[July 24, 2014]

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Lends Support to the "Little Box Challenge" Presented by Google and IEEE to Build a (Much) Smaller Power Inverter

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announces its support for contestants in "Little Box Challenge" presented by Google (News - Alert) and IEEE. Little Box Challenge, with a $1,000,000 prize, is an open competition to build a (much) smaller power inverter. eGaN^® FETs are ideal for this type of application due to their high power handling capability, ultra fast switching speeds, and small size.

Why Little Box (News - Alert) Challenge?

The objective of Little Box Challenge is to create a smaller, cheaper, power inverter for use in solar power systems. The inverter is the part of the system that converts the DC power from the solar cells into the AC power that is compatible with the established power grid infrastructure. Reducing the cost of the inverter will have a significant impact on the overall system cost of solar power.

Why Use eGaN Power Transistors?

• High Efficiency/Low Losses
  eGaN FET's switching performance enables higher switching frequency compared to MOSFET solutions. Higher frequency reduces the size of energy storage elements which dominate inverter size.

• Ultra Fast Switching Speed
  eGaN FETs' small size and lateral structure give extremely low capacitance and zero Q_RR. Also, the Land Grid Array (LGA) package gives low inductance. These attributes enable unprecedented switching performance - two to three times that of a MOSFET. Switching speed is the key to increasing switching frequency efficiently.
• Small Size
  Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide band gap device with superior conductivity compared to traditional MOSFET technology, resulting in smaller devices and lower capacitance for the same on resistance (R_DS(on)).

Contestant Support

EPC is excited to be a supporter of this contest. If your team is interested in exploring the possibility of using EPC's eGaN^® FETs in a high power density inverter for the Little Box Challenge presented by Google and IEEE (News - Alert), visit us at http://epc-co.com/epc/LittleBoxChallenge.aspx.

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 as power MOSFET replacements in applications such as DC-DC converters, wireless power transfer, envelope tracking, RF transmission, solar inverters, remote sensing technology (LiDAR), and class-D audio amplifiers with device performance many times greater than the best silicon power MOSFETs.

Visit our web site: www.epc-co.com

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