HOW2POWER TODAY

ISSUE: August 2010

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IN THIS ISSUE:

» From the Editor’s Desk

» How To Submit A Device For Failure Analysis

» SIMPLIS Simulation Tames Analysis of Stability,
    Transient Response, and Startup For
    DC-DC Converters

» New Power Products

» Power Supply Jobs & Technology

» Other Top Power News

For engineers working in industry, a good technical conference can serve as an “ice breaker.” It starts the discussion and the flow of information on topics that many working engineers are interested in, but few are speaking or writing about. This thought occurs to me as I read through the list of subjects that will be addressed at the upcoming Energy Conversion Congress & Expo (ECCE 2010), which will be held September 12-16 in Atlanta. The technical program touches on many emerging application areas for power electronics that readers of this newsletter would like to know more about. These include renewable/sustainable energy applications such as solar and wind power systems, and energy harvesting plus smart grids and microgrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and wireless power transfer. ECCE’s technical program also addresses many areas of power electronics that represent subjects of ongoing interest to newsletter readers. At the power supply level, there are numerous papers addressing the design of power converters such as inverters, dc-dc converters, and ac-dc supplies as well as motor drives of many types. Other papers discuss new semiconductor device technologies such as SiC and GaN. Traditional topics such as modeling and simulation, topologies, control methods, EMI, magnetics, and thermal management, also get considerable attenuation throughout the program. My list here is just a glimpse of what’s covered in ECCE’s 140 technical sessions, so please take a closer look at the technical program online. And if you find yourself in Atlanta next month, please stop by the ECCE exhibit and visit How2Power in booth 204.

HOW2POWER EXCLUSIVE DESIGN ARTICLES

How To Submit A Device For Failure Analysis

by Paul L. Schimel PE, International Rectifier, El Segundo, Calif.

As a field applications engineer, (FAE), the author receives at least one call a week from a customer who has submitted a semiconductor device for failure analysis (FA) and then received a report back that provided no real insights into why the part failed. It turns out there’s much more to failure analysis than simply sending in a charred component. In this feature, the author describes a logical process for submitting failed devices to a semiconductor supplier that will give customers the greatest likelihood of obtaining meaningful results. He discusses issues such as when in the design process you should submitted failed devices for analysis, how the FA lab operates, what materials you should submit, and what you should expect to see in an FA report. The author also explains how the local FAE can support this process, and why you’ll want to consult that person sooner rather than later when you’re experiencing device failures. Read the full story…

Just sending in a charred semiconductor device for
failure analysis is not likely to yield useful information.

A simulation of load-step transient response for a
buck converter with two values of compensation capacitance

SIMPLIS Simulation Tames Analysis of Stability, Transient Response, and Startup For DC-DC Converters

by Timothy Hegarty, National Semiconductor, Tucson, Ariz.

This article demonstrates a circuit simulation of a non-isolated dc-dc converter that allows us to explore the converter’s load-transient behavior, control-loop stability and output-voltage startup characteristic (all of which are interrelated). The simulation, which is based on a full time-domain, non-linear, switching model of the converter, is essentially a “virtual prototyping” tool that gives the designer several well-known benefits. Among these are fewer PCB spins, early identification of design errors, shortened design time, and ultimately, reduced engineering cost. Aside from the simplicity and flexibility of the simulation process described here, its convenience renders it viable for everyday use by the practicing power electronics engineer. With this approach, there’s no need to derive averaged models of the converter or identify the current-loop sampling gain contribution. Read the full story…

  — POWER PRODUCTS IN 3 IMAGES OR LESS

POWER SUPPLY JOBS & TECHNOLOGY