DDR4 Design Considerations - EEWeb

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application engineers who are
available to work with our customers.
In high-power applications, a lot of
people use pretty powerful bipolar
power supplies in driving IGBTs.
Those same supplies can be used
in driving the BJT with a specialized
drive circuit. We are also working on a
specially optimized integrated circuit
for driving these devices as well.
What are some of the other
design tools and resources
Fairchild offers?
Fairchild’s design support extends
to all our product lines, not just the
new silicon carbide technology.
First, our application engineers
are available to customers, both in
the factory and field. We have an
online design center that is part of
our Global Power ResourceSM - a
worldwide network of power design
centers, power seminars, and a suite
of online design and educational
tools to help designers solve their
design challenges and speed timeto-market.
We are well known for our
travelling Fairchild Power Seminar
series which brings design support
right to the customer. Our application
notes and product usage guides are
available online. You can also easily
get samples through our on-line
sample program. We also have online
design tools as well that you can use
for some power supply applications.
Could you tell us a little about
your super junction devices?
Fairchild’s super junction MOSFETs
range from resistances of around 40
milliohms up to a couple of ohms
and currents in the 5- to 75-amp
range. We also have both 600- and
650-volt devices, as well as devices
optimized for fast recovery of the
internal diode, and fast recovery-type
devices in different speeds. We have
versions that are optimized for the
fastest possible switching, therefore
highest efficiency, and others that are
optimized to be a little easier to drive
with a little bit slower transitions and
less EMI.
People can choose which kinds of
devices they want out of those families.
We’re also perhaps the only company
that offers two main types—in both
cases, you have super junctions that
consist of p- and n-type columns
arranged in alternating fashion to
form the high voltage blocking layer.
There are different ways to form that.
One of those ways is a deep trench
etching and refill and the other way
is with multiple p-type buried layers
stacked up on each other, which is a
more conventional approach.
What are some of the
exciting developments
you are working on in the
upcoming year?
Fairchild is always innovating and
developing next generation solutions
that will help our customers succeed.
We see the three megatrends being
energy, mobility, and the cloud. We
want to be leaders in all these areas.
In mobile, our products are in virtually
every smart phone device. We’re in
battery charging circuits, we’re in
core power, we’re in powering RF
amplifiers, we’re in USB ports, audio,
and many more. We’re developing
MEMS for inertial sensing as well.
We’re very excited about all these
contributions we’re making in
handheld devices.
In the past year or two, my focus
has been on system-wide energy
efficiency, from the smart-grid and
renewable energy to distributed
power and point of load converters.
The things we are doing in that space
are helping across the board. We are
also closely following the growth of
hybrid vehicles. Our automotive
business is focused on power train
applications, so we have a strong
position in ignition and steering and
we also deliver automotive power
modules. We’re looking at ways to
use our technology to help make cars
more efficient—hybrid and electric
cars as well as conventional cars.
How would you describe the
culture at Fairchild?
Innovative. Steeped in history yet
providing next generation solutions;
innovation that will help our customers.
I would say, as a company, we are
very committed and care deeply
about what we do. We have a strong
desire to excel, both technically and
financially, and we care a lot about our
people. That includes our employees
and our customers.
We are a highly collaborative company
and we are very focused on
meeting the needs of our customers
and offering them great value in
the products that we sell them. We
are also very multicultural—we have
employees from every corner of the
world and locations all over the world.
The interaction leads to diverse thinking,
which we also value very highly.
We value that because innovation and
creativity are very important to us.
Fairchild is a leader in our industry
and our goal is to remain a leader.
Everyone at Fairchild is committed
to the highest ethical standards and
environmentally responsible behavior.
Our largest core mission concerning
energy efficiency is something that we
get very excited about, and we value
the contribution that makes to society
in general. ■
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