EPC and Microchip work together to develop high power density computing applications and data centers

     The combination of Microchip Technology Inc. 's digital Signal Controller (DSC) and EPC Power Conversion Corporation's (EPC) ultra-efficient gallium nitride field-effect transistor (eGaN®FET) enables the optimal power density (730 W/in3) for efficient, low-cost DC-DC conversion.

     EPC announced the launch of the 1/16 brick, 300 W DC/DC Voltage Regulator (EPC9143). The EPC9143 power module integrates Microchip dsPIC33CK Digital Signal Controller (DSC) with the latest generation eGaN FET (EPC2053) to achieve 25 A, 48 V/12 V and 96% efficiency power conversion. The 500 kHz switching frequency achieves 300 W of power in a very small 1/16 brick converter, which measures only 33 mm x 22.9 mm (1.3 x 0.9 in).

     The scalable two-phase design can increase the number of phases, which further increases power. Due to the high flexibility of Microchip digital controllers, the input voltage is allowed to be adjusted in the range of 8 V to 72 V, while the output voltage is in the range of 3.3 V to 25 V.

     Brick DC/DC converters are widely used in data center, telecommunications and automotive applications and can convert 48 V nominal voltage to 12 V distribution bus output voltage. Given the form factor, the major trend in the industry is towards the need for higher power density. One of the main applications is high-density 48V/12V point-of-load (POL) converters that require regulated power with 12V output, such as for general-purpose PCIe cards and storage. eGaN FETs and integrated circuits have the advantages of fast switching, small size and low cost to meet the stringent power density requirements of these leading-edge applications with a small component count and low cost.

    Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC, said: "Advanced computing applications are placing increasing demands on power converters, but silicon-based power converters are failing to meet these requirements in terms of performance. "We are pleased to partner with Microchip, a leading global supplier in this space, to provide customers with a flexible solution that improves efficiency, increases power density and reduces total system cost for 48-V conversion."

    Joe Thomsen, vice president of Microchip's MCU16 business unit, said: "Microchip's dsPIC® DSC can be programmed to take full advantage of gallium nitride field-effect transistors. We are proud to work with EPC to provide our customers with this reference design for gallium nitride based devices." EPC's gallium nitride technology, combined with our dsPIC33CK controller, enables engineers to significantly increase power density to meet the demanding requirements of a variety of advanced computing and telecommunications applications."