Philip Zuk

This article moves away from the traditional "simplified" FOM (Ron x Qg) to an application specific one. Every topology used has its own specific FOM and power loss equation. The topology used here is the ever popular PFC where all losses are calculated to show its overall conduction, switching, output and gate drive losses. This information is then used to select the appropriate device based on the operating parameters of the circuit.

Device choice impacts a PFC circuit on the line current and its harmonics

Questions have arisen about how silicon will compete against wide bandgap (WBG) materials such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN). There are many different technologies used in high voltage silicon devices today and though Si MOSFETs and WBG technologies will be the focus of this article, IGBTs are reviewed as they are a competing technology within the high voltage market.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) has become a household expression over the past decade. In the mid 90s, Europe required a reduction in the level of radiated and conducted emission in products that were to be sold into the region and, at that point, many products incorporated EMC testing into their design cycle. This trend has continued into today’s product cycles.

Largely deployed in nearly every business building, CAT-5 cabling is primarily used for 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet. According to Ethernet standards, only two of the four twisted pairs are used for data transfer, leaving two pairs unused. Power can be applied to these unused pairs using Power over Ethernet (PoE) architecture, IEEE 802.3af standard. Although PoE can also be applied over the actual data carrying pairs, this article will focus on the more common approach via the unused pairs. Typical end… Show more

Largely deployed in nearly every business building, CAT-5 cabling is primarily used for 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet. According to Ethernet standards, only two of the four twisted pairs are used for data transfer, leaving two pairs unused. Power can be applied to these unused pairs using Power over Ethernet (PoE) architecture, IEEE 802.3af standard. Although PoE can also be applied over the actual data carrying pairs, this article will focus on the more common approach via the unused pairs. Typical end units that benefit from this technology include wireless broadband routers and IP telephones, but items such as alarm systems, thermostats, and badge readers can also benefit from PoE. Show less