ANAHEIM, CA—Fabless power semiconductor company Helix Semiconductors has announced sampling of its MxC 300 AC-DC power ICs. The MxC 300 is a two-chip solution that offers high power density—up to 10x higher than transformer-based solutions—for 65W AC-DC power supply products. Evaluation boards for the MxC 300 chipset can be seen this week at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), in Helix Semiconductors booth #472 on the show floor of the Anaheim Convention Center.
The MxC 300 is the world’s first chip to use a capacitive isolation (CapIso) barrier instead of a transformer for an AC-DC power supply, a feat achieved through Helix Semiconductors’ core energy-efficient MuxCapacitor (MuxCap) technology. Helix’s CapIso technology eliminates the isolation transformer traditionally used in AC-DC power supplies, providing isolation with capacitors, which meet the UL and IEC standards for safety. As a result, the MxC 300 chipset enables the replacement of traditional magnetic-windings-based transformers, which are used for isolation and voltage reduction, while providing average power efficiencies of greater than 95 percent. The resulting increase in power density can be significant since the transformer is typically the largest component in the power supply module.
“Energy management has become one of the most important issues of our time, and companies are actively seeking solutions that offer higher power density, greater efficiency and smaller form factors,” noted Harold A. Blomquist, president and CEO of Helix Semiconductors. “Our unique, patented MuxCap and CapIso technologies, and UL-approved reference designs, are the secret to a windings-free approach. When you remove the windings, you change the game entirely—you make it possible to build more efficient, smaller, lighter, cooler power supplies and products.”
Applications that will benefit from Helix Semiconductors’ MxC 300 chipset include laptops, smartphones, LED lighting, gaming, servers, computing and more. Working evaluation boards will be provided to early adopters later this quarter, with boards being made generally available in Q2 2019.
For more information about Helix Semiconductors’ products and technology, visit booth #472 at APEC, or go to the company website at www.helixsemiconductors.com.