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A. Memory devices are used to store data and information. Computer memories are mainly classified into three types – primary memory, secondary memory, and cache memory. The primary memory is further classified into two types namely – RAM and ROM, where RAM is further subdivided into two types -SRAM and DRAM.
What is RAM?
RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It is the internal memory of the CPU for storing data, program, and program result. It is a read/write memory which stores data until the computer is working. As soon as the computer is switched off, data is erased. Therefore, RAM is a volatile memory.
What is SRAM?
SRAM stands for Static Random Access Memory. Each memory cell of SRAM is made up of a flip-flop, a 1-bit storage device. SRAM uses a matrix of 6 transistors. In this memory circuit, capacitors are not used. Thus, in SRAM, there is no data leakage, so SRAM need not be refreshed regularly.
SRAM is a high speed random access memory which is used in special applications such as cache memory in computers and other embedded systems. However, SRAM is relatively expensive because it uses comparatively more number of chips that increase its manufacturing cost. SRAM is a volatile memory which means it retains the stored data as long as the power is supplied to the computer.
What is DRAM?
DRAM stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory. Each memory cell of DRAM is made up of one transistor and one capacitor. In DRAM, the data and information is stored in the form of an electric charged on the capacitor. Since capacitor loses its data (charge), thus DRAM must be continually refreshed several hundred times per second to maintain the data.
DRAM is a small sized and less expensive type of RAM. For this reason, it is used as RAM in most computer systems. However, DRAM is relatively slower and has a short data life than SRAM.

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A. In summary, for power electronics systems, GaN offers unprecedented
advantages over Si and SiC. Operating at high voltage operation with both significantly higher frequencies and extremely low conduction losses results in:
• Increased efficiency,
• Reduction in size of passive components at higher frequency and thus,
• Reduction in overall power conversion system size, weight and cost.

below is comparison:
Wide Bandgap Semiconductor:
GaN and SiC are relatively similar in both their bandgap and breakdown field. Gallium nitride has a bandgap of 3.2 eV, while silicon carbide has a bandgap of 3.4 eV. While these values appear similar, they are markedly higher than silicon's bandgap. At just 1.1 eV, silicon's bandgap is three times smaller than both gallium and silicon carbide. The compounds' higher bandgap allows gallium nitride and silicon carbide to support higher voltage circuits comfortably, but they cannot support lower voltage circuitry as well as silicon.

Breakdown field Strength:

Gallium nitride and silicon carbide's breakdown fields are relatively similar to each other, with gallium nitride boasting a breakdown field of 3.3 MV/cm, while silicon carbide has a breakdown field of 3.5 MV/cm. When compared to plain silicon, these breakdown fields make the compounds significantly better equipped to handle higher voltages. Silicon has a breakdown field of 0.3 MV/cm, which means that gallium nitride and silicon carbide are nearly ten times more capable of maintaining higher voltages. They are also able to support lower voltages using significantly smaller devices.

High Electron mobility Transistor (HEMT)

The most significant difference between gallium nitride and silicon carbide lies in their electron mobility, which indicates how quickly electrons can move through the semiconductor material. For starters, silicon has an electron mobility of 1500 cm^2/Vs. Gallium nitride has an electron mobility of 2000 cm^2/Vs, meaning electrons can move over 30% faster than silicon's electrons. Silicon carbide, however, has an electron mobility of 650 cm^2/Vs, which means that silicon carbide's electrons are slower moving than both GaN and silicon's. With such elevated electron mobility, GaN is nearly three times more suitable for high-frequency applications. Electrons can move through a gallium nitride semiconductor much faster than SiC.

GaN and SiC Thermal conductivity

A material's thermal conductivity is its ability to transfer heat through itself. Thermal conductivity directly influences the material's temperature, given the circumstances of its use. In high-power applications, inefficiencies in materials will create heat, thus increasing the temperature of the material, and subsequently changing its electrical characteristics. Gallium nitride has a thermal conductivity of 1.3 W/cmK, which is actually worse than that of silicon, which sits at 1.5 W/cmK. However, silicon carbide boasts a thermal conductivity of 5 W/cmK, making it nearly three times better at transferring thermal loads. This feature makes silicon carbide highly advantageous in high-power, high-temperature applications.

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A. Two Things : Memory Speed and Efficiency .



LPDDR4 -succeeded in increasing maximum data rates to 3200 Mbp that is 1.7X higher than LPDR3 and operating voltage is reduced by 7% compared to LPDDR3 (1.2 to 1.12 V)

LPD4X -The ‘X’ stands for ‘eXtra’ or ‘eXtended’. I/O voltage ( 0.6V) to save system power and data rate improved from 3200 to 4266 Mbps.

LPDDR5 : Data rate of up to 6,400 Mb/s that is 1.5 times faster than LPDDR4X and power consumption reduced by 30%.

The LPDDR4 offers massive improvement over the previous generation mobile DRAMs and planned for offering higher memory bandwidth. The LPDDR4X is, on the other hand, an optional minor upgrade to the LPDDR4 that reduces the power consumption requirements by almost 55 percent, bringing it down to 0.6 Volts.

LPDDR4 ,LPDR4X and LPDR5 Introduction –

To move further , first begin with the understanding of various Mobile DRAM Solutions .

The LPDDR4 is the fourth generation of LPDDR RAM technology, it is considered to be the DDR4 alternative for the mobile devices. While DDR4 has already been used in high-end PCs and similar systems, their mobile equivalent the LPDDR4 finds heavy usage in Mobile devices.

The LPDDR4 brings ahead faster functionality and lower power consumption. The fundamental difference between then DDR4 RAM used in PCS and the LPDDR4 lies in the fact that they come with smaller bit bus. This helps in lower power consumption.



Compared to DDR4, LPDDR4 offers reduced power consumption but does so at the cost of bandwidth. LPDDR4 has dual 16-bit channels resulting in a 32-bit total bus. In comparison, DDR4 has 64-bit channels.

The LPDDR4 improves the data rates by almost double when compared to the previous generations, the LPDDR3. You can get data rates as high as 3200Mb per sec with LPDDR4 as compared to the 1600 Mb per sec performance on the LPDDR3. The LPDDR3 had one channel, while the LPDDR4 opts for a two-channel design. It offers you 16 Bits per channel, thus providing you a total of 32 Bits. This can be helpful in lowering the power requirements of the core. The short data path ensures that the lower power consumption. This can be quite helpful in improving the operational speed and performance. The LPDDR4 offers a marginal improvement in the power consumption from 1.2 volts on LPDDR3 to 1.1 Volts on LPDDR4.

Another advantage associated with the LPDDR4 RAM is it can be manufactured on a smaller 2x nm process. This helps in going for mass productions and can effectively reduce the price as well.

LPDDR4X is not backward compatible to LPDDR4 and so is LPDDDR5.





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A. The insulated gate bipolar transistor IGBT is a semiconductor device with three terminals and is used mainly as an electronic switch. It is characterized by fast switching and high efficiency, which makes it a necessary component in modern appliances such as lamp ballasts, electric cars and variable frequency drives VFDs.



Its ability to turn on and off, rapidly, makes it applicable in amplifiers to process complex wave-patterns with pulse width modulation. IGBT combines the characteristics of MOSFETs and BJTs to attain high current and low saturation voltage capacity respectively. It integrates an isolated gate using FET Field effect transistor to obtain a control input.





IGBT has a very low value of ON state resistance RON than a MOSFET. This implies that the voltage drop (I2R) across the bipolar for a particular switching operation is very low. The forward blocking action of the IGBT is similar to that of a MOSFET.



When an IGBT is used as controlled switch in a static state, its current and voltage ratings equal to that of BJT. On the contrary, the isolated gate in IGBT makes it easier to drive BJT charges and hence less power is required.

IGBT is switched ON or OFF based on whether its gate terminal has been activated or deactivated. A constant positive potential difference across the gate and the emitter maintains the IGBT in the ON state. When the input signal is removed, the IGBT is turned OFF.





Application of IGBT:

The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is used Ac and DC motor drivers.

The IGBT is used in unregulated power supply (UPS) system.

The IGBT is used to combines the simple gate-drive characteristics of MOSFET with the high-current and low-saturation-voltage of bipolar transistors.

The IGBT is used in switched-mode power supplies (SMPS).

It is used in traction motor control and induction heating.

It is used in inverters.



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