Although driven by obvious factors such as cost and efficiencythe real changes occurring in the dc-dc converter module and IC market are at the power architecture and advanced materials levels. The emergence of the Dynamic Bus Architecture (DBA) isin factone of the most significant developments in the power supply industry in 10 years. The DBA is already being designed into some high-end systemsand widespread adoption is expected in the next few years.
System makers are demanding more efficient products in smaller footprints at what is called “cost neutrality” levels. But the broad variety of applications across many diverse industries is allowing the dc-dc converter market to thrive in both traditional and niche segments. On-board solutions are eating away at the module marketyet “the brick is not dead,” according to many power supply manufacturers.
The reason both types of products will thrive is that power architectures are evolving beyond the classic distributed power modeladapting to system makers’ need for multiple voltage rails at lower voltages. Alsonewer applications such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and dc building power require advanced components and materials to address unique operating environments. Yet many traditional applications remainsuch as industrial and transportationthat simply need provenreliable products.
Underlying these trends are new packaging designs with increased integration. Smaller packages mean more thermal issuesand companies are looking at ways to improve efficiency while managing heat dissipation. The challenge for dc-dc converter module makers is how the Intermediate Bus Architecture is evolving: customers are demanding more efficiencyas well as configurability and optimization. This has led to a “Dynamic Bus Architecture,” which consists of board-mounted dc-dc converters or point-of-load (POL) regulators that communicate with a centralized power system host control via a digital communications bus. The firmware is partly reconfigurable to specific applicationswith “energy optimization algorithms” built in.
Most of the distributed power architectures being implemented todayand certainly future systemsinclude some form of digital power management and control. Digital power management has become a “given” in many systemsespecially computer and communications applications. “Power supply designers” are becoming “system designers,” and many of them also utilize digital control techniques when appropriaterather than analog. The evolution of the Intermediate Bus Architecture (IBA) – from the Central Control Architecture (CCA) to the emerging Dynamic Bus Architecture (DBA) – is in part due to system demands that digital power management can address effectively.
The DBA makes use of a Digital Bus Converter (DBC)which is able to dynamically optimize its intrinsic efficiencyalong with overall system efficiencyand can be controlled and monitored. In additionthe emergence of the DBC threatens to obsolete all of today’s analog bus converter productsincluding unregulatedsemi-regulated and even regulated devices.
With global economies slowly recovering from the recessioncompanies are looking to keep costs low and optimize the equipment they already have. This means increasing efficiency across all application areas. Advanced materialssuch as Silicon-carbide (SiC) and Gallium-nitride (GaN)are slowly becoming more cost-effective in applications with high temperature and high power requirements (SiC) or high-performance Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications (GaN). As costs come downthese materials are likely to improve converter efficiencies and enable higher operating frequencies and smaller converter sizes.
As components and power architectures evolvesome new approaches could redefine the power supply landscape. The use of “on-chip” power suppliesfor instanceincludes the distribution of power in high-speedhigh-complexity integrated circuits with power levels exceeding many tens of watts and power supplies below a volt. Intel has made gains with thin-film on-die magnetics that could speed mainstream adoption of this type of product. Power Supply on Chip (PwrSoC) is also making steady progress in the research and development areaalthough this technology is still several years away from commercialization.
Opportunities in the “Smart Grid” are still being definedbut most companies see smart meters as the “first step” in these applications. Some IC companies believe their product line is broad enough to encompass any smart-grid-related applicationwhile other companies are adopting a “wait and see” attitude in terms of what will be successful.
Another trend that fits nicely with the Smart Grid concept is dc distribution in buildingswhich is being embraced by utilitieswhere intelligent control allows communication with the utility. Dc power supports energy efficiency“green” technologiesand building automation and control. Interest in dc building power is not newbut mainstream deployment has been elusive except in the telecommunications world. The energy demands of data centers renewed interest in dc poweringbut the problems with batteries and legacy ac systems made such considerations dauntingparticularly in North America and Europe.
“Dc-powered buildings” goes beyond data centershowever. The EMerge Alliance is an open industry association focused on low-voltage dc power distribution and its use in commercial interiors. In October2009the EMerge Alliance released the EMerge Alliance Standardwhich “establishes a more efficient means of powering the rapidly increasing number of digitaldc-powered devicessuch as sensorslighting and IT equipment.” Along with companies like Armstrongthe Alliance’s members include Delta and Tyco Electronics.
In additionthe EMerge Alliance announced the first set of 26 Registered Products in November2010. Alreadycompanies like Armstrong World IndustriesCooper IndustriesFinelite Inc.Lunera LightingNextek Power SystemsNorthwire Inc.and Tyco Electronics have products that have been registered for the EMerge Alliance Standard.
Standards are certainly driving changes in the dc-dc converter market. PMBus™ made its 2.1 specification for digital communications available to the public; the Distributed-power Open Standards Alliance (DOSA) released its non-isolated MICRO converter standard; the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) has proposed formal improvements to the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) standard for militarydefensemedicalserver and scientific applications; and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Plus now supports up to 30W per portand depending on the powered interfacecan be configured even beyond that.
The opportunities for dc-dc converter module and IC makers are greater now than they have been in yearsdue to emerging applicationsnew power architecturesadvanced materials and componentsand energy efficiency standards. The power supply industry can take advantage of these developmentsknowing that additional markets are likely to arise in the future.
Topics Covered:
Introduction
Application Trends
Evolving Power System Architectures
Module and IC Design Trends
Module Types
Business and Manufacturing Landscape
Standards Update
Emerging Opportunities for DC-DC Converters
DC-DC Converter Module Companies
Power-Supply-On-Chip and Power-Supply-In Package Companies
Companies Mentioned
3Y Power Technology
Absopulse
AcBelAgilent
Akros Silicon
Alcatel-Lucent
AMD
Anagenesis Inc.
Analog Devices
Anderson Power Products
Armstrong Ceiling Systems
Armstrong World Industries
Artesyn (now part of Emerson Network Power)
ASE Group
Astec Power (now part of Emerson Network Power)
austriamicrosystems
Bel Power
Brewer Science
Celestica
Cisco Systems
Clariant Corp.
Conpart
Consumer Electronics Association
Cooper Industries
Cree Semiconductor
CUI Global Inc.
Dell
Delta Electronics
Distributed-Power Open Standards Alliance
Efficient Power Conversion
eIQ Energy
Electric Power Research Institute
EMerge Alliance
Emerson Network Power
Enpirion
Ericsson Power Modules
Etasis
European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council
European Power Supply Manufacturers Association (EPSMA)
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
Fairchild Semiconductor
FDK
Finelite Inc.
Flextronics
Fraunhofer Institute
Freescale
Fuji Electric
Fujitsu Components
Furukawa Electric
GE Intelligent Platforms
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Guangdon Shengyi
Hewlett-Packard
High Density Packaging Users Group
HitachiHoneywell
Huawei
Huntkey
IBM
IMEC
Infineon Technologies
Infineon/Primarion
Integrated Device Technology (IDT)
IntelInternational Rectifier
IntersilIntersil/Zilker
IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries
Isola
IST
ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corp.
ITRI
Jabil Circuit
Johnson Controls
Johnson Research and Development
Juniper Networks
Kulicke & Soffa
LEDdynamics
Lineage Power
Linear Technology Corp.
Lucky Valley Technology
Lunera Lighting
Martek Power
Maxim Integrated Products
Meadville
Mellanox
Micrel
Microchip Technology
microGaN
Microsemi
Microsoft Research
Modular Devices Inc.
Monolithic Power Systems
Murata Power Solutions
N2Power
Nabaltec
National Semiconductor
NEC Corp.
Netpower Labs AB
NetPower Technologies
Nextek Power Systems
Nihon Superior
Nokia Siemens Networks
Northwire Inc.
NTT Corp.
NTT Facilities
NXP Semiconductors
Oita University
ON Semiconductor
Oracle
Osram Sylvania
Panasonic Electric Works
PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group
PhilipsPhilips Lumileds
Point of Load Alliance
Power GoldPower Plaza
Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA)
Powerbrand Consulting
PowercastPower-One
Powerstax
Powervation
RECOM
Renesas Technology
Richtek
ROAL Electronics
ROHM
Samsung
Sanyo Electric
SeaMicro
Semilab
SemiSouth
Senju Metal
Sharp
Shindengen
Silicon Laboratories
Solar Edge
Southern California Edison
STMicroelectronics
Sumitomo Electric
Summit Microelectronics
SynQor
TDI Power
TDK-Lambda
Tekelec
Texas Instruments
Tigo Energy
TranSiC
Tyco Electronics
Tyndall Institute
Unipower Corp.
University of Rochester
University of Tokyo
US Environmental Protection Agency
US Federal Reserve
US Navy
Valadis DC Systems LLC
Veeco
Velox Semiconductor
Viasystems
Vicor
Volterra Semiconductor
VPT
Wall Industries
Western Digital
Wistron
XP Power
Zilker Labs (now Intersil)
Zippy Technology
ZTE Corp.
Table of Contents :
Introduction5
ApplicationTrends7
Communications9
Computing10
Consumer13
Industrial&Instrumentation14
Medical17
Military/Aerospace18
EvolvingPowerSystemArchitectures21
IntermediateBusArchitecture21
CentralizedControlArchitecture24
DynamicBusArchitecture26
Multi-coreArchitecture27
DistributedOn-ChipPower29
ModuleandICDesignTrends30
IntegrationandPackagingTrends30
ModulePackagingTrends31
ICPackagingTrends32
Power-Supply-on-Chip(PwrSoc)andPower-Supply-in-
Package(PSiP)33
OtherPackagingDevelopments36
MaterialsDevelopments(SiC&GaN)37
PowerDensityandThermalIssues44
ModuleTypes46
Bricks,BusConverters46
Point-of-Load(POL)Converters48
PowerBlocks50
BusinessandManufacturingLandscape50
StandardsUpdate52
DC-DCConverterModuleStandards52
Distributed-powerOpenStandardsAlliance(DOSA)52
Point-of-LoadAlliance(POLA)53
High-DensityPackaging(HDP)UserGroup54
AdvancedTelecommunicationsComputing(ATCA&MicroTCA)55
Power-over-Ethernet(PoE)andPoEPlus57
PMBus™59
OtherStandards59
EmergingOpportunitiesforDC-DCConverters61
DistributedDCPowerinBuildings61
Photovoltaics64
Light-EmittingDiodes(LEDs)68
CompetitiveOverview72
DC-DCConverterModuleCompanies72
BelPower72
CUIGlobalInc.73
DeltaElectronics74
EricssonPowerModules74
FDK74
LineagePower75
MartekPower75
MurataPowerSolutions76
NetPowerTechnologies76
Power-One77
SynQor77
TDK-Lambda78
Vicor79
Power-Supply-on-Chip(PwrSoc)andPower-Supply-in-Package(PSiP)Companies80
AnalogDevices80
Enpirion81
Infineon81
InternationalRectifier82
LinearTechnology82
Micrel83
NationalSemiconductor84
NXPSemiconductors84
ONSemiconductor85
STMicroelectronics85
TexasInstruments86
AppendixA–ReportfromDarnell’sPowerForum87
AppendixB–Power-RelatedStandardsOrganizationsandMembers90
List of Exhibits
Figure 1 – IBM zEnterprise 196 Mainframe 12
Figure 2 – Powertron® Railway DC-DC Converter 16
Figure 3 – Synchronous Buck Regulator for Satellite & Space
Applications 21
Figure 4 – Intermediate Bus Architecture 22
Figure 5– Centralized Control Architecture 25
Figure 6– Dynamic Bus Architecture 26
Figure 7– 2010: POL Regulators in Server Systems 28
Figure 8 – 2012-2015: POL Regulators for Servers 29
Figure 9– DC-DC Converter with Integrated Heat Sink 31
Figure 10 – Enpirion Power-System-on-Chip 35
Figure 11 – Cree Demonstrates 150mm Silicon 4-inch and 6-inch Wafers 39
Figure 12 – EPC – Small Die Should Result in Low Cost 41
Figure 13 – 600V Devices From microGaN 42
Figure 14 – LiquaCore™ Power Management Technology 45
Figure 15 – Vicor PwrSiP 1/32nd “Brick” 47
Figure 16 – Digital POL Converter 49
Figure 17 – POLA-compatible Non-isolated Power Module 54
Figure 18 – ATCA-specific Bus Converter 55
Figure 19 – PoE Midspan for High Power Terminals 58
Figure 20 – Examples of DC Power Distribution in Commercial Facilities 62
Figure 21 – DC Power Using PV as a Source 63
Figure 22 – Distributed PV Architecture Using DC-DC Solution 65
Figure 23 – National Semiconductor Solar Magic Power Optimizer, DC-DC Solution 66
Figure 24 – Tigo Energy Module Maximizer, DC-DC Solution 67
Figure 25 – 40-inch LCD TV with LED Backlighting 70
Figure 26 – High-Power DC-DC LED Driver 71
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