Latest News

The BMR511 is a two-phase power stage for voltage regulator modules (VRMs). The integrated VRM power stage provides up to 140A peak and has a small footprint of 90mm² and 8mm high, said Flex Power Modules.

The halogen-free BMR511 is available with LGA or solder-bump terminations and is optimised for bottom-side cooling. It joins Flex’s BMR510 which is optimised for top-side cooling.

The BMR511 operates over a 5.0 to 15V input range and delivers an adjustable 0.5 to 1.8V output, which can be set by a user-defined external controller via tri-state PWM inputs. Each device can supply a current of 80A continuous total and 140A peak, at high efficiency peaking at 94.5 per cent. Parts can be directly paralleled for even higher current outputs, advise Flex. The input voltage range of the BMR511 makes it compatible with several unregulated front-end Intermediate bus converters which operate with typical input to output ratios of 3:1 up to 7:1.

Operating temperature range is -40 to +125 degrees C on a defined reference point. Thermal derating data is available for a range of airflow rates and cold plate/host board temperatures.

The two power stage phases can be separately enabled/disabled and the part provides feedback to the external controller of device temperature and individual phase currents. Fault reporting and over-current protection is also included.

Its size lends itself to power rail requirements of modern CPUs, GPUs, IPUs and high performance ASICs advised Flex Power Modules.

The BMR511 is now available for sampling and volume production.

Flex Power Modules is a business line of Flex, and is a manufacturer of scalable DC/DC power converters primarily serving the data processing, communications, industrial and transportation markets. It offers a range of both isolated and non-isolated solutions and digitally-enabled DC/DC converters with PMBus compatibility supported by Flex Power Designer design software.

http://www.flexpowermodules.com  

Allegro MicroSystems has introduced the Power-Thru portfolio with the AHV85110 isolated gate driver. Theisolated gate driver is a single package that drives GaN FETs with up to a 50 per cent smaller footprint and a 40 per cent efficiency improvement compared to competitors’ offerings, claimed Allegro.

Wide-bandgap silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) field effect transistors (FETs) offer clear efficiency benefits at the system level but there are integration challenges, said the company.

A traditional gate driver implementation requires both an isolated gate driver and a separate isolated power supply. When assembled, connections between the driver, power source and FET can add unwanted noise and create pathways of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Working around these effects can create design complexity, add time and increase the cost of a project. It can also increase a project’s schedule, size and weight, said Allegro.

Its patent protected, highly differentiated Power-Thru AHV85110 gate driver combines the isolated gate driver and the isolated power supply into a single, compact, robust package. Allegro said it minimises EMI pathways and simplifies integration to accelerate time to market, efficiency gains, and production cost savings.

The differentiated Power-Thru technology enables engineers to provide more power, more efficiently, using 50 per cent of the design footprint for PCB savings and reduces bill of materials (BOM) count and production cost.

Another benefit is the elimination of bootstrap circuits and isolated supplies while minimising common-mode capacitance, which reduces EMI filter design efforts and improves overall efficiency, said Allegro.

It also provides a reliable, scalable design process across platforms by eliminating the need to fully redesign a power module when working with multiple GaN FET suppliers, added the company.

https://www.allegromicro.com