STMicroelectronics ( www.st.com , Country Manager for Korea Sung-keun Kang), a global leader in power semiconductors, has disclosed patented high-efficiency circuit technology and detailed specifications for optimized power components. This new technology helps designers meet the highest power efficiency standards while reducing costs. The new circuits and power components are optimized for boost or buck converters, which are power devices commonly used in solar inverters, Switched-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) for computers and telecommunications equipment.

Due to regulations managing energy efficiency and power quality, many mains power devices are required to utilize Power Factor Correction (PFC) circuits to minimize energy loss and distortion. These PFC circuits typically integrate power MOSFETs, rectifier diodes, inductors, and capacitors. Historically, engineers have required high-cost technologies, such as silicon carbide (SiC) for rectifier diodes, to meet high-efficiency certifications like 80 Plus Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Through ST's new design technology called BC2 (Back-Current Circuit), cost-competitive silicon diodes can be used instead of expensive SiC devices in boost or buck converters embedded in SMPS applications, such as solar inverters, desktop PCs, servers, and communication base stations. The low recovery current of SiC boost diodes allows for the minimization of MOSFET switching-on losses, and BC2 completely eliminates these losses and recycles the energy associated with the boost diode's recovery. The new topology requires one additional inductor and three optimized circuits compared to standard circuits. This approach is approximately half the cost of a solution using SiC devices.