While these challenges require us to use a variety of political and economic instruments to respond effectively, there is a technical means that is increasingly showing its importance. High-voltage innovations enable efficient transmission and conversion of electrical energy, reducing power losses between power supplies and end equipment.
These innovative approaches have brought about changes in power generation, such as the introduction of renewable energy sources, and improved power-saving performance of power-hungry equipment such as motors and refrigeration equipment. This has led to a steady increase in energy efficiency, reduced costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Even a small increase in efficiency can have a significant impact. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates in its 2015 mid-term forecast that power generation in the United States will increase by 24% by 2040 – an increase of about 1% per year. The EIA also predicts that about 6% of the US's power generation is wasted on power and configuration—the amount of electricity wasted more than 14 million megawatt-hours per year in recent years. By increasing efficiency and saving a fraction of wasted power, you can reduce the total amount of power required.
Advanced semiconductors are one of the most important technologies to make power generation, transmission and power consumption more efficient, and this technology is still evolving. Intelligent control and new power semiconductor materials using integrated circuits enable power conversion with minimal loss. Intelligent integrated circuit hardware enables efficient communication of power grids, factories, homes, cars, and other systems, as well as efficient control of system power usage. In addition, as the backbone of power supplies and battery chargers, power management circuits are an important factor in the rapid development of portable electronic devices; while improving efficiency, life is more convenient. Texas Instruments leverages its expertise in design, manufacturing, and packaging to create high-voltage analog and mixed-signal solutions. These solutions will take the benefits to a whole new level in the coming years.
Why focus on high pressure?
The voltage varies widely, with power plants up to tens of thousands of volts and regional transmission lines as low as less than one volt. These voltages are used internally by high-speed digital components such as embedded processors. There are many intermediate voltage levels distributed across the distribution line. For consumers, the most familiar are 110/120 volts and 220/240 volts. For residential, commercial, industrial, and automotive applications, high voltages range from tens of volts to hundreds of volts; from levels that are a little higher than electronic circuits to levels used in transportation and industrial equipment.
According to research data from market research firm IHS, power management ICs operating at all voltage levels represent a huge demand for integrated circuit vendors – an area that amounts to $30 billion annually. New integrated circuit products are emerging, such as AC/DC converters, inverters, bidirectional converters and DC/DC converters. The ability to provide highly integrated, high power density and highly intelligent integrated circuit solutions can further improve overall system performance.
Power conversion is a field of gold development, since every voltage conversion involves power loss from power plant to end application. In addition, under the same conditions, the power loss of the low voltage during the transmission process is higher than that of the high voltage. For these reasons, the most effective method is to bring the high voltage close to or even directly into the terminal device as much as possible before stepping down the high voltage using a conversion method that minimizes power consumption. Additional protection is required for the machine and the human body when there is high pressure in the vicinity of the equipment and the user.
The term “equipment†is often reminiscent of the factory floor. In fact, industrial applications such as motors, robots and central control systems are also important areas of power innovation. At present, all industries in the world are undergoing intelligent automation transformation. This transformation has come so fast that some people call it the “fourth industrial revolution†(the first three are steam engines, mass production and early automation). ) or Industry 4.0. In this transformation, the so-called “smart factory†played a decisive role, representing higher machine intelligence and greater system communication capabilities. The primary goal of a smart factory is to achieve more functionality, increase productivity, and reduce costs by using less energy.
The term “equipment†is often reminiscent of the factory floor. In fact, industrial applications such as motors, robots and central control systems are important areas of power innovation. At present, all industries in the world are undergoing intelligent automation transformation. The transformation is so fast that some people call it the “fourth industrial revolution†(the first three were steam engines, mass production and early stage). Automation) or Industry 4.0. In this transformation, the so-called “smart factory†played a decisive role, representing the feasibility of higher machine intelligence and greater system communication capabilities. The primary goal of a smart factory is to achieve more functionality, increase productivity, and reduce costs by using less energy.
However, industry is not the only target industry for improving power efficiency technology. Other areas that can benefit from this include inverters, data centers and telecommunications infrastructure for solar and wind power generation. The charging and operation of electric vehicles with a battery voltage of approximately 400 volts also relies on high voltage electronics. In addition, the rapid growth of various emerging mobile device markets is also the main driving force for new power technologies. Even inconspicuous parts like mobile phone chargers need to run efficiently, especially considering their use of billions. In short, all electrical and electronic systems, big or small, will benefit from safe, efficient power conversion.
The challenges of high voltage technology
In order to continue to meet the higher power requirements of the future, technology developers must improve the performance of integrated circuits while reducing size, maintaining reliability and controlling costs. To meet these requirements, we need to innovate in manufacturing processes, on-chip components, circuit design and packaging. The ability to attract device developers and accelerate the adoption of enhanced power technologies is an integrated, integrated solution with deep hardware and software design support. TI has a long history of manufacturing highly integrated, low-power solutions, and continues to innovate in these areas, driving technology advancement and leveraging TI expertise to create advanced high-power solutions to meet current and future market demands.
In recent years, switch mode power supplies (SMPS) have grown in power conversion because of their inherent efficiency over traditional power supply designs. However, constantly improving the SMPS design is a never-ending art. These supplies generate current at high frequencies, but these high frequencies must be prevented from flowing into the system and from flowing back to the power supply. In addition, the operation of sensitive components in the power supply is susceptible to internal impedance and surrounding components. For these reasons, SMPS solutions integrate the system as much as possible to help reduce power supply design complexity and reduce manufacturing costs. If this solution can include small form factor isolation and power circuits, the effect will be better because it effectively shields the system from external interference and prevents high frequencies from migrating from inside the system to the line.
The manufacturing process is refined. Manufacturing process technology continues to increase the voltage and frequency processing capabilities of silicon chips used in SMPS and other power supply designs.
For example, TI's versatile high-power LBC7HV BiCMOS process is currently used in integrated gate driver power switching solutions rated up to 600 volts. In addition, manufacturers are turning their attention to new materials such as gallium nitride (GaN, built on silicon substrates) and silicon carbide (SiC) to achieve faster switching speeds and higher efficiency at high voltages. In addition to numerous silicon-based solutions, TI has developed several GaN switch gate drivers and has begun to introduce advanced multi-chip modules (MCMs) with gate drive and GaN power switches. Combined with the innovative combination discussed below, advances in manufacturing processes not only make power supplies more efficient, but also provide greater power density, helping to reduce system cost.
integrated. An important requirement for the new high voltage power supply is resizing to enable it to be packaged on a circuit board within the terminal.
To meet this requirement, TI plans to design a single-chip solution that integrates many power components, making it more practical in terms of cost and performance. Integrating two or more devices into MCM is a viable solution whenever system builds are performed using different processes, making system-wide integration too expensive or impossible. In addition to space savings, system-level single-chip and MCM solutions increase power density and reduce the need for passive materials such as windings and heat sinks. This solution also simplifies the design because it eliminates or minimizes the complex internal impedance that makes power supply setup difficult.
isolation. One of the big challenges facing single-chip and MCM integration is how to isolate it. Traditional power supplies are isolated using a transformer, which is a large component located outside of the integrated circuit. However, the new isolation method under development will eliminate external transformers and isolate the system directly from the chip or MCM. This is important for user safety and device protection. Enhanced isolation is twice or more the basic isolation required for proper system operation. As these integrated methods of providing isolation continue to emerge on the market, they will become essential for space-saving power solutions.
High frequency programmable controller. Without precise control, even the best gate drivers and power switches are worthless for the SMPS; otherwise, the subtle variance in timing will quickly magnify to a large variance, reducing system efficiency. At the very least, the high frequency of the new SMPS design requires digital control from a high-performance state machine. Innovative software tools help power supply designers understand how to use the C2000 MCU or UCD3138 digital controller to develop closed-loop control of the CNC SMPS system, simplifying the transition from traditional analog control methods to digital control.
Advanced packaging. Integrated power solutions require innovative single-chip and MCM packages to address the electrical performance integrity and thermal stress requirements of high-voltage operation. The issues that packaging experts must understand are: the type of material, the bonding technology, and the protection methods that prevent device performance degradation. The package performance can be degraded due to charge diffusion from high voltage to low voltage regions, electromigration due to high current density, or heat that must be removed from the package. Cracking caused by thermo-mechanical stresses during the life of the device and other causes can also cause performance degradation. These problems can be amplified at high power levels, especially when integrated circuits are used in factory floors, automobiles, or other harsh environments. TI is addressing these challenges through extensive material assessments, comprehensive testing, and active engagement and communication with material suppliers.
Provide future-oriented high pressure efficiency
As the need for more efficient power management continues to increase, so does the demand for innovative technology solutions. There are several ways to increase efficiency: developing alternative energy sources, designing and manufacturing lower power devices, and optimizing and improving power transfer and conversion technologies.
Innovative integrated circuit technology plays a decisive role in all of these areas, enabling high-voltage power conversion in applications that offer significant energy savings potential.
With the continuous development of components such as manufacturing processes, circuits, isolators, single-chip and MCM integration, and packaging, power management semiconductor technology will continue to advance. The design will also benefit from an all-in-one solution that minimizes the effort required to design SMPS and other power systems. As a leading manufacturer of analog integrated circuits in the industry, TI has a long history of integrating low voltage power products. Taking advantage of our extensive expertise and continuous focus on technological innovation, TI is rapidly moving forward to develop high-voltage solutions to meet customer needs, save energy and achieve a better future.
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