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Energy AUDIO

not the first time something like this has happened. Taking a look at lighting, the transition from
incandescent bulbs into compact fluorescents and then eventually to LED bulbs was the result of
a progression in semiconductor technology over the time period. That innovation revolutionized the

market and significantly reduced energy use associated with lighting in the house. It is these same
types of trends that are now transitioning into major home appliances. As more energy regulations
happen across industries, there will be an increase in the amount of semiconductor content in
products. It will be the progression of semiconductor technology that will again lead the way.

The semiconductor industry has been following potential regulations in the Americas since the
beginning. As they become law, the semiconductor industry works with OEMs to understand what
the regulations mean and the solutions available to them to bring their next generation of product
to market.

This can be daunting to a manufacturer that doesn’t have expertise in some of these new Class D Power
technologies. That’s why it’s critical for OEMs to have a true partnership with a semiconductor
company and utilize their expertise. The semiconductor partners tend to create reference design
solutions targeted at specific applications. These reference designs can offer an OEM an 80% Amplifier
complete hardware and software solution, which is supported by schematic and board layout files.
The OEM can then take that and productize it into a solution that fits the form factor of their end By Nazar Sliunchenko, technical documentation manager at Dialog

applicant and, by doing so, take ownership of it in terms of the application requirements for their Semiconductor
product space. Having the right semiconductor partner can ultimately reduce their time to market.
This article describes how to design a simple Class D power amplifier using the high-voltage
According to IEA, appliances account for 15% of global final electricity demand, or one-quarter of GreenPAK IC. A Class D amplifier operates by deriving a two-state signal from a continuous control
electricity used in buildings. As attention increasingly focuses on climate change, energy efficiency signal and amplifying it using power switches. At the core of every Class D amplifier is at least one
in appliances will be a key way to curb energy consumption and thus lower greenhouse gases. comparator and one switching power stage. In all but the lowest-cost power amplifiers, a passive
Appliance OEMs can expect more regulations and energy standards in the near future. Partnering LC filter is added.
with the right power semiconductor company will be critical to keeping pace.
Here’s a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of the Class D amplifier versus the traditional

Class AB amplifier:

▶ Class AB
→ Benefit: Lowest distortion — total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD + N) is less than
For More Information 0.1% for high fidelity.
→ Disadvantages: Inefficient — maximum possible efficiency is about 60%. High power
consumption and significant heat generation. It’s also larger in size.
▶ Semiconductors: Powering the Future of Everything Efficiently from Energy
Generation to Consumption ▶ Class D

→ Benefits: High efficiency — greater than 90%. Less power consumption and lower heat
▶ Understanding the Semiconductor Shortage generation. Smaller size. Very high power potential (400 W to 500 W) in a small package.

→ Disadvantages: High-frequency noise generation.

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