ICs & Semiconductors

New industrial CoolSiC MOSFETs from Infineon offer improved power density

Wed, Feb 12, 2025

Infineon Technologies is expanding its portfolio of discrete CoolSiC MOSFETs 650 V with two new product families housed in Q-DPAK and TOLL packages.

These diverse product families, with top- and bottom-side cooling, are based on the CoolSiC Generation 2 (G2) technology and offer improved performance, reliability, and ease of use. The product families target high- and medium-power switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) including AI servers, renewable energy, chargers for electric vehicles, e-mobility and humanoid robots, televisions, drives and solid-state circuit breakers.

The TOLL package offers outstanding Thermal Cycling on Board (TCoB) capability, enabling compact system designs by reducing the printed circuit board (PCB) footprint. When used in SMPS, it can also reduce system-level manufacturing costs. The TOLL package now fits an extended list of target applications, enabling PCB designers to further reduce costs and better meet market demands.

The introduction of the Q-DPAK package complements the ongoing development of Infineon’s new family of Topside Cooled (TSC) products, which includes CoolMOS 8, CoolSiC, CoolGaN and OptiMOS. The TSC family enables customers to achieve robustness with maximum power density and system efficiency at low cost. It also enables direct heat dissipation of 95 percent, allowing the use of both sides of the PCB for better space management and reduction of parasitic effects.

The CoolSiC MOSFETs 650 V G2 in TOLL are now available in R DS(on) from 10 to 60 mΩ, while the Q-DPAK variant is available in 7, 10, 15 and 20 mΩ.

https://www.infineon.com/coolsic-g2

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ST’s new Edge AI, NPU-accelerated microcontrollers now available from Mouser

Tue, Feb 11, 2025

Mouser is now shipping the new STM32N6 high-performance microcontroller from STMicroelectronics. The STM32N6 is the newest and most powerful of the STM32 family, optimised for edge-intensive AI algorithms in automotive, smart industry, robotics, drones, healthcare, smart buildings, smart homes, smart farming, and personal electronic applications.

STMicroelectronics STM32N6 MCU is the first of the STM32 series featuring ST’s proprietary Neural-ART Accelerator, specifically architected for embedded inference, delivering 600 times more machine-learning performance than existing high-end STM32 MCUs. The STM32N6’s Neural-ART Accelerator clocks at 1GHz, providing 600 giga-operations per second (GOPS) at an average of 3 tera-operations per second (TOPS), delivering energy efficiency while allowing machine learning applications requiring an accelerated microprocessor to now run on an MCU.

The STM32N6’s machine learning performance makes it possible to run computer vision, audio processing and sound analysis for consumer and industrial applications at the edge, utilising a Cortex-M55 MCU running at 800 MHz, a robust 4.2 MB embedded RAM that also includes a NeoChrom GPU alongside an H.264 hardware encoder, and a Helium™ M-Profile Vector Extension. The STM32N6 delivers remarkable AI performance and provides excellent flexibility in a small silicon package ideal for embedded systems and wearables.

The STM32N6 is supported by the STM32N6570-DK discovery kit. The kit is a complete demonstration and development platform for the STM32N6 and provides a full range of hardware features to enable users to evaluate the device. The kit includes USB Type-C, Octo SPI flash memory and Hexadeca SPI PSRAM devices, Ethernet connectivity, a camera module, a 5″ LCD touchscreen, and more. Four flexible extension connectors offer easy expansion capabilities for applications such as wireless connectivity, analog applications, and sensors.

https://www.mouser.com

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u-blox expands its NORA-B2 Bluetooth LE modules series to address all mass market segments

Thu, Feb 06, 2025

u-blox has expanded its portfolio by introducing six new variants of the NORA-B2 Bluetooth Low Energy modules. Now integrating the entire range of Nordic Semiconductor’s next-level nRF54L Series of ultra-low power wireless Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), NORA-B2 offers a versatile solution for mass market segments thanks to its choices of antennas, architectures and chipsets.

The wireless modules combine ultra-lower power consumption and high processing efficiency, consuming up to 50% less current than previous-generation devices while doubling process capacity. They also security features, which makes them ideal for a wide range of IoT applications, such as smart home devices, industrial automation, or healthcare.

The entire NORA-B2 series comprises four variants that differ in memory sizes, design architectures and price levels to match almost any device manufacturer’s requirements.

• NORA-B20 features an ultra-low power nRF54L15 SoC with a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33, RISC-V co-processor, and 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio. It includes 1.5 MB NVM and 256 KB RAM.
• NORA-B21, built on the nRF54L10 SoC, supports multiple wireless protocols (Bluetooth LE, Mesh, Thread, Matter, Zigbee, Amazon Sidewalk) with 1.0 MB NVM and 192 KB RAM.
• NORA-B22 is a cost-effective option with up to 31 GPIOs, 0.5 MB NVM, and 96 KB RAM.
• NORA-B26 is pre-flashed with u-blox u-connectXpress, enabling easy Bluetooth integration without prior expertise.

All NORA-B2 modules are designed for PSA Certified Level 3 security. They incorporate features such as secure boot and updates, tamper detection, and secure firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates. These security measures ensure that IoT devices remain protected against any potential threats, safeguarding both data and functionality. NORA-B2 modules are also qualified against Bluetooth Core 6.0 that includes Channel Sounding, enabling endless cost-effective possibilities in tracking and locating use cases.

NORA-B2 variants either come with an antenna pin for connecting an external antenna of choice or are designed with a patented PCB antenna providing best-in-class RF performance. All module versions come with global certification allowing device manufacturers to launch their products worldwide with minimal effort.
Samples of NORA-B20 are now available. Early samples of NORA-B21 and NORA-B22 are available for evaluation in limited quantities. The pre-release version of u-connectXpress software for NORA-B26 is also available for early adopters.

https://www.u-blox.com

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Microchip launches the next generation of its low-noise chip-scale atomic clock

Tue, Jan 28, 2025

Microchip has announced its second generation Low-Noise Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (LN-CSAC), model SA65-LN, in a lower profile height and designed to operate in a wider temperature range, enabling low phase noise and atomic clock stability in demanding conditions.

Microchip has developed its own Evacuated Miniature Crystal Oscillator (EMXO) technology and integrated it into a CSAC, enabling the model SA65-LN to offer a reduced profile height of less than ½ inch, while maintaining a power consumption of <295 mW. The new design is optimal for aerospace and defense mission-critical applications such as mobile radar, dismounted radios, dismounted IED jamming systems, autonomous sensor networks and unmanned vehicles due to its compact size, low power consumption and high precision. Operating within a wider temperature range of -40°C to +80°C, the new LN-CSAC is designed to maintain its frequency and phase stability in extreme conditions for enhanced reliability.

The LN-CSAC combines the benefits of a crystal oscillator and an atomic clock in a single compact device. The EMXO offers low-phase noise at 10 Hz < -120 dBc/Hz and Allan Deviation (ADEV) stability <1E-11 at a 1-second averaging time. The atomic clock provides initial accuracy of ±0.5 ppb, low frequency drift performance of <0.9 ppb/mo, and maximum temperature-induced errors of < ±0.3ppb. Together, the LN-CSAC can save board space, design time and overall power consumption compared to designs that feature two oscillators.

The crystal signal purity and low-phase noise of LN-CSAC are designed to ensure high-quality signal integrity, which is essential for frequency mixing. The atomic-level accuracy allows for longer intervals between calibrations, which can help extend mission durations and potentially reduce maintenance requirements.

https://www.microchip.com

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