Power ICs: Trends in industrial applications

Top industrial power IC trends include higher efficiency, integration, adoption of WBG semiconductors and smart power managementPower ICs have become vital components that facilitate the smooth operation of industrial processes and factory automation systems, as well as support the development of smart factories. These electronic devices play a crucial role in effectively overseeing the distribution, conversion and regulation of power, leading to improved efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness in various industrial applications.

The role of power ICs

Accurate and reliable power management is essential in industrial environments to guarantee constant operation and to avoid costly breakdowns. Power ICs, encompassing devices like multi-channel power management ICs (PMICs), DC/DC switching regulators and linear regulators, are first in charge of providing the required power-conversion capabilities for automation systems in factories and other industrial settings.

At the heart of any industrial process is the need to power distinct components with varying voltage levels. Power ICs convert voltage levels efficiently, allowing for seamless communication between components operating on different power supplies.

Voltage regulation is another feature that power ICs must provide. In industrial and factory automation, the stability of voltage levels is essential. Voltage fluctuations can disrupt operations and cause damage to sensitive equipment. Power ICs provide robust voltage regulation, ensuring a constant supply to vital components and preventing disruptions that could result in outages.

Electronic components can undergo severe stress in circumstances that are typical of industrial settings. Protection mechanisms, such as those for overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection and thermal shutdown, are frequently integrated into power ICs for the purpose of ensuring the security and longevity of linked devices.

Figure 1: Power ICs convert voltage levels efficiently, allowing for seamless communication between components operating on different power supplies in industrial applications. (Source: Shutterstock)

Industrial applications

In industrial and factory automation, power ICs are used in a wide range of applications that cover a variety of markets, including manufacturing, robotics, process control, industrial IoT and energy harvesting:

• Manufacturing: Managing the power distribution to motors, actuators and sensors, power ICs facilitate the operation of manufacturing equipment. They enable precise control over the movement and operation of equipment, thereby enhancing production efficiency and ensuring quality consistency.
• Process control: Power ICs are essential for sustaining stable power levels in process control systems’ sensors, actuators and controllers. They guarantee that measurements are precise and processes are strictly regulated.
• Robotics: For precise motor control, energy-efficient movement and safety features, industrial robotics rely on power ICs. These integrated circuits allow robots to perform complex duties with precision, speed and safety.
• Industrial IoT: In IIoT, power ICs manage the power supply for connected devices. They regulate voltages to maintain stability, maximize energy efficiency and guarantee that devices operate within safe voltage limits. These ICs also manage voltage conversion, battery management, component power sequencing and protection against overvoltage and overcurrent conditions. Some power ICs feature remote monitoring and control capabilities, which are useful for administering devices in expansive industrial settings.
• Energy harvesting: Techniques of energy harvesting are frequently used in smart factories to provide power for wireless sensors and gadgets. Integrated circuits built specifically for energy harvesting can collect and store energy from surrounding sources effectively, decreasing the need for conventional power sources.

Trends in power ICs

According to Yole Group, power ICs is a growing market. With a compound annual growth rate of 3% from 2020 to 2026, the global market for power ICs is projected to exceed $25.5 billion. Though this growth exhibits some disparities among different applications, about 70% of the total power IC market is held by four main types of devices: multi-channel PMICs, DC/DC switching regulators, linear regulators and battery management ICs.

The most recent power IC trends in industrial and factory automation include higher efficiency, miniaturization and integration, adoption of wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, smart power management and advanced thermal management.

Energy efficiency

To meet the rising demand for energy-efficient electronics, manufacturers of power ICs are focused on improving energy efficiency. This is achieved by increasing energy conversion efficiency, decreasing power losses and facilitating more sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial operations.

Recent power ICs include sophisticated features, such as dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) and power gating. These techniques ensure that devices consume only the amount of energy required for their real-time operation. As sustainability becomes a global priority, power ICs will continue to advance to further optimize energy efficiency, reduce waste and facilitate greener industrial operations.

Targeting applications like factory automation, robotics and drones, STMicroelectronics offers the STSPIN family of motor drivers, which include all of the functions required for driving stepper motors, as well as brushed and brushless DC motors, efficiently and with the highest accuracy. The drivers include an advanced motion profile generator that relieves the host microcontroller and a comprehensive set of protection and diagnostic features to ensure robustness and dependability.

Notable features include the adaptive current-decay control scheme used in many STSPIN motor driver ICs and the innovative voltage-mode driving used in micro-stepping motor drivers, which provides improved torque control accuracy and, consequently, motion fluidity.

Integration and miniaturization

Power ICs are increasingly combining multiple functions, such as voltage regulation, current sensing and protection mechanisms, onto a single chip. This trend aims to reduce the number of discrete components, simplify designs and save space in industrial automation systems. The high integration and small solution size enable the power ICs to be more suited for compact and densely packed industrial environments.

Particularly suitable for industrial digital outputs, building automation and smart-factory applications is Analog Devices Inc.’s MAX14912/MAX14913 octal high-speed, high-side switch/push-pull driver. The device provides eight smart high-side switches that can also be configured as push-pull drivers for high-speed switching and configured and controlled either through pins or a daisy-chainable SPI interface. Including extensive diagnostics (open-wire detection in high-side mode, under-/overvoltage and overcurrent) and dedicated LED drivers for visual fault and output state indication, the MAX14912/MAX14913 is available in a small and highly integrated 8 × 8-mm QFN package, enabling compact, high-density I/O modules.

WBG semiconductors

Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) WBG materials are gaining momentum in power ICs for industrial applications. These WBG semiconductors offer higher efficiency, faster switching rates and better thermal performance than their silicon-based counterparts, making them suitable for high-power and high-frequency applications like motor drives, inverters and power supplies. This results in power IC designs that are both more efficient and more compact.

Designs based on silicon MOSFETs can normally achieve an overall efficiency of up to nearly 90%. SiC or GaN can improve efficiency and performance much more. An example is Texas Instruments Inc.’s LMG3422R030 600-V, 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting. Designed for high-density industrial AC/DC power supplies, uninterruptible power supplies, industrial robots and industrial motor drives, the device integrates adjustable gate-drive strength for electromagnetic interference (EMI) control, overtemperature and overcurrent protection, and fault indication.

In hard-switching power supply topologies, the low-inductance package (Figure 2) provides clear switching and minimal ringing. The ability to control the slew rate between 20 V/ns and 150 V/ns actively controls EMI and optimizes switching performance. By enabling adaptive deadtime control, the LMG3422R030’s ideal diode mode reduces third-quadrant losses.

Figure 2: The TI LMG3422R030 is available in a 12 × 12-mm VQFN (RQZ) package with a thermal pad. (Source: Texas Instruments Inc.)

Smart power management

As factories become more interconnected and data-driven, smart power management is gaining prominence. Power ICs are integrating communication interfaces and protocols that allow them to exchange information with other devices in the factory ecosystem. This communication facilitates coordinated power management strategies, enabling energy optimization across the entire factory.

Power ICs are being equipped with monitoring and diagnostic features that provide real-time data on power consumption, voltage levels and current draw. These features allow for predictive maintenance and optimization of power distribution, contributing to the overall efficiency of the smart factory.

An example is Renesas Electronics Corp.’s ISL28022, a high-precision digital power monitor (DPM) that is capable of measuring bidirectional currents while monitoring the bus voltage, providing the results on an I²C interface along with the calculated power. The ISL28022 (Figure 3) monitors voltage and current with an accuracy of less than 0.3% across the entire input range. The DPM incorporates configurable fault thresholds and measurable ADC gain ranges. It accepts 0 V to 60 V of common-mode input voltage, allowing the device to handle industrial applications with minimal external circuitry.

Figure 3: Renesas’s ISL28022 block diagram (Source: Renesas Electronics Corp.)