Data Points

Feb 1, 2005 12:00 PM5

Enpirion Receives Power Electronics Technology Product of the Year Award

On January 17, Power Electronics Technology formally presented its 2004 Product of the Year award to fabless semiconductor company Enpirion for its EN5330 dc-dc converter with integrated magnetics. The ceremony was held at Enpirion's new facility in Bridgewater, N.J., where CEO Mark Downing accepted the award on behalf of the company. Editor David Morrison and Associate Publisher Judy Miller were on hand to make the presentation in front of the Enpirion staff.

The selection of EN5330 as the award winner was initially announced last fall. (See "POL Breaks New Ground With Integrated Magnetics," Power Electronics Technology, October 2004, page 106.) With this presentation, Enpirion's first product became the first recipient of the magazine's Product of the Year award.

"On behalf of the entire Enpirion team, I am thrilled to accept this award from the premier publication in the power electronics industry," said Downing. "It is a great independent acknowledgment of the significant breakthrough the company has achieved in the integration of a power supply in silicon, which sets a new standard for power density in the industry."

The EN5330, which went into full production last month, is being followed by a second member of the company's point-of-load product line, the EN5360. The new device doubles the current capability of the original dc-dc converter to 6 A, yet requires only a 21% increase in the required board space. The EN5360 is offered in a 48-pin DFN package (pin compatible with the standard 36-pin TSSOP) that covers just under 138-mm2 board space. Including the minimum of four external components, the entire dc-dc converter can be placed in as little as 163 mm2 of single-sided board space. Package height is 2.2 mm.

Operating from a 2.375-V to 5.5-V input, the voltage-mode synchronous buck converter produces a stepped-down output at voltages as low as 0.8 V. Output voltage is VID-pin selectable with options for seven standard voltages (0.8 V to 3.3 V). In addition, a resistor-divider setting enables a continuous setpoint range from 0.8 V to VIN. The EN5360 achieves peak efficiencies greater than 92%. In quantities of 1000, unit pricing for the EN5360 is $7.45. For more information, see www.enpirion.com.