (R&D) at semiconductor and power electronics companies at the vice president level or higher. His experience includes developing advanced power device and IC platforms, wide band-gap GaN and SiC device design, IC and power device fabrication processes, advanced IC design, semiconductor package development and assembly processes, and design of electronic systems.  Before cofounding Navitas, he served as the vice president of research and development, vice president of advanced product development, and chief technologist at International Rectifier; and senior vice president of product and technology development and chief technology officer at Fairchild Semiconductor. He holds over 100 U.S. patents.

Stephen Oliver is VP Sales & Marketing for Navitas Semiconductor. He has over 25 years’ experience in the power semiconductor and power supply industries in computing, industrial, automotive and telecom markets with Motorola and Philips (NXP) in the UK, and International Rectifier and Vicor in the USA. He holds a B.Eng (Hons) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Manchester University, UK and an MBA in Global Marketing & Strategy from UCLA, USA. Stephen hold several patents in power semiconductors, is a Chartered Engineer and is currently Chairman of the Power Sources Manufacturers’ Association (PSMA).

Abstract:

Wide Bandgap (WBG) Technologies such as SiC and GaN deliver novel modern day power devices that slash conduction and switching losses by at least an order of magnitude at typical operating conditions compared to their silicon counterparts. In order to realize all the WBG device benefits, efficient power electronic design hinges on the availability of accurate and predictive SPICE models. This webinar discusses novel physical and scalable SPICE modeling approaches for SiC power MOSFETs and GaN HEMTs. The models are based on process and layout parameters, enabling design optimization through a direct link between SPICE, physical design, and process technology. The SPICE agnostic models port across multiple industry standard simulation platforms.

Presenter: James Victory, ON Semiconductor

James Victory is currently a Fellow at ON Semiconductor, working on research and development in modeling and simulation for power discrete technologies. In June 2008, he co-founded Sentinel IC Technologies specializing in design enablement for RF-analog and power technologies. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of Design Enablement at Jazz Semiconductor. He started his career with Motorola in 1992 where he specialized in semiconductor device modeling for RF-analog and power technologies. He received his BSEE, MSEE, and Ph. D in electrical engineering from Arizona State University in 1990, 1992, and 1994 respectively. He has over 45 publications, including invited papers & workshop tutorials, and 2 patents on semiconductor device modeling.
 

Abstract:

This presentation will review: a) passive component performance, design and geometry targets for power delivery in emerging high-performance and mobile computing; b) review the state-of-the-art and leading-edge research in component materials, fabrication and integration to realize 3D power packaging.

Power conversion close to the load (ex. processor), with high power conversion ratio from the high-voltage bus to the point-of-load, and low losses are the key requirements for efficient power conversion. Component designs depend on the power requirements and converter topology utilized for different applications such as high-performance computing (AI, servers, data center) and mobile computing. In the fully-integrated voltage regulator topology, several small inductors are used in a multi-phase switching architecture. On the other hand, traditional point-of-load converters deliver extremely high current and are very sensitive to coil DC resistance. For high-performance computing, component integration and designs are also driven by the package architectures such as silicon interposers (chip on wafer on substrate or CoWoS), fan-out packaging, laminate embedding or recent approaches from Intel such as EMIB (embedded multi die interconnect bridge). The first part of the project will analyze different scenarios for voltage regulator applications and will project the needs, current-handling, DC resistance targets for various on-chip and package-embedded components.

The next part of the presentation will review on-chip, IPD and package-integrated inductor implementations with thin nanomagnetic films and package-integrated polymer composite inductor films. These are explored for switching regulator topologies with high current bias and low ripple voltages. Thin nanomagnetic films are deposited through sputtering techniques to achieve precise nanostructures for high permeability and low coercivity. Recent advances have shown that these films can be used in inductors for high current handling while managing the L/R ratio. The low currents in the inductors make them more forgiving to DC resistance, allowing their integration with thin BEOL (back end of the line) design rules. However, polymer composite inductors are still preferred for laminate-integrated inductors because they can be designed with lower DC losses, and handle higher currents with thicker films that utilize package design rules, and at much lower cost. They also can have isotropic properties for more flexibility in inductor design. For isolated power conversion, switching losses dominate the loss budget. Low-loss ferrites and nanocrystalline or amorphous ribbons are utilized for these applications, benefiting from their low-frequency (<5 MHz) power conversion. Recent advances and their potential to address the component needs will be the key focus of the final part of the presentation.

Magnetics do not scale with the rest of the package. They also add EMI and other limitations. This led to more interest in capacitor-based power conversion. The need for temperature-stability, high-voltage stability, ultra-low ESR (< 5 milliohms x microfarad) have led to the development of high-permittivity but paraelectric capacitors or antiferroelectric capacitors. For higher densities, ultra-thin MLCCs are being developed with densities of 2 microfarad/mm2 in ~200 micron components. These components are also embedded into the package and interconnected with plated copper on copper terminals.  Component thickness, need for pick-and-place and thermal instabilities still impose limitations with these technologies, leading way to planar embedded film capacitors based on high surface area tantalum or Aluminum film capacitors. The third part of the presentation focuses on  advanced capacitor technologies for passive embedding.

The talk will conclude with the roadmaps for high-power and low-power magnetics and capacitors.

Presenter: PM Raj, Georgia Tech
Dr. P. M. Raj‘s expertise is in packaging of electronic and bioelectronic systems, power-supply and wireless component integration in flex and rigid packages, biocompatible and hermetic packaging with high-density feedthroughs.  He is an Associate Professor with BME and ECE at FIU. He is an Adjunct Professor with the Georgia Institute of Technology, ECE Department and Packaging Research Center. He co-lead several technical thrusts in electronic packaging with ~10 Million dollar funding, in association with the whole electronic ecosystem, which includes semiconductor, packaging and material, tool, component, and end-user companies. He is widely recognized for his contributions in integrated passive components and technology roadmapping, component integration for bioelectronic, power and RF modules, and also for promoting the role of nanomaterials and nanostructures for electronics packaging applications, as evident through his several industry partnerships, invited presentations, publications and awards.

His research led to 310 publications, which include ~85 journal papers, 15 book chapters and 12 articles in widely circulated trade magazines, and more than 185 conference publications. He received 8 patents with several other provisional patents and invention disclosures. His papers received more than 20 best-paper awards.

He is the Associate Editor for IEEE CPMT transactions and IEEE Nanotechnology magazine, and the Co-Chair for the IEEE nanopackaging technical committee. He has been instrumental in forming the “Nanopackaging” and “Heterogeneous Integration” technical sessions at various IEEE and PSMA conferences. He has been actively involved with the PSMA (power sources manufacturers Association) and takes pro-active role in shaping up power electronics sessions at APEC and PEIM conferences. He is also in the steering committee of IEEE EPS IoT Committee. He was reviewer for about 100 journal papers. Dr. Raj is also a STEM ambassador and frequently offers nanoscience and nanotechnology demonstrations at local schools and hosts K-12 field trips.

He received BS (1993, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur), ME (1995, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) and PhD (1999, Rutgers University, New Jersey).

Abstract:

As power demands continue to increase and allowable space shrinks, power density and ambient temperatures get higher and higher. This combined with the need to reduce energy losses complicates power connector selection. In some applications, system designers are hitting the limits of their architecture and are looking for ways to get just a little more power through. As a result, the power systems, including connectors, require more consideration earlier in the design process.

This presentation will cover some power connector design fundamentals including new surface finish technologies entering the market that reduce resistance to enable higher currents. Limiters to higher voltage applications are reviewed, as well as how to select and test connectors for higher temperature applications. Finally, current rating testing is scrutinized to determine how relevant it is to a customer’s application; alternate ways are presented to compare connectors from multiple vendors.

Presenter: Charles “Chip” Copper, Amphenol

Charles “Chip” Copper Ph.D. entered the connector world in 1993 and spent the subsequent decades doing research and development across multiple industries including automotive, industrial, power utility, data and telecommunication. He has spent his career on the front lines of connector development and holds dozens of patents. Chip has extensive experience with separable interface design, applied contact physics, press-fit tails and design for manufacturing. While at Amphenol, his efforts have been focused on power connectors, high speed backplane and mezzanine with additional focus on micro press-fit tails.

Abstract:

Power supplies with digital control present challenges that are not the same as those seen in analog control of power electronics. Digital control is becoming more the norm allowing price point reduction, power loss reduction and sophisticated control approaches. To understand and manage the risks of development for these digitally controlled power converters this webinar presents some of the best approaches that aid in meeting deadlines for digital power development and delivering high quality products. 

Webinar Outline:

The webinar covers the areas in the development of digital control for power electronics where the best return in quality and reliability improvement are achieved.
Subject areas covered in the webinar are

1. Verification and Testing

This fifteen-minute section covers the level of testing that is required to ensure high quality digitally controlled power electronics. It also introduces and describes best approaches to making testing effective.

• Verification testing for digital filters
• Verification testing for compensators
• Verification testing for software

2. Team resources, skill mix and project management

This twenty-minute section covers the best way to project manage and structure teams for high quality timely development outcomes. This includes
Structuring the development team for success

• Avoiding software coders designing control
• Manging software release successfully
• Why software version reporting is so important

3. Power Supply Integration and System Issues

Power supplies operate in systems that are often undefined or poorly defined during the development process. Dealing with typical system integration issues and the testing to ensure that these are correctly implemented is presented and discussed in this twenty-minute time slot.

• Specific areas covered are
• Start-up transient
• Mode change transients, abnormal operation, fault response, and recovery
• Mode change converter gain changes
• Synchronous Rectifier Enable/Disable Transient
• Parallel converter connections and current sharing.

Presenter: Hamish Laird, ELMG Digital Power

Over the past 30 years Hamish has worked in developing power electronics. And for the past 25 years the control systems that he has worked with, developed and designed have been digital systems.  The scale of power converters have power ranges from 10W flyback converters to 500MW HVDC transmission class converters. The control systems for these converters were almost exclusively digital.

Hamish has managed development projects for digital power control for the last 25 years in junior engineer, senior engineer and director levels. His experience includes power converter development projects in the USA, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and China.
Hamish is a well know power electronic digital control teacher and holds a visiting academic position at the University of Canterbury.

When not working on digital control Hamish enjoys Ice Hockey and sailing.

Abstract: As SoCs and processors migrate to smaller and smaller deep-submicron nodes, several new power management challenges are emerging. The number of independent voltage rails on chip has increased from a few to a range of 20 to 50, significantly driving up the cost and area of power management solutions, not to mention the complexity of both PCB and package routing from the external voltage regulators to the voltage islands on the SoC. This complex routing combined with the tremendous increase in current transient speed and step size, has forced SoC designers to expand the voltage margin buffer on chip significantly, leading to a large increase in wasted power and heat. Existing power management solutions, like advanced PMIC products, are unable to effectively regulate the on-SoC voltages during transients due to the large impedance between the regulator bulk caps and the SoC die. Increasing switching frequency and bandwidth of the PMIC offers quickly diminishing returns while reducing regulator efficiency considerably.

This presentation will evaluate the emerging power management issues of SoCs and processors and how they are solved with the full integration of high-bandwidth voltage regulators (IVR) directly into the digital IC. Empower Semiconductor R2DTM resonant IVRs improve voltage accuracy by up to 10x, dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) capability by 1,000x and eliminate 80% or more of power management components on the PCB.

Presenter: Tim Phillips, Co-founder, COO, SVP Sales & Marketing, Empower Semiconductor Tim Phillips is Co-founder, COO & SVP, Sales & Marketing at Empower Semiconductor, where he co-invented Empower’s breakthrough high-frequency deep-submicron resonant voltage regulator, R2DTM. Prior to founding Empower, Mr. Phillips held several positions at International Rectifier spanning engineering, investor relations, and sales & marketing including the founding of the Enterprise Power BU where he served as Vice President and General Manager, growing the business to more than $150M in annual revenue. Prior to joining International Rectifier, Mr. Phillips held power analog IC design and product marketing management positions at Cherry Semiconductor, which was acquired by ON Semiconductor. Mr. Phillips earned both his MBA (’01) and BSEE (’94) from the University of Rhode Island. He holds 11 US patents with several others pending.

Abstract:

As power demands continue to increase and allowable space shrinks, power density and ambient temperatures get higher and higher. This combined with the need to reduce energy losses complicates power connector selection. In some applications, system designers are hitting the limits of their architecture and are looking for ways to get just a little more power through. As a result, the power systems, including connectors, require more consideration earlier in the design process.

This presentation will cover some power connector design fundamentals including new surface finish technologies entering the market that reduce resistance to enable higher currents. Limiters to higher voltage applications are reviewed, as well as how to select and test connectors for higher temperature applications. Finally, current rating testing is scrutinized to determine how relevant it is to a customer’s application; alternate ways are presented to compare connectors from multiple vendors.The world expects to have 1 trillion IoT sensors in place by 2025, most of them wireless edge devices. Extending battery life of these parts to reasonable service interval and ideally beyond application lifetime use is probably the biggest impediment to this becoming a reality.

The first half the webinar gives an overview of PSMA’s initiatives (driven by the Energy Harvesting Committee) to accelerate the development of a ‘power IoT’ ecosystem to address this issue. This is done through efficient power management solutions at sub mW levels as well as using energy harvesting technologies (generation and storage) where possible. This requires not just technology development but also for stakeholders to work more closely together and take a cross-disciplinary system integration approach to ensure optimised and inter-operable material and devices are developed and integrated.  Many industry efforts have been taken to drive awareness and tangible momentum with key supply chain and application partners.  The most recent example and culmination of these efforts are the recent APEC Industry Sessions and the EnerHarv 2018 Workshop (www.EnerHarv.com) that has given birth to the energy harvesting ecosystem.

The second half of the webinar outlines 2 high impact cases identified in an EU Industry 4.0 project COMPOSITION (www.compostion-project.eu) showing where IoT edge devices can be retrofitted in or near equipment and infrastructure in a Boston Scientific medical device factory to improve energy and resource efficiency

1. sensors for tracking high value assets (high value component reels, test fixtures, measurement and inspection equipment)
2. condition monitoring of reflow oven fans for predictive maintenance by detecting fan wear out (using acoustic and power sensors)

To date the work has focused determining the appropriate types of sensors and wireless infrastructure on selecting commercially available and emerging platforms. The next stage involves determining to what extent IoT device power consumption can be reduced (based on hardware platform selection, sensor data granularity & duty cycle and data gathering infrastructure) to extend battery life and also if ambient energies are available potentially for device self-powering.

Presenters: Peter Haigh, Tyndall; Mike Hayes, Tyndall; Brian Zahnstecher, PowerRox

Peter Haigh (B.E. Hons), Southampton Solent University: Joined Tyndall in 2017 following a 25 year career as a Chartered Engineer in the RF Communications field. Peter is equally comfortable with an engineering or management role & experienced in a wide range of radio systems including Satellite, Cellular, RFID, WSN, Public Safety, DVB-S, DVB-T, UWB, ISM Proprietary. He has a proven ability in engineering management of multi-skilled geographically spread teams. Peter successfully led many project teams from large systems to components to IC level specialising in taking top level system specifications from standards bodies, analysis of link budgets and turning them into top level radio requirements for IC definition. Peter has two filed patents. EP1065 854 A2 Hierarchical Modulation, and EP127623 Power Control for non-constant envelope systems. He is author of a number of technical published papers and is currently a principal engineer on Tyndall’s ICT4EE team and Tyndall’s technical lead on EU H2020 projects COMPOSITION, PVAdapt, RECO2ST & MOEEBIUS. In these projects he leads cross-functional teams developing power management solutions and simulation tools incorporating micro-power energy harvesting for IoT edge devices for energy efficient buildings, solar panel installations and industry 4.0 applications

Mike Hayes M.Eng.Sc. University College Cork: Senior Program Manager, ICT for Energy Efficiency (ICT4EE). Worked for 20 years at Artesyn Technologies, progressing to Custom Engineering Manager. In 2008 he joined Tyndall progressing to Senior Program Manager developing ICT4EE solutions. Activities include the design & deployment of WSN embedded solutions (hardware, firmware & simulation models) incorporating energy harvesting, power management, sensing, actuation and control circuits & conditional monitoring for retrofit in existing smart building and for micro-grid systems. Active in several EU-FP7 & H2020 Energy/ICT projects including work package leader on ME3Gas (energy demand management middleware & smart metering), MOSYCOUSIS (conditional monitoring), GreenCom (demand management and renewal energy integration) and COMPOSITION (energy and resource efficient factories) & ReCO2ST (deep retrofit of buildings to improve efficiency and comfort). Mike has established a reputation as a leader in ‘powering IoT’ activities internationally. He is co-ordinator of EnABLES (www.EnABLES-project.eu) , an EU funded research infrastructure project developing next generation energy harvesting solutions for IoT and enabling industry access to world leading research infrastructures in EU. He was co-ordinator on the Irish government funded IERC ROWBUST project. Mike is Tyndall’s representative on the steering committee of the Cork Smart Gateway, president on the international PSMA board of directors (power sources manufacturing association), co-chair of the PSMA energy harvesting committee & co-founder and general chair of EnerHarv (www.EnerHarv.com ), a PSMA international energy harvesting workshop (2018).

Brian Zahnstecher (ME Worcester Polytech Institute): With over 14 years of industry experience is a senior member of the IEEE, chair of the IEEE SFBAC Power Electronics Society (PELS) awarded 2017 Best Chapter awards at the local/national/worldwide levels concurrently (an unprecedented achievement), sits on the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Board of Directors, and is the Principal of PowerRox, where he focuses on power design, integration, system applications, OEM market penetration, market research/analysis, and private seminars for power electronics. Additionally, he co-chairs PSMA’s Energy Harvesting Committee and the Reliability Committee (which he also co-founded) and is a regular segment owner and contributor to the PSMA Power Technology Roadmap (’15, ’17, & ’19). He was a co-founder and technical chair for EnerHarv 2018. Brian is a recognized leader in the areas of ultra-low power management and energy harvesting technologies giving many presentations each year at the industry’s most prestigious events. Brian leads Power for the IEEE 5G Roadmap Applications & Services Working Group, authored the Group’s position paper, is co-chair of the 5G Webinar Series, is co-chair of the 1st 5G Energy Efficiency Tutorial, and has lectured on this topic at major industry conferences. He has successfully handled assignments in system design/architecting, ac-dc front-end power, EMC/EMI design/debug, embedded solutions, processor power, and digital power solutions for a variety of clients. He previously held positions in power electronics with industry leaders Emerson Network Power (now Artesyn), Cisco, and Hewlett-Packard, where he advised on best practices, oversaw product development, managed international teams, created/enhanced optimal workflows and test procedures, and designed and optimized voltage regulators. He has been a regular contributor to the industry as an invited keynote speaker, author, workshop participant, session host, roundtable moderator, and volunteer.

Abstract: In recent years, capacitors have become more of a focus in the electronics world. The industry is moving from a world of stable supply and relatively stable technologies, to a new order where supply of some components has become scarce, but new technologies are emerging.

Under the massive influence of consumer product development, with a focus on miniaturization, many of the MLCC manufacturers are terminating larger MLCC footprints starting from the 0603 size and larger. The electronic world, however, isn't only a consumer business. Industrial customers have significantly different requirements. High voltages, larger and more stable capacitances values, less DC bias behavior, higher mechanical stability, and much more, are in demand. With the changing availability of MLCC portfolios, how will the Industrial Market adjust to this change in the capacitor landscape? What alternatives and new technologies are available?

The PSMA Capacitor Committee’s Roadmap Webinar will share new technologies and future developments that the audience should keep an eye on. Major players, including CDE, KEMET and Wurth Electronics, will present. And they will be joined by a newcomer, Polycharge, who will discuss a brand new technology.

The participants will discuss existing alternatives and a roadmap for the mid- and long-term to help overcome the MLCC crisis. And the webinar will conclude with an outlook on an exciting new technology. 

Presenters: Wilmer Companioni (KEMET), Scott Franco (Cornell Dubilier), Pierre Lohrber (Wurth Electronics), Steve Yializis (Polycharge)

Wilmer Companioni has 13 years in design, marketing, and sales of electronic systems and components. He graduated from the University of Florida with a BSEE. Wilmer currently works for KEMET Electronics as Senior Technical Marketing Manager.

Scott Franco: After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Massachusetts in 1989, Scott Franco was hired by Cornell Dubilier Electronics to design AC and DC Film capacitors. Scott later earned his MBA from Bryant College and has served the company various product development and product management roles. Scott currently serves as the company’s Director of Market Development, responsible for identifying opportunities for new capacitor products and delivering those products to the market.

Pierre Lohrber is the Head of the Capacitor & Resistors Business Unit at Wurth Electronics. He has more than 26 years of experience in the electronics industry. His background is in Management & Business Administration, Electronics Engineering, Global Supply Chain Management and Supply Chain Risk Management.

Steven Yializis currently serves as Director and Chief Operating Officer of Polycharge America, a pioneer in the development and production of high energy density, high temperature, capacitor products. Mr. Yializis is also Chief Operating Officer and Director of Sigma Technologies Int’l, Inc., where he oversees both development and commercialization of new technologies in the areas of energy storage, thermal management materials, functional pigments, and metallized products. Prior to this, Mr. Yializis was CEO of Quillis, Inc. with locations in Tucson, Arizona and Hyderabad, India. Steven has served as a board member of RIMA International, an association that works to establish technical standards for low emissivity metallized products used in a variety of commercial and industrial applications.