Innovation in the field of high voltage technology is the key to building a more sustainable development

Along with the rise of electrification, semiconductor innovations allow us to safely and reliably interact with electric vehicles, renewable resources, and other high-pressure systems. As global electricity consumption continues to increase, innovations in high-voltage technology are enabling design engineers to develop more efficient solutions that make electrification and renewable resource technologies easier to apply.

Along with the rise of electrification, semiconductor innovations allow us to safely and reliably interact with electric vehicles, renewable resources, and other high-pressure systems.

As global electricity consumption continues to increase, innovations in high-voltage technology are enabling design engineers to develop more efficient solutions that make electrification and renewable resource technologies easier to apply.

"Sustainable energy is becoming increasingly important as average power consumption continues to increase," said Kannan Soundarapandian, vice president and general manager of TI's High Voltage Products Division. "Managing energy applications in the form of commitment is very important. No one can afford to waste a single kilojoule of kinetic energy. Therefore, the innovation of high voltage technology is the key to achieve energy sustainability.

As the demand for electricity increases (it takes a lot of battery power to accelerate an electric vehicle (EV) from 0mph to 60mph in 2 seconds), the voltage must be increased to minimize heat loss. Traction inverters typically require higher voltages to improve the efficiency with which power is transferred from the battery to the electric vehicle, as do many other high-voltage systems.

While these systems can be expensive and difficult to design, high-voltage systems are a more efficient way to store and distribute power relative to low-voltage systems, which deliver power to different kinds of loads based on transmission lines, cables, and wires.

Consider a simple example: Twenty years ago, incandescent bulbs were the standard for home lighting. The bulbs often burn, and when we touch the surface, the heat from them often burns our fingers.

"These bulbs are not very efficient," said Roland Sperlich, vice president and general manager of interface merchandise at TI. Their energy flows out as heat. Now, LED bulbs last longer, and when you touch the bulb, you'll find that the surface is cool. It means they are safer and more effective.

Why the change? With a large increase in power, higher power delivery capacity can be provided in a smaller volume. Through the application of nitridianmiao, the innovation of semiconductor technology enables engineers (GaN) to wait for advanced materials and complete more work with lower power, thus reducing the size of inductance and improving the efficiency and stability of equipment. Today, in addition to light bulbs, semiconductors can save resources and simplify a variety of high-voltage designs, including electric vehicles, photovoltaic arrays, AC /DC adapters, and telecommunications systems.

High voltage technology

As electrification becomes more widespread and pervasive, people in many countries around the world live with high-pressure systems every day. For example, electric cars that run on 400V or 800V battery packs are designed with high voltage to reduce charging time and increase range, thus removing obstacles in applications.

"High-voltage systems bring greater energy efficiency to our electric vehicles, renewable resources, appliances, AC /DC adapters and countless other applications," Roland said. "There are more and more people on the planet, and the total amount of resources is fixed. We should share and use resources more efficiently. Therefore, it is necessary to find an innovative way to improve efficiency."

TI's continuous innovation makes safe, efficient and reliable solutions available to all functional industries of high voltage systems:

Wide-band gap materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) enable efficient power conversion, reduce power losses and improve the efficiency of high voltage systems. For example, our isolated grid drivers are used with silicon carbide switches in on-board chargers and traction inverters for electric vehicles, which can improve efficiency, reduce the weight of the drive system, reduce specifications and reduce energy waste.

Sensing and monitoring technology for high voltage systems can help engineers measure voltage accurately, thereby improving reliability and stability. In this way, the designer can reduce the cost by reducing the design profit and make full use of the power switch function.

The isolating circuit electrically separates the two areas, allowing power or signal to be transmitted according to the barrier without changing body safety, making the circuit unaffected by ground potential differences and improving noise resistance. Our tape and capacitor isolation technology is based on a rugged protective barrier to complete secure high voltage systems.

The complex power supply topology with GaN or IGBT switches can reliably control the real-time control technology with low delay and improve the stability and power of the high voltage system.

"There are many challenges to the design of high voltage systems," Roland said. "TI is uniquely positioned to address these challenges. Because we have our own creative designs, they can be seamlessly connected. We also have the manufacturing, testing, assembly and packaging capabilities to enable our customers to produce goods that are safe, reliable and affordable."