-
-
-
Solutions
-
-
language
Delve deeply and work diligently to achieve new heights
All colleagues unite and focus their efforts to write a new chapter of developmentA Brief Discussion on Key Development and Design Considerations for Power Module Evolution
所属分类： Industry News
发布时间：2020-06-05
The circuit topologies of modular power supplies—characterized by their slim form factor, modularity, and standardization, and assembled like building blocks—are seeing increasingly widespread adoption. To swiftly bring to market high‑quality, highly reliable, and cost‑effective modular power supplies that enhance product competitiveness, we must continue to drive continuous advancements and breakthroughs across circuit design, component selection, and manufacturing processes.
In our country, there are roughly hundreds, perhaps even several hundred, companies engaged in the R&D and production of modular power supplies, predominantly small and privately owned enterprises. Overall, their competitive edge is relatively limited, industry concentration remains low, and only a handful manage to rank among the top ten in the power‑supply market.
Switching power supply manufacturer Market share remains below 60%, with the majority of players being well‑known international brands and domestic brands accounting for only a small portion. Particularly in the mid‑to‑low‑end modular power supply segment, the industry is characterized by fully competitive conditions. In the high‑end power supply market, constrained by technology, manufacturing processes, and other factors, market concentration is very high, with leading international brands capturing the lion’s share of the market. For Chinese companies, maintaining robust competitiveness in the mid‑to‑low‑end segments or breaking into the high‑end market to carve out market share from international players is a key issue of concern across the industry. The following analysis will examine the development trends of DC‑DC modular power supplies from multiple perspectives and explore several topical issues.
A transformation in product thinking
Today, competition in the domestic market is no longer solely about product quality and performance; it has shifted toward gaining a competitive edge through pricing. As a result, continuous innovation and breakthroughs across circuit design, component selection, manufacturing processes, and other areas must take center stage, with efforts focused on developing simpler, more compact, and lower‑cost solutions. If companies remain stuck in old ways, merely following their rivals’ lead, profit margins will keep shrinking, ultimately leading to obsolescence and market exit. Moreover, under the new social landscape, it’s no longer simply “the big fish eating the small fish”; increasingly, it’s “the fast fish eating the slow fish.” If you spot a new market opportunity but fail to act swiftly to capture it, competitors will seize the initiative, leaving you in a highly passive position—perhaps even forcing you to abandon the market altogether. Similarly, if you discover a novel circuit design without filing for intellectual property protection, you’ll soon face the daunting prospect of having to redesign your solution or paying hefty licensing fees.
Innovative Circuit Design
The circuit designs for power modules have become increasingly mature, and the preferred topologies are now largely standardized to meet specific performance requirements. To make a product stand out, substantial investment in R&D is essential—pursuing innovative approaches such as lossless circuits, soft-switching techniques, and novel topologies. For instance, a cutting‑edge converter known as the “switched‑capacitor converter” eliminates the need for magnetic‑core transformers, enabling an exceptionally compact form factor. Alternatively, while preserving performance, circuit design should strive to simplify complexity, reduce costs, optimize component values, and enhance both efficiency and reliability. As the saying goes, product quality is engineered; therefore, manufacturing process design must prioritize manufacturability and support automated production, minimizing manual intervention. Any step that relies on human input risks compromising quality and drives up costs.
Innovative Use of Electronic Materials
In today’s society, technological advancement is progressing at an unprecedented pace, with electronic components being updated and replaced ever more rapidly. High‑tech, miniaturized, low‑power, highly integrated, and cost‑effective materials are constantly flooding the market, enabling power‑module designs to achieve higher power density, superior performance, and reduced costs. For example, the mainstream sizes of surface‑mount resistors and capacitors are currently 0603 and 0402, but they are trending toward even smaller form factors—0201 and 01005. SMD ceramic capacitors such as the 106K series have already been packaged in 0805 dimensions. Furthermore, the wire‑bonding process for SOT‑8‑package ICs has been replaced by a flip‑chip or package‑on‑board technique, allowing for the development of even smaller TSOP‑TQFP‑8 packages that offer lower power consumption, improved thermal management, and more than double the power density. Additionally, silicon carbide (SiC) diodes, with their extremely short forward and reverse recovery times and negligible forward/reverse recovery charge, enable smaller package sizes, higher efficiency, and more compact product designs.
Furthermore, for the design of isolated flyback DC‑DC module power supplies, domestic manufacturers still largely rely on well‑established, widely used PWM control chips such as the 2843 and 3843 series. However, the functionality of these chips can no longer keep pace with the evolving demands of modular power supplies. Features like comprehensive functionality, high power density, low cost, and superior electromagnetic compatibility have become inevitable trends in this field. Consequently, new technologies—such as secondary integration and advanced packaging—have emerged, enabling the full integration of peripheral circuits into a single chip, and even incorporating key power‑stage components like slope compensation, undervoltage protection, short‑circuit protection, remote control interfaces, and switching transistors. This results in highly integrated chips or modules that are functionally complete, require minimal external components, and offer extremely low costs. Alternatively, some manufacturers opt to procure bare dies, assemble them into functional modules, package the assemblies, mount them onto printed circuit boards, and then perform wire bonding. These approaches are currently major research focuses; leading domestic companies, international brands, and numerous IC firms have already invested substantial human and financial resources in developing and designing such products. In the low‑power segment, many IC vendors—such as TI—are now entering the power‑supply market, aiming to integrate low‑power converters into compact ICs and subsequently manufacture and sell modular power supplies at significantly reduced costs. This trend is poised to deliver a profound impact on traditional power‑supply manufacturers, forcing them to seek collaboration with IC suppliers—a development that may well represent the future trajectory of the modular power‑supply industry.
Electromagnetic Compatibility and Certification Requirements
At present, the international community has established a comprehensive system of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards and certification. Both EMC and safety‑related certifications for international products require rigorous compliance with stringent design specifications and are regarded as critical performance criteria. In contrast, Chinese manufacturers have yet to accord these issues the attention they deserve. The high costs associated with EMC testing and safety certification are prohibitive for small enterprises, while medium‑sized firms often hesitate to invest—partly because domestic customers do not impose clear requirements. As a result, Chinese products remain unable to match their international counterparts and struggle to penetrate overseas markets, since EMC standards and certification serve as essential entry barriers in foreign markets. Fortunately, China has gradually published lists of product categories that must obtain EMC certification, laying the groundwork for domestic industries to compete on the global stage and encouraging module‑power‑supply manufacturers to prioritize and strengthen their adherence to EMC standards and certification processes. (Source: Internet)