On this episode of the Insomnicat Podcast, Nicolette and Bryan chat with Alex Lidow, CEO and Co- Founder of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) about GaN technology. While many believe GaN is more costly than its predecessor, silicon, Lidow tells us that’s just a myth. Listen in as we talk about the future of GaN, the truth about Silicon’s reliability and get some advice for emerging engineers from someone who’s been in the industry for quite a while.
Insomnicat Media
November 15, 2019
Alex Lidow Inducted into the ISPSD Hall of Fame 2019
El Segundo, Calif. – May 2019 – Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Corporation proudly announces that Dr. Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder, is inducted into the ISPSD Hall of Fame 2019. This prestigious honor is bestowed upon an honored contributor to advancing power semiconductor technology and sustaining the success of ISPSD. This Hall of Fame award was announced on May 20th, 2019 at 31st IEEE International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD) 2019 at the Marriott Parkview Hotel, Shanghai, China.
On thanking the ISPSD committee regarding his induction, Dr. Lidow said, “This is a great honor. I share this honor with Tom Herman, with whom I undertook the foundational work on the power MOSFET, and with my co-founders at EPC, Joe Cao and Bob Beach, who had the courage to join me on our mission to develop gallium nitride power devices to crush silicon. I look forward to continue working with our customers who are innovating new designs with GaN.”
Dr. John Shen, advisory committee chair said, “We are very pleased to have Alex inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Contributions to our semiconductor industry have been most important in furthering our betterment of the whole world, as well as changing the way we live. We will continue to achieve further contributions, only through our inductees’ unremitting efforts in innovating and contributing to power semiconductor technology, which is indispensable in our daily lives.”
About ISPSD
ISPSD is the premier forum for technical discussions in all areas of power semiconductor. The conference rotates on a four-year cycle across the world. ISPSD brings together the world’s foremost experts and leading companies on power devices and integrated circuit technology. Since the first meeting held in Tokyo in 1988, ISPSD has become the premier international forum for technical discussions in all aspects of power semiconductor devices and integrated circuits.
About EPC
EPC is the leader in enhancement mode gallium nitride based power management devices. EPC was the first to introduce enhancement-mode gallium-nitride-on-silicon (eGaN) FETs and integrated circuits as power MOSFET replacements in applications such as DC-DC converters, wireless power transfer, envelope tracking, automotive, power inverters, remote imaging and sensing technology (Lidar), and Class-D audio amplifiers with device performance many times greater than the best silicon power MOSFETs. EPC also has a growing portfolio of eGaN-based integrated circuits that provide even greater space, energy, and cost efficiency.
eGaN is a registered trademark of Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, Inc.
In this conference GaN market and technology status were addressed and its future evolution was debated by mixing visions from designers, manufacturers, and end users.
Power management leaders at the inaugural GaN Con share a laugh for a group photo February 21, 2019, in Milpitas, CA. Left to Right: GaN Systems CEO Jim Witham, EPC CEO Alex Lidow, Navitas CEO Gene Sheridan.
Milpitas, Calif. — February 2019 — Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) joined forces with Yole Développement (Yole) and SEMI to sponsor the first ever ‘GaN Con,’ an industry networking event covering the entire power GaN industry from manufacturers to end users. The theme of GaN Con was “Power GaN: From promises to possible market explosion” and was focused on the emerging GaN market and the state-of-the-art for its underlying technology.
Under Yole’s base case scenario, GaN market is expected to grow steadily with a 55% CAGR between 2017 and 2023 (1). GaN has been a promising technology for a while. Several R&D institutes and industrial companies dedicated important investments to explore and evaluate this technology and make links with market demands. Yole’s analysts identified multiple power electronics & compound semiconductor companies, including leading silicon suppliers, strongly engaged in significant projects of development. GaN Con offered an opportunity to further explore the status of GaN technology and its adoption.
(1) Source: Power GaN: Epitaxy, Devices, Applications and Technology Trends report, Yole Développement, 2018
EPC CEO, Alex Lidow
In this episode of the PSDcast, we’re talking to Alex Lidow from Efficient Power Conversion about gallium nitride’s (GaN) application in connected automobiles.
Power Systems Design
EPC Global Headquarters – El Segundo, CA
EPC CEO, Alex Lidow sits down with Spirit Electronics CEO, Marti McCurdi to discuss how EPC has worked with industry leaders over the past decade to test high-reliability GaN products for military and space applications.
