Weekly Tech Roundup 20 September 2026
The week ending 20 September 2026 has been particularly active for power-electronics engineers. Several manufacturers introduced new power semiconductors and power-conversion technologies aimed at improving efficiency, power density, thermal performance and system integration.Among the important developments are onsemi’s new Embedded Power Platform, STMicroelectronics’ compact 600 V IGBT intelligent power module, ROHM’s wide-SOA automotive MOSFET, Power Integrations’ CAPZero-4 X-capacitor discharge IC and Eggtronic’s 140 W USB-C GaN reference design.
A particularly important development for the Indian electronics ecosystem came from L&T Semiconductor Technologies, which unveiled 40 semiconductor products at SEMICON India 2026, including its first 1200 V SiC MOSFET platform and an India-designed BLDC motor controller.
This week’s developments show a broader
industry trend: semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly optimizing the complete
power path rather than only improving the individual switching device.
1. onsemi Introduces Embedded
Power Platform for High-Density Power Systems
Company:
onsemi
Technology: Embedded Power Platform (EPP)
Announcement: 16–18 September 2026
onsemi introduced
its Embedded Power Platform (EPP), a new packaging and power-system
architecture designed to integrate semiconductor devices directly into a
silicon-wafer-based structure. Unlike conventional power modules where
semiconductor dies are assembled into a package or onto substrates, EPP uses
the silicon wafer itself as the foundation of the package. Multiple
semiconductor technologies—including silicon, SiC and GaN—can be integrated
into the same wafer-level architecture. The platform is designed to co-optimize
electrical, thermal and mechanical characteristics from the beginning of the
design process.
onsemi says the
architecture can provide:
·
3–5× higher power density depending on
application
·
Lower parasitic inductance
·
Improved heat dissipation
·
Higher switching-frequency capability
·
Reduced packaging overhead
·
Shorter development cycles
For AI
infrastructure, onsemi reports an early solid-state circuit-breaker
implementation that was approximately 50% smaller and 20% cooler than an
existing approach. For EV traction inverters, the company describes potential
improvements of up to 4× power density and 15% lower power losses.
Engineer’s Perspective
This development is important
because package parasitics increasingly limit high-frequency power conversion. At
high switching frequencies, even a few nanohenries of stray inductance can
produce significant voltage overshoot. For a very fast GaN or SiC switching
edge, reducing the physical distance between semiconductor devices, gate
drivers and interconnects can therefore directly improve switching behaviour.
The EPP concept essentially treats
the package as part of the power converter, rather than as a passive
enclosure around the semiconductor.
2. STMicroelectronics Introduces
Compact 600 V SLLIMM Intelligent Power Module
Part:
STGI15C60S
Voltage: 600 V
Current: 20 A
Package footprint: 18.8 mm × 32.8 mm
Announcement: September 2026
STMicroelectronics
introduced a new compact series of SLLIMM intelligent power modules (IPMs)
using direct-bonded copper (DBC) technology. The first device, STGI15C60S,
integrates a complete three-phase 600 V IGBT inverter bridge together with
gate-drive and protection circuitry. The module is rated at 20 A and is
intended for applications such as air conditioners, heat pumps, home appliances
and industrial motor drives. The package footprint is only 18.8 mm × 32.8 mm,
which ST says is more than 30% smaller than existing DBC-based IGBT IPMs. The
module uses top-side cooling and is intended for hard-switching
operation up to approximately 20 kHz.
Why This Matters
An IPM eliminates much of the discrete
gate-driver and protection circuitry normally required around a three-phase
inverter.
The integration can include:
·
High-side IGBT drivers
·
Low-side IGBT drivers
·
Bootstrap circuitry
·
Short-circuit protection
·
Undervoltage protection
·
Temperature-related protection
·
Three-phase inverter bridge
Engineer’s Perspective
For motor-drive designers,
reducing the module footprint is valuable, but thermal design remains critical.
At 20 A, even a relatively small
conduction loss can become significant and switching losses are also add. Therefore,
the smaller package must be evaluated together with its thermal resistance,
switching frequency, PWM strategy and heatsink arrangement.
3. ROHM Introduces 100 V Wide-SOA
MOSFET for Automotive Safety
Part:
RS4P063BPHZG
Voltage: 100 V
Package: HPLF5060
Qualification: AEC-Q101
Announcement: 16 September 2026
ROHM introduced
the RS4P063BPHZG, a 100 V automotive N-channel MOSFET designed
specifically for protection circuits that experience short-duration
high-current and high-voltage stress. The device uses a design intended to
suppress secondary breakdown and provide a wide safe operating area (SOA). ROHM
reports approximately five times the SOA tolerance of standard equivalent-sized
devices at 100 V and a 100 µs pulse condition. Target applications include:
·
Airbag inflator circuits
·
Seatbelt pretensioners
·
Battery pyrofuse circuits
·
Automotive protection systems
·
Other short-duration high-power loads
Engineer’s Perspective
This is an excellent example of
why MOSFET selection should not be based only on RDS(on). A device can
have a very low RDS(on) yet be unsuitable for a protection application if it
cannot tolerate the required transient operating point. For a pulsed protection
circuit, the designer should examine SOA, Avalanche capability, Pulse duration,
Junction temperature, Secondary breakdown, Gate-drive conditions and PCB
thermal impedance. The SOA curve can be more important than the headline
RDS(on) value.
4. Power Integrations Launches
CAPZero-4 X-Capacitor Discharge IC
Part:
CAPZero-4
Application: AC-DC power supplies
Announcement: 17 September 2026
Power
Integrations introduced the fourth-generation CAPZero-4 IC for automatic
X-capacitor discharge in AC-DC power supplies. The device consumes less than 0.75
mW at 230 VAC and supports X-capacitance from approximately 100 nF to 6 µF.
Traditional AC-DC
supplies commonly use a resistor across the X capacitor to discharge the
capacitor after the AC input is disconnected. The problem is that this resistor
continuously consumes power while the equipment is operating.
CAPZero
technology disconnects the discharge resistor during normal operation and
reconnects it when the equipment is unplugged. This preserves the required
safety discharge function while reducing standby/no-load consumption.
Engineer’s Perspective
This is a small component
addressing an increasingly important system-level issue: standby power.
Suppose a conventional X-capacitor
discharge resistor continuously dissipates even 100 mW. That power may seem
insignificant during normal operation, but equipment that spends thousands of
hours connected to the AC mains can accumulate substantial energy consumption.
The CAPZero approach is therefore
particularly useful in products that must meet stringent no-load and standby-energy
requirements.
5. Eggtronic and Renesas
Introduce 140 W USB-C GaN Reference Design
Power: 140
W
GaN device: Renesas TP70H150G4LSG
Voltage rating: 700 V
RDS(on): 150 mΩ
Announcement: 15 September 2026
Eggtronic introduced a 140 W USB-C Power Delivery AC-DC reference platform using Renesas high-voltage GaN technology. The design combines Eggtronic’s EPIC digital power architecture with the Renesas TP70H150G4LSG, a 700 V GaN transistor with 150 mΩ RDS(on). The companies report efficiency approaching 96%.
The reference
platform targets:
·
Premium notebook adapters
·
High-performance USB-C chargers
·
Compact AC-DC power supplies
·
High-power consumer electronics
An interesting
aspect of the design is its attempt to achieve high efficiency and compactness
without relying on more complex high-power topologies such as LLC, AHB or ACF.
Engineer’s Perspective
GaN is particularly useful in USB-C adapters because switching frequency can be increased while maintaining relatively low switching losses. Higher frequency can reduce Transformer size, Inductor size and Output-filter size.
so simply increasing switching frequency does not guarantee better efficiency.
The overall result depends on GaN
device characteristics, gate-drive loss, magnetics, PCB parasitics, control
strategy and thermal design.
6. L&T Semiconductor
Technologies Unveils 40 Products at SEMICON India 2026
Company:
L&T Semiconductor Technologies
Event: SEMICON India 2026
Date: 18 September 2026
One of the most significant India-related semiconductor developments this week came from L&T Semiconductor Technologies (LTSCT). The company unveiled 40 semiconductor products spanning power, compute, connectivity/RF and analog/mixed-signal technologies at SEMICON India 2026.
The most relevant
power-electronics announcement is LTSCT’s first 1200 V SiC MOSFET platform.
The platform is intended for:
·
EV fast chargers
·
Microgrids
·
Solid-state transformers
·
Traction inverters
LTSCT also
announced the tape-out of a fully designed-in-India BLDC motor controller with
integrated protection features.
The company’s
broader portfolio includes MOSFETs, diodes, bridge rectifiers, SiC power
modules and other semiconductor products.
Engineer’s Perspective
This is an important development
for the Indian power-electronics ecosystem because it goes beyond semiconductor
design services toward market-oriented power semiconductor products.
A 1200 V SiC platform is
particularly relevant to:
·
800 V EV architectures
·
High-power EV chargers
·
Solar inverters
·
Energy-storage systems
·
Industrial drives
·
Solid-state transformers
For an EV charger designer, a 1200
V SiC device provides useful voltage margin in an 800 V-class architecture, but
actual device selection still depends on switching frequency, short-circuit
capability, gate-drive requirements, thermal design and system transient
conditions.
7. EPC Publishes New GaN
Power-Conversion Architectures for AI Data Centers
Company:
Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)
Announcement: 15 September 2026
EPC published two
technical white papers addressing GaN power conversion for AI data centers and
multi-axis motor drives.
The AI-power
paper examines the transition from 800 VDC distribution to low-voltage
point-of-load rails.
One important
example given by EPC is that a 200 kW rack at 800 V requires only one-sixteenth
of the current of a 48 V distribution architecture.
EPC reports:
·
800 V → 50 V conversion: up to 98.6% peak
efficiency
·
800 V → 12.5 V conversion: up to 98.2%
·
6 kW 800 V → 6.25 V architecture: approximately
98% peak efficiency
The proposed
architecture uses modular input-series/output-parallel LLC conversion so that
lower-voltage GaN devices can be used in the individual conversion modules.
Engineer’s Perspective
This is one of the most interesting
system-level developments of the week.
The reduction in distribution current has major consequences for busbars, connectors, copper losses and cooling. The challenge then shifts to efficiently converting 800 V to the very low voltages and extremely high currents required by AI processors.
8. SEMICON India 2026 Highlights
India’s Growing Semiconductor Ecosystem
SEMICON India
2026 is taking place from 17–19 September 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi,
under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem.”
The event is
particularly relevant this year because semiconductor developments in India are
moving beyond policy announcements toward actual product, manufacturing and
ecosystem activity.
For power
electronics, LTSCT’s 1200 V SiC platform and BLDC controller are notable
developments. The event also brings together companies working across
semiconductor manufacturing, compound semiconductors, power devices, packaging,
design and system applications.
This makes
SEMICON India an important indicator of the increasing connection between
semiconductor design, power electronics, EVs, energy systems and AI
infrastructure in India.
Engineer’s
Weekly Takeaway
The strongest common theme
across this week’s announcements is power-density improvement through
system-level integration.
Several different approaches are
being used:
1. Semiconductor integration
onsemi’s EPP combines
semiconductor devices and packaging into a more integrated architecture.
2. Power-stage integration
ST’s SLLIMM IPM combines the
three-phase IGBT bridge, drivers and protection.
3. Wide-bandgap switching
Renesas GaN and LTSCT SiC
developments target higher switching efficiency and higher-voltage power
conversion.
4. Better thermal packaging
Top-side cooling appears in both
semiconductor and module developments, reflecting the increasing importance of
the thermal path.
5. Higher-voltage
distribution
800 VDC AI data-center
architectures are becoming increasingly important because distribution current
falls dramatically as voltage increases.
6. Better passive components
TDK’s 500 V compact
electrolytics address the DC-link requirements of high-density power supplies.
For engineers designing EV
chargers, solar inverters, UPS systems, industrial SMPS, BLDC drives and
high-power DC systems, the lesson is that improving efficiency can no
longer be treated as simply choosing a lower-RDS(on) MOSFET.
The complete chain must be
optimized:
Semiconductor → gate driver →
PCB parasitics → magnetics → thermal path → control → protection → EMI → system
architecture
That system-level approach is becoming increasingly important as power density continues to increase.
Ani-Lab
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