1. APEC Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary
   
2. You are Invited to Attend the PSMA Annual Meeting at APEC 2015
   
3. Meet Your Directors
   
4. About Our Members
   
5. Welcome to PSMA
   
6. APEC Sponsors Provide Travel Support Enabling Students to Attend APEC 2015
   
7. PSMA Nano 300 Launched in 2015
   
8. New Technology Report Introduced at APEC 2015
   
9. Power Electronics Industry Loses a Pioneer
   
10. California Dreaming
    
11. Intelec 2015
    
12. Workshop on Microgrid Systems and Power Electronics for Low Energy Building
    
13. Solar Energy Stock Index Q4 2014
    
14. Solar Energy DealReader Q4 2014
    
15. EMS Stock Index Q4 2014
    
16. EMS DealReader Q4 2014
    
17. Events of Interest – Mark Your Calendar

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

Previous issues of update: Q2_2014 | Q3_2014 | Q4_2014

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PSMA UPDATE is published and distributed via e-mail quarterly by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association. Send editorial information and comments to:

Permission to reprint information and articles as published is granted: a courtesy line is appreciated.

Membership in PSMA is open to any organization or corporation involved in the power sources and supplies industry. For membership information, visit our website or contact us by fax, telephone or email.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

 

or thirty years, APEC has established itself as the leading power electronics conference and exposition and also evolved as an annual get-together for applied power electronics professionals for knowledge exchange and networking. APEC 2015 will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC, March 15 - 19, 2015 and like its predecessors, APEC 2015 offers a rich and comprehensive program and an ideal environment for application and theory-based technical learning for all power electronics professionals.

Charlotte is a first-time city for APEC and has a lot to offer the visitor. It is located in the center of the East Coast, USA with a major airport serving more than 143 destinations worldwide via all major carriers. This is a very-walkable city with over 120 fine restaurants and over 50 entertainment destinations.

APEC 2015 starts on Sunday, March 15th with 18 highly-regarded Professional Education Seminars before the official opening of the conference. Each of the three-and-a-half-hour seminars provides an in-depth discussion of important and complex power electronics topics and combines practical application with theory. The Plenary Session on Monday afternoon consists of distinguished speakers from industry and academia covering the key power electronics architectures, components, innovations, and technologies affecting our industry and society. The technical papers presented in lecture and dialogue formats are selected from over 900 digests submitted from 44 countries. Increasingly popular industry sessions have reached an all-time high with 93 accepted presentations in 15 sessions.

The exposition also hits its record high participation with more than 230 exhibitors. These global exhibitors will showcase the state-of-art technologies, products, and solutions on applied power electronics augmented by the exhibitor seminars. This year’s Rap Sessions include three moderated debates on Wireless Transfer of Power, Variable Speed Drives, and the Who, What, Where When and Why of Wide-Bandgap devices.

For the third year in a row, APEC will be mobile. The APEC Mobile App will provide attendees access to an interactive directory and map of the exhibitors on their mobile devices. For the first time, APEC will also start providing on-line proceedings at the conference for easier access.

Be sure to mark your calendar to attend the Wednesday evening social event at the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This gear-head mecca is located adjacent to the Convention Center and will be open exclusively to ticketed APEC attendees from 7:00-10:00 pm on March 18th. The 150,000 square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. Attendees can try their luck racing against other attendees at over 200 miles per hour (322 km/hr) in the Racecar Simulator or race against time in the Pit Crew Challenge. A special guest Ray Everham, a three time Winston Cup Series Champion with driver Jeff Gordon, will provide insights to engineering challenges of racing.

APEC 2015 promises to be the largest APEC event ever and if you haven’t already made plans to attend, don’t wait any longer. Come to Charlotte and be part of this exceptional event.

Provided by:

Aung Thet Tu APEC 2015 General Chair

Greg Evans APEC 2015 Publicity Chair

he 2015 PSMA Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with APEC 2015 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC on Monday March 16. A buffet breakfast at 8:00 a.m. will precede the meeting and individuals from member companies as well non-member guests are invited to attend and participate in a full agenda of topics of interest to the industry. At the meeting, you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with many of the students that were awarded APEC Travel Support grants to present their papers at the Technical Sessions. Regular member company representatives will participate in the election of four new Directors to serve on the PSMA Board for a three-year term beginning immediately and ending at APEC 2018. The detailed agenda for the meeting will be posted in the News & Information section of the web site and will include reports from each of the technical committees and stimulating discussions on new PSMA initiatives for 2015 and beyond.

Among the presentations will be summary reports on the recently completed publications of the 2015 PSMA Power Technology Roadmap and the Phase II Special Project of the Power Packaging Technical Committee on Current Developments in 3D Packaging with a Focus on Embedded Substrate Technologies. Both reports can be viewed at the PSMA Exhibit Booth in the Convention Center.

Members and guests are also invited to remain for the Board of Directors meeting that will immediately follow the Annual Meeting. Participation in these meetings will provide you with the opportunity to network with colleagues from other companies and to influence the direction of the PSMA and the power sources industry.

The best way to get more out of your company membership in PSMA is to get involved with one of our active technical committees. The Alternative Energy, Capacitor, Energy Efficiency, Industry-Education, Magnetics, Marketing, Nanotechnology, Packaging, Roadmap, Semiconductor and Transportation Power Electronics committees all plan to hold open meetings during the week of APEC 2015. All are invited to participate or to just drop in any of these committee meetings to hear and provide input as the committee activities are being planned for the coming year.

Be sure to visit us at the PSMA booth in the exhibition area during APEC. We look forward to a good turnout at the PSMA meetings and a very exciting week.

For the latest information on all of the activities planned during APEC 2015, visit us at www.psma.com.

our members of the PSMA Board of Directors are elected at the Annual Meeting held every year during the APEC conference. Each Director serves a three year term and is eligible to be reelected for one additional term.

In this issue, we would like you to meet Dusty Becker and Brian Narveson, both elected in 2013.

Dustin J. Becker
Vice President of Technology, Emerson Network Power - Energy Systems,
Technical Business Leader for Emerson Network Power

Dusty has been involved in the design and development of DC Rectifiers, DC-DC Converters, and DC Power Systems for both indoor and outdoor applications since joining Emerson in 1968. He has held the positions of Engineer, Design Engineer, Staff Engineer, R&D Manager, Director of Engineering, VP of Operations, VP of Systems Engineering, VP of Product Development, and currently VP of Technology. His current focus is new technology directions in the areas of Power and Outside Plant, including high power delivery systems as well as 380Vdc distribution.

Dusty holds three patents and has two patents pending. He is the author of over 30 technical papers and magazine articles on the subject of DC power conversion and distribution.

Dusty is a past Co- Chair for the INTELEC (PELS TC 7) Technical Committee, has served as a Committee member, session chair, and is currently a member of the INTELEC IEC. He is the Chair of INTELEC 2016. He is past Chairman of the PSMA (Power Sources Manufacturing Association) Board of Directors, a current Board member, and is Co-Chair of the PSMA Energy Efficiency committee. Dusty also sits on the NEMA Energy Storage Technical Committee as well as the recently formed IEC TAG for IEC Smart Grid Standardization. He is the sitting Emerson Representative for the NEMA Smart Grid Committee

Dusty is a “Technical Expert” for IEC 22H – DC UPS work group. He is a member of the Green Grid technical committee – Power Sub-working Group, the E-merge alliance, Data & TelecomTechnical Standards Committee, the PELs Nominating Committee, and the APEC Technical Committee.

Provided by Dusty Becker, Vice President of Technology, Emerson Network Power - Energy Systems

Brian C. Narveson received his BSEE from Iowa State University in 1972. He is currently the President of Narveson’s Innovative Consulting, which focuses on coaching Innovation in Engineering and Technical Marketing. Brian has been focused on the power industry for over 20 years. He joined Power Trends in 1992 shortly after it was founded as the Vice President of Engineering. His team developed the products which helped grow the company from less than $1M in sales in 1992 to over $60M in 1999 when it was purchased by Texas Instruments. After the acquisition he became the Marketing and Applications Manager for TI’s Power Module business. From this role he advanced to Worldwide Power Marketing Development Manager at TI (2002-2007). From 2007 until he retired from TI in 2011 he was the Midwest Analog Applications Manager for Texas Instruments.

Brian has been co-chairman of the PSMA Packaging Committee for 8 years, which sponsored and facilitated the PSMA “PSiP2PwrSoC”, “3D Power Packaging” and in 2014-2015 the “Current Developments in 3D Packaging with Focus on Embedded Substrate Technologies” Special Projects all of which ended with the publication of a Technical Report . He has chaired multiple APEC Industry Sessions. In addition Brian serves on the PSMA Technology Roadmap Team where he has contributed to the sub-committee focused on DC-DC Converters and the Emerging Technology section. He has been involved with PSMA since 2001 when he became the company representative for TI.

Brian has attended every APEC since 1994 except one. He was a plenary speaker at APEC 2014 speaking on the topic “Significant Developments and Trends in 3D Packaging of Power Products”. He has presented at 3 technical sessions and co-chaired and/or presented at 5 industry sessions. In 2015 he and Ernie Parker are co-chairing the industry session “3D Packaging for Power Electronics” where they have recruited 7 speakers from Industry and Academia.

Brian has published over 25 power electronics articles in the US, Asia and Europe. Most were technical, but he also wrote about industry issues such as POLA vs. DOSA.

Provided by Brian Narveson, President of Narveson's Innovative Consulting

yndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland is an international leading research centre specializing in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hardware research. With 450 researchers and an annual budget of over $50M, Tyndall undertakes industry-led research into ICT and has earned a well-established international reputation. Tyndall has over 200 industry partnerships and customers worldwide. Several start-up companies in Ireland have been based on technology originating at Tyndall.

Since 1981 contract research work has grown, encompassing microelectronics and many related fields including Photonics, Advanced Materials, Nanoelectronics and Microsystems.

Power Electronics activities commenced there in 1991 working on the integration of magnetics, initially on substrates and later directly on silicon. In 1999, the team completed an in-depth review of the Status of Power Electronic Packaging for Power Supplies - StatPEP for PSMA. This involved the benchmarking of ten leading edge 100-Watt DC-DC converters covering industrial, military and telecommunications applications areas and identified challenges for the development of the technology in subsequent years. In 2008/2009, Tyndall undertook Phase 2 of “PSiP2PwrSoC” for PSMA – a detailed technology evaluation of leading commercial Power-Supply-in-Package & Power-Supply-on-Chip products.

In 2014 Tyndall delivered to PSMA a state-of-the-art study on 3D power packaging technologies that was highlighted at APEC 2014 (IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exhibition). The technology and market report included miniaturization and functional integration trends and roadmaps in the movement of power conversion functionality into the load and to embedding of power components into the substrate. The report also summarized an extensive series of interviews with experts from both the power electronics industry and academia to discuss industry and research challenges and directions.

Today Tyndall team research activities relevant to the power electronics industry includes micro power devices, magnetic materials and energy harvesting. Some examples of research activities over the past decade (in collaboration with partners) include:

• Integrated point of use Power Supplies
• Magnetic Materials for High Frequency Power Conversion
• Technology Evaluation of Planar Magnetic Power Converters
• Technology Evaluation of High-Density Power Converters
• Electrical & Thermo-mechanical Study of 3D DC-DC Converters
• Power Supply on Chip (PowerSoC)
• Piezoelectric MEMs Energy Harvester.
• Microfabricated Isolation Transformers for Signal and Power Transfer ( µIsolate)
  

Since 1988 the Institute has been a designated “Microelectronics Technology Support Laboratory” (MTSL) to the European Space Agency (ESA) and has carried out more than100 technology assessment projects related to Reliability, Workmanship and Assembly Quality, Analysis of Hybrid Circuits and Point of Loads (PoLs), Technology Evaluation of Planar Magnetic and High Density Power Converters.

MAGIC - making magnetics disappear into ICs

Cian Ó Mathúna

Tyndall’s power electronics activities are led by Professor Cian Ó Mathúna who has established a research program focused on the convergence of microelectronics and microsystems whereby CMOS provides an intelligent platform for the miniaturization and integration of non-standard functions such as sensors, actuators, power and cooling. This incorporates the development of magnetics on silicon for future power supply on chip (PowerSoC) applications. As a member of the Board of Directors of the PSMA (Power Sources Manufacturers Association), Cian led the first internationally-funded technical review of emerging technology and market trends in power supply on chip (PSiP2PwrSoC). He also led the PSMA funded project (StatPep) previously mentioned and is currently the project coordinator for the EU FP7 project PowerSwipe (Power Supply on Chip with Integrated Passives) -, the first European-funded project on PowerSoc, with partners that include Infineon, Bosch, IPDIA, INSA Lyon and UPM Madrid.

In 2008, Cian Ó Mathúna championed the first International Workshop for Power Supply on Chip (www.powersoc.org) which was held in Cork. In 2010, the Second workshop returned to Cork, in 2012 the Third workshop was held in San Francisco and in 2014 the Fourth workshop was held in Boston. It is now considered the flagship workshop for the co-sponsors, IEEE Power Electronics Society and PSMA.

In 2013, Cian Ó Mathúna was recognized as an IEEE Fellow with the citation “for leadership in the development of power supply using magnetics on silicon”.

Provided by Michael Hayes, Senior Program Manager, ICT for Energy Efficiency

ncorporated in 1994, PPI Power, Inc. (PPI) has been a leading supplier of switch-mode power supplies, PFC boost converter modules and AC-to-DC converter modules to internationally recognized OEMs whose primary products and systems provide the hardware infrastructure of the commercial in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) industry.

Located in Southern California, PPI’s technical staff continues to lead the way with innovative designs and advances in response to the complex demands presented by the airborne power conversion industry. PPI is owned and operated by its original founders: Jim Haig, CEO and Kris Dill, President.

With engineering and manufacturing housed in one central location, PPI’s dedicated staff works within a team environment that promotes efficiency and allows for the streamlining of product development and on-time deliveries.

PPI’s power supplies and modules provide its customers with the highest level of performance, reliability and safety while minimizing the three most sensitive parameters in the industry: size, weight and cost.

PPI has developed a loyal customer base of IFEC system and peripheral equipment manufactures as a direct result of superior technical know-how, quality manufacturing and unparalleled customer support. To date PPI has served over 200 customers with a current customer base including:

• Panasonic Avionics Corp.
  
• Rockwell Collins
  
• ViaSat
  
• Kontron
  
• Telefonix
  
• AstroMed
  
• Boeing Commercial Airplanes
  
• Airbus
  
• VT Miltope
  
• Honeywell
  
• Tecom Industries
  

PFC BOOST CONVERTER MODULES

Providing line rectification, minimized input current harmonic distortion, active inrush current limiting and near unity power factor, PPI’s line of PFC boost converter modules have become an industry standard for hardware design engineers needing an efficient, easily configurable, power supply solution while putting forth minimal design and development effort.

When configured with one or more off-the-shelf DC/DC converter modules, avionics’ power supplies with levels exceeding 500W can be easily tailored to meet exacting airborne requirements; including those operating from variable frequency (360-800Hz) generator systems.

The PFC boost converter modules are extremely reliable, even in the harshest environments, possessing Mean-Time-Between-Failure (MTBF) rates far in excess of 5 Million hours, validated by 18+ years of statistical field data.

AC TO LOW VOLTAGE DC MODULES

PPI began developing a product line of DO160 compliant AC to DC all-in-one modules in 2006 and today the category has expanded to 12 unique modules with a variety of end-use applications. These modules incorporate EMI filtering, active inrush current limiting (as large levels of hold-up capacitances are necessary in airborne applications), a PFC converter than can meet the most stringent requirements for harmonic distortion and near unity power factor from 360-800Hz for new variable speed generator application and a downstream DC/DC forward converter.

PPI has augmented the product offering, increasing output capacity without increasing size and weight and are now able to offer up to 100W of isolated, power factor corrected output power in a 12 cubic inch PCB mountable package.

Typical aircraft LRU installation with embedded PPI module

There are some distinct advantages when incorporating these embedded power supply modules and what they mean for the industry. All equipment used within avionic applications must comply with stringent electrical and environmental requirements, specifically the requirements controlled and governed by RTCA DO-160 and Airbus’ ABD0100. The all-in-one power modules from PPI simplify the process because the modules already comply at the module level and, with just a few external components, are readily adapted to the same specifications at the upper-unit level; this saves time and money and frees up crucial engineering resources to focus on other important system level design tasks.

DISCRETE SUPPLIES

When the application calls for a discrete supply, typically with more than two outputs or with a 28Vdc input, PPI compliments the modular solution with an array of off-the-shelf discrete power supplies. These airborne compliant supplies available in output levels up to 500W typically power crucial components in the commercial aircraft inflight connectivity system including air-to-ground modems, air-to-satellite modems, high power transponders, antenna control units, ruggedized servers and wireless access points.

Typical Airborne Discrete Supply Block Diagram

PPI’s line of discrete supplies are extremely stable, very efficient and provide low ripple plus noise on each output. Additionally each of the outputs is independently protected against sustained overcurrent and overvoltage fault conditions and the supplies are typically convection cooled and have built-in thermal protection with auto-reset.

Provided by Jim Haig, CEO, PPI Power, Inc.

Editors Note: We would like to feature your company in a future issue of the Update. Please contact the Association Office for information about how to submit an article for consideration.

EPCOS, Inc.
D. Matthew Reynolds
485B US Highway 1 South, Suite 200
Iselin, NJ 08830
Telephone: 732-906-4382
E-mail: matt.reynolds@epcos.com

EPCOS, develops, manufactures and markets electronic components, modules and systems, focusing on fast-growing leading-edge technology markets, which include information and communications technology, automotive electronics, industrial electronics and consumer electronics.

In SAW components, ceramic components, capacitors and inductors alike, EPCOS consistently stands for superlative electronic performance. Approximately 24,400 employees at over 20 design and production locations and a tightly meshed sales network give EPCOS a genuine global footprint. A large share of the sales team is made up of engineers and technical experts, making the company well-equipped to work closely with customers and create the right solutions for them.

Excelsys Technologies Ltd
Kevin Parmenter
PO Box 694
Gilbert, AZ 85299
Telephone: 480-748-8182
E-mail: kevinparmenter@excelsys.com

Excelsys Technologies has over 20 years experience as a leading power supply manufacturer and designer of high power density, high efficiency power supplies for a variety of specialist markets including Industrial, Medical, Lighting, Communications and Military. Excelsys serves original equipment manufacturers globally from the head office in Ireland, sales offices in USA and China, and a network of qualified and experienced distributors in over 30 countries worldwide, establishing Excelsys as the brand of choice for customers seeking the most reliable and cost efficient modular power supplies available in the market.

Excelsys power supply manufacturer provides superior power supply solutions to a wide variety of high end engineering applications where there can be no compromise in reliability and performance. Their expert sales and applications teams have vast experience, working closely with customer's engineers to simplify system integration, enable rapid design, and reduce time to market. Whatever the application, there is an Excelsys power supply solution to meet the requirements.

Seth Sanders
University of California, Berkeley
EECS Department
Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
Telephone: 510-384-6932
E-mail: seth.sanders@berkeley.edu

 

Seth R. Sanders received the S.B. degrees in electrical engineering and physics and the S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1981, 1985, and 1989, respectively.

He was a Design Engineer at the Honeywell Test Instruments Division, Denver, CO. Since 1989, he has been on the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, where he is presently Professor. His research interests are in high frequency power conversion circuits and components, in design and control of electric machine systems, and in nonlinear circuit and system theory as related to the power electronics field. He is presently actively supervising research projects in the areas of flywheel energy storage, novel electric machine design, renewable energy, and digital pulse-width modulation strategies and associated IC designs for power conversion applications. During the 1992 to 1993 academic year, he was on industrial leave with National Semiconductor, Santa Clara, CA.

Dr. Sanders received the NSF Young Investigator Award in 1993 and Best Paper Awards from the IEEE Power Electronics Society and the IEEE Industry Applications Society. He has served as Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Computers in Power Electronics, and as a Member-At-Large of the IEEE PELS Adcom.

Forty-three recipients selected from applications received from 108 students representing 61 schools in 21 countries; a total of $40,000 will assist recipients with travel and conference expenses.

he joint sponsors of the Applied Power Electronics Conference have announced the continuation of the popular travel support program of $40,000 for students planning to attend APEC 2015 in Charlotte, NC, March 15-19, 2015. Now in its tenth year, the program will subsidize a portion of the travel and conference expenses for students from around the world. A total of 43 students will benefit from this program, with some sharing the financial support with colleagues from the same institution.

The award recipients represent a cross-section of the top-quality engineering students pursuing a career in power electronics. The students selected are from the Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States.

The APEC Student Attendance Travel Support program, initiated by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA), is now jointly underwritten by PSMA and the other co-sponsors of the APEC Conference – the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) and the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS).

“Each of the students selected is an author or co-author of a paper accepted for presentation at APEC 2015,” said Joe Horzepa, Executive Director of PSMA. “With over 100 applicants, selection of the recipients was a challenging exercise. It is encouraging to see so many universities around the globe with world-class power electronics programs.”

About the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC)

As The Premier Event in Applied Power Electronics™, APEC focuses on the practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business. This is not just a designer's conference. APEC has something of interest for anyone involved in power electronics:

• Equipment OEMs that use power supplies and dc-dc converters in their equipment
  
• Designers of power supplies, dc-dc converters, motor drives, uninterruptable power supplies, inverters and any other power electronic circuits, equipment and systems
  
• Manufacturers and suppliers of components and assemblies used in power electronics
  
• Manufacturing, quality and test engineers involved with power electronics equipment
  
• Marketing, sales and anyone involved in the business of power electronics
  
• Compliance engineers testing and qualifying power electronics equipment or equipment that uses power electronics

About Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA)

PSMA is a non-profit professional organization with the two-fold objective of enhancing the stature and reputation of its members and their products, and improving their technological power sources knowledge. Its aim is to educate the electronics industry, academia, government and industry communities as to the applications and importance of all types of power sources and conversion devices.

About IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS)

One of the largest special interest societies within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), PELS has facilitated and guided the development and innovation in power electronics technology. This technology encompasses the effective use of electronic components, the application of circuit theory and design techniques, and the development of analytical tools toward efficient conversion, control and condition of electric power.

About IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS)

One of the largest special interest societies within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the IAS focuses specifically on the unique needs of industry and commerce. The IEEE IAS is a source of professional power to its nearly 10,000 worldwide members.

Editorial Contact
Greg Evans, P.E.
APEC 2014 Publicity Chairman
858-633-1911
greg@welcomm.com

Destination - College Students

SMA is making available an e-learning colloquium, PSMA Nano 300, which is being offered exclusively and without charge to college students worldwide in 2015. The colloquium is designed to further the education and application of nanotechnology to the power sources industry. Students enrolled in the colloquium are encouraged to write and submit nanotechnology power sources concept papers. Each year, PSMA will award a first prize of $1,500 for the best paper and a $500 second prize. The 2015 round of concept papers are required to be submitted by May 1, 2015.

The target participants of PSMA Nano 300 are students of engineering, science and business. Covering the latest advances in the science, research and applications of nanotechnology, the online courses include a review of basic concepts together with a succinct presentation of the chemistry, material sciences and quantum physics needed to better understand the technology. The course also explores the latest and ongoing research and presents a cross-section of companies actively involved in nanotechnology applications. In addition, the colloquium highlights safety, ethical and societal issues and concerns associated with the nanoscale.

The PSMA Nano 300 colloquium can be accessed from the Courses Tab of the PSMA Nanotechnology Forum or from the Quick Links on the PSMA homepage. There students can find a syllabus of the colloquium which details the content, as well as instructions for how to submit concept papers for the contest. There is also a discussion board available for students to comment and ask questions.

Members are asked to help promote Nano 300 to the universities they have graduated from to have their students participate.

Anthony F. Laviano, Ph.D., founder of NANOWorld® and Executive Vice President of Northrop Rice Advanced Institute of Technology (NRAIT) provided the content for the colloquium while J. Michael Rice, President of Aerolearn, an e-learning provider, provided the application program.

Provided by Dr. Anthony F. Laviano, Founder of NANOWorld® and Executive Vice President of Northrop Rice Advanced Institute of Technology

Current Development in 3D Packaging With Focus on Embedded Substrate Technologies

t APEC 2015, the PSMA Packaging Committee will introduce the first comprehensive study of the feasibility of using Embedded Substrate Technologies to build power sources. The report entitled “Current Developments in 3D Packaging with Focus on Embedded Substrate Technologies” will also be discussed at the Industry Session on 3D Packaging. The report was prepared under contract by LTEC Corporation with work subcontracted to Anagenesis and Fraunhofer-Institute. The intent of this article is to provide PSMA members a high level preview of the contents of Technical Report.

The PSMA Packaging Committee believes the 340 page report with extensive illustrations of the leading edge product technologies will provide valuable insights to executives and managers in their own analysis of how currently available materials and processes could be best used for the creation of advanced high efficiency, high power-density power electronic products. The report builds upon the findings of the Phase I report - 3D Power Packaging - issued by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) Packaging Committee in 2014.

Background

Let’s begin with a little background. The power electronics industry and the semiconductor industry are inseparably intertwined with one another, and both are facing unprecedented market challenges for efficiency, cost, construction and thermal issues which provide many opportunities for innovation. These industries are in the focal point of the “energy challenge” a multifaceted problem that involves mobile and cloud infrastructure systems, Internet-of-Things, renewable energy, smart grid, vehicle electrification, and across-the-board power efficiency enhancements in order to keep up with the industry's rapid growth in data consumption. These are the competiveness and sustainability challenges of the twenty-first century.

The paradigm shift we have been experiencing in semiconductor packaging technology was brought about by advanced deep submicron semiconductor technology reaching a “cost barrier” that prevented further cost reduction by adding more functions to the semiconductor die. This barrier was circumvented through the development of wafer thinning that enabled through-silicon-via (TSV) technology, and the eventual introduction of 2.5D and 3D integration that facilitated heterogeneous (“More than Moore”) integration. It will allow the power requirements of the digital load to increase 2 to 5 times, within the same footprint, in a single generation. The power sources community must now find ways to package power sources that will meet this demand, but with no increase in footprint.

In parallel, power semiconductor technology has been facing a “construction barrier” that prevents realization of the huge benefits new technology can offer in terms of increased power efficiency and higher power density. These new technologies which include gallium-nitrogen (GaN), silicon-carbon (SiC), and gallium-arsenic (GaAs) power semiconductor devices all require operation in an environment that is free of bond wires and minimizes parasitic interconnect elements. The best possible packaging technology to achieve this is embedding active and passive components in organic or inorganic substrates.

Overview of the Report

The report begins with a discussion of PCB embedding technology, which is fueled by the rapid evolution of low-power embedding and 3D packaging technologies, which are in high volume production. These technologies will in turn enable power electronic systems to deliver higher efficiency and higher power density.

Embedding Actives and Passives in Substrate using Shinko Electrics Molded Core Embedded Package (MceP®)

In addition to substrates the report dedicates entire chapters to each of the passive components (resistors, capacitor, and inductors) as well interposers and additive manufacturing.

Embedding using Formed or Inserted Components

The report also discusses high temperature die and component attach technologies that are evolving rapidly in the research labs; however, a single, low-cost, “one-size-fits-all applications” high-lead solder-substitution technology is currently unavailable and addresses the fact that high power-density component embedding and 3D packaging of power semiconductor devices also have to overcome a “thermal barrier.” Simply stated, it is more challenging to remove heat generated within the body of a 3D integrated system than from a planar, two-dimensional surface. This leads to a discussion of advanced thermal management technologies which are key enablers for 3D packaging as well as PCB embedding.

The authors acknowledge and devote a chapter to the fact that high power-density component embedding and 3D packaging of power semiconductor devices also have to overcome a “thermal barrier.” Simply stated, it is more challenging to remove heat generated within the body of a 3D integrated system than from a planar, two-dimensional surface. This leads to a discussion of advanced thermal management technologies which are key enablers for 3D packaging as well as PCB embedding.

In addition to their primary research, the team conducted a worldwide literature review and analysis of research and development (R&D) published by participating organizations in the USA, Asia-Pacific Region, and the EU, and identified several potentially high-impact technologies of interest to the power electronics and the semiconductor industries.. In terms of leadership positions, Germany and the EU appear to lead in the area of high-power PCB embedding and research into vertical interconnect/high-lead replacement technology, while Japan is leading in low power, high-density embedding, high performance, low CTE, high modulus (low warpage) substrates, and organic interposer technologies.

Finally the report highlights some of the technology gaps as well as a recognition that this new technology requires updated or additional standards for manufacturing and testing. This report reviews the existing and pending new standards for PCB embedding which the IPC Association has taken the lead to author. However, much additional standard action is needed since the manufacturing supply chain is still evolving. Procedures need to evolve to establish compatibility of up-top metal-die design and PCB layout rules, testing, quality control, and for assigning ownership of failure.

In summary, there has been substantial progress and excellent opportunities lie ahead for the power electronics and semiconductor industries and the entire manufacturing ecosystem to embrace PCB embedding and 3D packaging technologies for power electronic applications. The intersection of these technologies with the emerging wide-bandgap power semiconductor technology creates truly exciting possibilities at the same time the power electronics industry faces unprecedented challenges to help mitigate the fast growing demand for electricity and environmental problems our world faces. Embedded substrate packaging technologies can be, and will be deployed in hybrid and electric vehicles, alternative energy generation and distribution systems, smart grid, industrial, and military aerospace applications in the coming years and beyond. These technologies, combined with wide-bandgap semiconductor devices will literally re-vitalize the entire power electronic infrastructure block by block, module by module, for the twenty-first century.

As a benefit of PSMA membership, the Current Development in 3D Packaging with Focus on Embedded Substrate Technologies report will be sent to all PSMA Regular and Associate member companies and Affiliate companies will be able to purchase the report at a reduced price. The report will also be offered to others in the industry at a price of $2990. You can view the report at the PSMA Exhibit booth at APEC 2015 and shortly the Table of Contents will be available on the PSMA website: www.psma.com.

Submitted by the PSMA Packaging Committee.

Brian Narveson Co-chairman

Ernie Parker Co-chairman

d Bloom died at the age of 74 on January 2, 2015 and with his passing, the power electronics industry lost a major contributor. We express our sympathy and condolences to Joy Bloom, his wife of many years.

Ed Bloom was named a Lifetime Achievement Winner and known as a champion of power electronics education who devoted much of his career to spreading knowledge of practical power-supply design and unlocking the mysteries of magnetics. Though he's spent many of his 40-plus years doing power-supply design and consulting, he was best known throughout the industry as an instructor, author and innovator in magnetics design. Together with his wife, Joy, Ed hosted some of the first courses on topics such as power-magnetics design, power-supply control methods and stability analysis and took power electronics education to the engineer, repeating his classes in different cities across the country.

Chief among his technical contributions was his development of integrated magnetics — the combination of multiple magnetic structures on a single core. For his work in this area, Bloom has been called the “Father of Integrated Magnetics.” Bloom was awarded multiple patents and authored many conference papers based on his work in this area His most well-known writing on the magnetics topic may be found in the now-classic textbook Modern DC-to-DC Switchmode Power Converter Circuits, which he co-authored with Rudy Severns.

In addition to his work on integrated magnetics, Bloom also was involved in writing and teaching about planar magnetics around 1990. These components, which may first have been developed for the military, became popular in commercial telecom applications in the 1980s and 1990s because their low profile and use of standard core materials together with pc-board traces (in place of conventional windings) allowed for very flat component designs.

Beyond his business activities, Bloom contributed to the industry through his extensive participation in industry conferences in the United States and Europe, where he presented numerous papers and seminars. Between these activities and his business ventures, Bloom has given more than 120 technical courses and presentations on his work experiences.

Over the years, Ed Bloom was a very active and a strong supporter of PSMA and APEC. He was a member and contributor to the PSMA Magnetics Technical Committee and led the effort to identify out of print classic books on magnetics and power electronics which were reprinted by PSMA and made available to the industry.

May He Rest in Peace.

n his State of The State address on January 5, 2015, Jerry Brown, California's four-time elected governor, unveiled a bold energy plan with three major goals for Californians to accomplish within the next 15 years:

• Increase electricity derived from renewable sources from the current one-third to 50%
  
• Reduce the petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50%
  
• Double the efficiency of existing buildings and make heating fuels cleaner.

When politicians talk, industry usually listens. So, when Jerry Brown, a dedicated environmentalist, declared his visionary plans for California, it seemed to promise significant business opportunities for power electronics companies in California. According to an article by Todd S. Purdum in The New York Times, Week in Review, on September 21, 2003, there is a "Golden Rule of California" - As California Goes, So Goes the Country. Without getting into the statistical details, one can easily see that California leads the nation in technology and in its related ecosystem development - take a look at The Silicon Valley. So assessing Jerry Brown's energy plan is a worthwhile effort from the power electronics industry standpoint.

Renewable Energy
California currently uses about 20% of its energy from renewable sources including hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, wind and solar energy. Increasing the usage to 50% within next 15 years will require a significant investment in renewable energy sources - primarily from solar energy. The California Public Utilities Commission’s latest Renewable Portfolio Standard Quarterly Report projects a significant increase in the future use of solar PV (photovoltaic) in its renewable energy mix, while other renewable energy generating systems such as hydro, biomass and others are expected to remain relatively stable, marginally increasing or declining as a percent of the total. This does not imply a new opportunity, but rather a much expanded one, as California is already well on its way of meeting its 2020 renewable energy goal of 30% which was set in 2009.

But if such a rosy business scenario for solar industry was already established in 2009, why have the leading suppliers’ fortunes declined in last four years? The largest solar PV inverter manufacturer has been SMA Solar Technology AG, based in Germany. Over the last four years, its sales have declined by more than 50%; from its peak of €1932 million in 2010 to €933 million in 2013. A further significant decline is expected in 2014 based on extrapolation of the last 9-month sales for the entire year*. Some of this decline may be due to the "deterioration of subsidies" in its target market, which is mainly in Germany. But its decline cannot be attributed to subsidies alone, since they took effect in 2013 and sales declined in 2011 and 2012 as well. Moreover, over the last four years, the sales declines have not been insignificant nor marginal, but substantial and significant. It seems SMA's decline was also due to its product mix, mostly high end, and target market participation, which is mainly in Europe.

The future growth in solar PV is expected to be in the US and China, and mainly in relatively inexpensive smaller inverter and micro inverter products. California may play a significant role in the development and expansion of this changing market and product mix. Its own homegrown company, Enphase Energy, a leading manufacturer of micro inverters, has grown significantly - a whopping 44% in the first nine months of 2014*, while many other companies, primarily manufacturers of central inverters have declined. In its latest annual report Enphase Energy stated that 85% of its sales was in the US and it is fair to assume that the significant part of this business was in California. From general observations and empirical data one can see, that there is a boom going on in the solar business in California, which will likely set the next trend in solar inverters.

Electric/Hybrid Cars
The second goal stated by Jerry Brown was a 50% reduction of petroleum use by 2030. This can be achieved either by having fuel efficient cars, which use less gasoline, or by switching the transportation mode to gas electric hybrid or all electric cars, which use very little or no petroleum. Data suggests that California leads the rest of the US in sales of hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius and in sales of electric cars such as Tesla. Though there are many other types of hybrid and electric cars in the market, these two are the most popular in California. Tesla's location in Fremont, which is in Silicon Valley, does not hurt. Driving a Tesla is in "vogue", despite its higher price tag or perhaps because of it – many consider it very prestigious to drive a Tesla in the Silicon Valley. Realistically, since hybrid/electric cars constitute less than 1% of the total product mix in California, to achieve a "50% petroleum reduction" goal offers a significant market potential for the increased use of hybrid and/or electric cars, which use power electronics systems extensively.

But wider acceptance of electric or even gas/electric hybrid cars may be in jeopardy due to the higher price of these cars and recent reduction in the price for gasoline. A number of industry sources state that many consumers are moving back to gas guzzling SUVs due to lower gas prices. Will California's guidelines or mandatory requirement change the buying habits of consumers? California has been in such a position before when it passed a zero emission vehicle (ZEV) law in 1990, stating that by 1998, 2% of its vehicles will have zero emissions. California, to its embarrassment, did not meet that goal. Will it meet the new goal this time? Many believe that technology and social attitudes have changed significantly over last 25 years and the likelihood of meeting this challenge is higher. Time will tell.

Double the Efficiency of Existing Buildings
The third goal stated by Jerry Brown was a doubling of the efficiency of existing buildings. This is an esoteric proposal in terms of its meaning and means of achievement. There is a Net Zero Energy (NZE) building proposition and various public and private entities are trying to figure out as how to achieve it economically. The business opportunities for the power electronics industry in meeting this goal is not yet clear.

Besides these three energy goals stated by Jerry Brown in his State of The State address, there are many other prospective and emerging markets in California that offer new and expanded opportunities for the power electronics industry. These include smart grid, smart homes and new transportation including a Bullet train – one of Jerry Brown's pet projects. Though California will be never able to match the power electronics opportunities in rail transportation in Europe and Asia, some new budding market may still sow the seeds. But the overall success of this project remains dubious.

California leaders have made many announcements before with too much ambition and too much pizzazz. Some have been successful, while others have languished on the drawing boards. The State of California and California companies are always dreaming about the "next big thing" - and many times power electronics industries have benefitted from these big ambitions. Is California dreaming again?

Provided by Mohan Mankikar, President, Micro-Tech Consultants

37th International Communications Energy Conference, October 18-22, 2015, Osaka, Japan

NTELEC®, International Telecommunications Energy Conference, is the annual world-class technical forum presenting the latest in communications power systems, energy storage and energy conversion. This year's exciting conference program will include key note and plenary sessions from today's industry leaders as well as technical presentations, continuing educations tutorials and workshops and poster sessions. This leading conference will also include a comprehensive technical tour and social program for networking amongst industry peers.

SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE

The scope of the conference will include but not limited to the following communications power and energy systems topics:

Communications Power Systems

• Outside plant power systems (twisted pair, customer premises etc.)
  
• Renewable energy generations (Wind, PV, Hybrid)
  
• Islanded and grid-connected autonomous power systems
  
• Power systems (High and/or low voltage DC; High and/or low voltage AC) for central offices/data centers
  
• Power distribution architectures for communications equipment
  
• Wireless power transfer for handheld communications devices
  

Energy Storage for Communications Systems

• Architectures for energy storage
  
• Battery technology (lead, zinc, lithium, sodium)
  
• Flow battery technology
  
• New fuel cell technology
  
• Energy management techniques
  
• Energy modeling and simulation
  

Power Conversion for Communications Equipment

• Circuit topologies and control techniques for AC/DC, DC/DC and DC/AC power converters
  
• Utility interface inverters for energy generation and storage
  
• AC and DC UPS
  
• High efficiency and high density power supplies
  

Site Support Systems

• Disaster recovery and mitigation
  
• Engine generator technology
  
• Physical and thermal design
  
• Grounding and EMC
  
• Codes, standards and specifications

For more information, please visit www.intelec2015.org

Workshop on Microgrid Systems and Power Electronics for Low Energy Buildings

March 29-31, 2015
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
3081 and 3002 Electrical and Computer Engineering Building
406 N. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

he 2015 Workshop on Microgrid Systems and Power Electronics for Low Energy Buildings brings together renewable energy systems and their integration into electricity grids and buildings. The workshop is sponsored by the Mid-America Microgrid Education and Training Consortium (MARMET), the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) and the IEEE Power Electronics Society Emerging Technologies Technical Committee. The workshop will be held at the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Buildings (ECEB) at the University of Illinois, a facility designed to achieve LEED Platinum status and ultimately net-zero energy performance.

This workshop follows from a focused workshop that was held in 2014 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference.

The 2015 Workshop on Microgrid Systems and Power Electronics for Low Energy Buildings event seeks to address engineering issues involved in implementing grid-interactive renewables, addressing questions and topics that include:

• How do microgrid configurations and operational approaches support renewable energy deployment in buildings and commercial sites?
  
• What are appropriate strategies for energy reduction in new building designs and retrofits?
  
• How can microgrids and renewable resources operate to benefit the grid, with attributes that include reactive power support, dynamic regulation, and intelligent fault management?
  
• What are energy storage alternatives, thermal, electrical, and others, that help mitigate randomness of renewable resources?
  
• What business and economic considerations drive engineering decisions in these areas?

The workshop format will mix invited presentations, submitted papers, discussion sessions, and small-group discussions. The workshop proceedings will be published. The new ECEB will also be presented and an in-depth building tour and analysis will be part of the program.

Schedule:

Sunday, March 29, 2015

6:00pm Reception and networking

Monday, March 30, 2015

8:00am Continental breakfast
8:30am-12:00pm Paper presentations and discussion sessions
12:00pm-1:00pm Workshop buffet luncheon
1:00pm-4:30pm Paper presentations and discussion sessions
4:30-5:45pm ECEB tour
6:00-8:30pm Reception and banquet

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

8:00am Continental breakfast
8:30am-12:00pm Paper presentations and discussion sessions
12:00pm-1:00pm Workshop buffet luncheon
1:00pm-2:30pm Paper presentations and discussion sessions
2:30pm-3:00pm Concluding discussions and workshop conclusion

To register for the workshop see : marmet-center.org/

Registration levels (covers meals and conference materials)- valid through March 16, 2015:

• MARMET/PSMA/IEEE members and MARMET participating companies: $200 per person
  
• MARMET/IEEE student members: $100 per person
  
• Non-members: $300 per person

On-site or late registration, March 17, 2015 and later:

• MARMET/PSMA/IEEE members and MARMET participating companies: $250 per person
  
• MARMET/IEEE student members and IEEE life members: $125 per person
  
• Non-members: $350 per person

Deadlines:

• Paper proposal submission (3-5 page double-spaced digest) by February 25, 2015.
  
• Decisions on paper acceptance by March 5, 2015
  
• Final manuscripts due March 23, 2015
  

Submit to MARMETworkshop15@illinois.edu

incoln International’s Renewable Energy Group is pleased to present the latest Q4 2014 Solar Energy Stock Index Report, which tracks relevant solar company metrics in this growing industry.

The Solar Energy Stock Index Report, published by our Renewable Energy team each quarter, provides you with information on the following:

• Quarterly performance of the Solar Energy Stock Index versus the S&P Index
• Relative market valuations of each Solar Energy Category
• Current financial data for each company in the index

solar_stock_index_q4_2014.pdf (584k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present the latest DealReader from our global Renewable Energy Industry group. This will provide you with:

• Q4 2014 deal volume comparison by total transactions, deal type, geography, and target company sector
• Recent Solar Energy transaction announcements
• A review of the 2014 Solar Energy Industry M&A market

solar_dealreader_q4_2014.pdf (484k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present the Q4 2014 EMS Stock Index from our global Electronics industry group. This report will provide you with:

• Quarterly performance of the EMS Stock Index versus the S&P Index
• Relative market valuations of each EMS Tier
• Current financial data for each company in the index

ems_stockindex_q4_2014.pdf (380k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present the latest EMS DealReader from our Global Electronics Industry Group. This will provide you with:

• Q4 2014 deal volume comparison by total transactions, deal type, geography and size
• Recent EMS transaction announcements
• A review of the 2014 Solar Energy Industry M&A market

ems_dealreader_q4_2014.pdf (469k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.