Wireless Audio Transfer Using LASER Light
In this article, we are going to discuss how to transfer audio through laser light. This is a fun little project and the concept is similar to what we see in fiber optics cable, we will use a laser light to send data from one point to another. To be particular, in this project here we are going to transfer our voice from one point to another by shining a laser light on a solar panel. This is made possible by Light Fidelity or (Li-Fi) in short, for those who are new Li-Fi is a technology in which data can be transferred using light, in our case we sending our voice as data and using Laser as light source.
The highlight of this project is its simplicity, you can easily build this over a weekend with commonly available components. If you are interested in Li-Fi you can also check our our Li-Fi Text communication and Li-Fi audio transfer projects.
So, without further delay, let’s dive into building the project.
How to transfer Audio using Laser Light?
Transmitting Audio via Laser light is simple than it sounds. On the transmitter side we have a microphone which converts our voice into electrical signals, this signal then amplified using an audio amplifier and the output of this amplifier is directly connected to a LASER diode. This light is then pointed towards the solar panel on our received circuit. Agian, on the receiver side the solar panel is connected as audio input for another audio amplifier which amplifies these signals and plays it on a speaker. All of this works because of the ability of light to carry data.
Transmitter Side
Audio to Electrical Signal:
Our aim is to transfer the live audio signal, so in that case, we need some sort of microphone to convert the audio signal to an electrical signal. Actually, speaking, there comes a little bit of a complex circuit to achieve a perfect output. So, to make it simple, we are going to use the MAX4466 Microphone Amplifier Module, you can check out the link if you want to know more about this microphone module.
Above, you can see the GIF video representing the working of the MAX4466 Microphone Amplifier Module. Now we have the electrical signal that needs to be transmitted over the laser.
Electric Signal to Laser Beam:
In the above process, we have received the electrical signal. Now this electrical signal is used to drive the laser light beam. It can be done using multiple ways, like using some analog circuits (i.e., switching MOSFET). But to make it simple and more effective, we are using a Mini 5V Audio Amplifier Module based on PAM8403, as you can see in the image below.
The reason behind choosing this is simple. It works in the 5V range, so it can be easily integrated with the MAX4466 Microphone Amplifier Module. It also has an inbuilt potentiometer to adjust the amplitude of the output, and more importantly, it is more affordable. You can use whatever amplifier board you have or even create your own circuits to do the job right. Still, I suggest using the audio amplifier board for better output and hassle-free work. We have previously used the PAM8403 to also build a simple DIY Bluetooth speaker, you can check that out if you are intrested.
Now, a laser diode can be connected to the output of the PAM8403 module.
Above, you can see the laser diode we are using. If you would like to reduce the current fed to the laser, you can use a resistor of minimum value. Here, the laser we are using has a built-in 30-ohm resistor in series with the power input. If you feel like reducing the power, you can do so by adding an extra resistor in series or even adjusting the potentiometer in the PAM8403 module.
Receiver Side
Laser Light to Electrical Signal:
As in the last step we have already completed the transmitter side, here we go with the receiver side. So the primary process is to convert the audio signal from the laser light beam to its original state of electrical signal. Here, generally, we can use any light-based sensor (i.e., LDR, photodiode, etc.) to do the job right, but those with smaller reception areas are quite tough to use. However, they are not unusable; you can even use them. But here in this project, I am going to use a larger array of photodiodes, which is also known as the solar panel.
I am going to use a small toy solar panel. Despite its minimal power output, it is more than enough for our project. So, by using this solar panel, we are going to convert the laser beam to an electrical signal.
Electrical Signal to Speaker:
The electrical signal from the solar panel cannot be directly fed to the speaker due to its low power output. Even with a larger solar panel, the small point of light hitting the panel doesn't make a significant change in the output; we will only get a higher DC voltage with a larger panel. However, we need an analog voltage.
To solve this issue, I am going to use the same amplifier module that we used on the transmitter side so that the output electrical signal can be effectively amplified and passed to the speaker.
Regarding the speaker, you can use any speaker compatible with your amplifier module. I am using a 4-ohm, 10-watt speaker, as shown in the image above.
Therefore, we have successfully completed the theory part. I hope you all understand the main concept behind choosing the components and the workings of the project. So, let’s move on to the hardware part of the project.
Components Required for Wireless Audio Transfer Using Laser Light Project
Below is the list of required components to build the Wireless Audio Transfer using a laser light project. Some components may have alternates. To learn more about that, read the “Concept of Audio Transfer Via Laser - Explanation” available above.
Solar Panel - x1
Laser Diode - x1
Resistor (30 ohms) - x1
Potentiometer (100k) - x1
Speaker (4 ohms, 10W) - x1
PAM8403 Audio Amplifier Module with Potentiometer - x2
9V Battery - x2
BreadBoard - x2
Jumper Wires - Required Quantity
Circuit Diagram of Wireless Audio Transfer Project Using Laser Light
Here this project is built by keeping in mind that to make it easy and use only Minimal components. So, as an outcome, the circuit is simple for Everyone to understand and recreate.
Transmitter Part:
Here you can see the Schematic of the transmitter part. Those connections are self-explanatory.
We can split the schematic into two parts: The power and Transmitter Section.
Power Section:
Here, the power source selected is a 9V battery. Since the rest of the circuit operates at 5V, I am using a 7805 5V Linear Voltage Regulator to effectively convert 9V to 5V.
Transmitter Section:
In this section, only four components are being used.
Both the MAX4466 and PAM8403 modules are powered using the 5V output from the voltage regulator. The output of the MAX4466 Microphone Amplifier Module is connected directly to the PAM8403 Audio Amplifier Module.
The PAM8403 supports 2 channels. You can use one channel alone or use both channels as I have. However, we are going to drive only one laser. The laser's positive and negative terminals are connected in parallel with one of the channels. While connecting, I have mentioned using a 30-ohm resistor in series. This is for limiting the current flowing through the laser diode. If you are using the same laser diode as me, this resistor is not needed as it already has a 30-ohm resistor connected internally.
Receiver Part:
Below you can see the schematic of the receiver part. You might notice a similar power section here like the transmitter part, as our requirement is still the same. We are powering the system using 5V.
Receiver Section:
Here, the solar panel’s negative side is grounded, and the positive side is connected to the input of the PAM8403 Audio Amplifier Module. Like the transmitter, I kept both input channels connected. An extra step is applying the bias voltage to the input using a potentiometer, which sets the DC offset to the input of the amplifier. Finally, a speaker is connected to the output of the PAM8403 amplifier module.
That completes our circuit. Next, let us move on to the assembling part.
Building the Circuit
Let's build the circuit according to our schematic. I am using a breadboard to assemble all the components.
Above, you can see the assembled image of the transmitter with its parts marked for your reference. The laser diode is directly soldered to a 2x2 Berg strip connector, allowing it to be easily fixed to the breadboard. Similarly, the battery connector is also fitted with a Berg strip for easy breadboard integration.
In this transmitter, there are two configurable areas. One is the gain adjustment in the MAX4466 Microphone Amplifier Module, which controls the sensitivity of the microphone. The other is the amplitude adjustment in the PAM8403 module, which controls the output power to the laser diode. These configurable options allow for precise signal control.
Above, you can see the assembled image of the receiver. Parts like the speaker, solar panel, and battery are connected to the breadboard using Berg male strips, which I have soldered to the wires and fixed to the breadboard.
Like the transmitter, the receiver also has two configurable options. There is a potentiometer connected to the input of the PAM8403 module, which is used to set the DC offset to the input signal. The PAM8403 module itself has a potentiometer to adjust the amplitude of the signal going to the speaker, effectively allowing volume adjustment.
With this, we have completed building the circuit as per the schematic diagram. Next, Working demonstration.
Working Demonstration of the Wireless Audio Transfer Project
After successfully assembling the components, we began testing the project. It works well both indoors and outdoors, regardless of the conditions. The range of the wireless transfer is impressive, as the intensity of the laser does not diminish significantly under clear weather conditions. As long as the laser beam hits the solar panel, the audio is transferred seamlessly. We also tested the setup from multiple angles and encountered no issues.
The image above was taken while testing the setup outdoors. Unlike other projects, I did not include any GIFs to show the working process, but we have made a video that you can watch below. The video provides a complete demonstration and explanation of the project.
Some of the Improvement Ideas & Additional Possibilities for this Wireless Audio Transfer Project
These are some of my ideas for extending this project, which you can give a try.
Improvement ideas:
Use a more sensitive photodetector instead of a toy solar panel, such as an avalanche photodiode (APD), to improve the reception quality and range.
Implement a focusing lens system to concentrate the laser light on a smaller, more sensitive area of the photodetector.
Introduce noise reduction techniques and filters to improve the audio signal quality.
Some sort of Automatic Alignment System to ensure optimal signal transmission even with movement or misalignment.
Additional Possibilities:
Expand the project to support bidirectional communication by incorporating a similar setup on both ends, allowing two-way audio transmission.
Adapt the system to transmit not only audio but also other types of data, such as digital signals for internet communication, by incorporating appropriate modulation techniques.
Experiment with different laser wavelengths and power levels to extend the effective range of communication, ensuring long-distance transmission capabilities.
Design a compact, battery-operated version of the system for portability, making it suitable for mobile and field applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Can we use laser in Li-Fi?
Of course, you can use lasers in a Li-Fi system. Practically, any light source along with its sensor can be utilized to create a Li-Fi system.
2) Is LiFi Better than Wi-Fi?
Determining whether Li-Fi is better than Wi-Fi depends on various factors. Both have their own pros and cons. For a detailed explanation, visit our article LiFi vs WiFi.
3) Is LiFi Safe for Humans?
Yes, LiFi (Light Fidelity) is generally considered safe for humans due to its Non-Ionizing Radiation, Low Power Levels, Limited Range, etc. Overall, LiFi is a promising and safe technology for wireless communication, offering a secure and efficient alternative to traditional radio frequency-based systems.
4) Advantages and Disadvantages of LiFi?
Advantages of Li-Fi
High-Speed Data Transfer: Li-Fi provides exceptionally fast data transfer rates, often surpassing those of traditional Wi-Fi, by utilizing visible light.
Enhanced Security: Since light cannot pass through walls, Li-Fi offers better security against unauthorized access compared to radio frequency systems.
No Radio Frequency Interference: Li-Fi avoids issues related to radio frequency interference, making it suitable for environments sensitive to such interference.
Reduced Latency: Li-Fi can achieve lower latency compared to Wi-Fi, benefiting applications requiring real-time communication and streaming.
Energy Efficiency: Li-Fi can make use of existing LED lighting systems, which are energy-efficient and help lower overall energy consumption.
Disadvantages of Li-Fi
Line-of-Sight Requirement: Li-Fi needs a direct line of sight between the transmitter and receiver, which can limit its range and flexibility.
Limited Range: The operational range of Li-Fi is shorter than that of Wi-Fi due to its reliance on visible light.
Indoor Use Only: Li-Fi is mainly effective in indoor settings where light can be easily managed and controlled.
Light Obstruction: Any blockage or interruption in the light path can disrupt the communication, impacting reliability.
Cost and Infrastructure: Implementing Li-Fi may require higher initial costs and changes to existing infrastructure, such as upgrading to suitable lighting systems.
5) What is LiFi Used For?
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) provides high-speed wireless communication by using visible light, ultraviolet, and infrared radiation for data transmission. It is employed in various settings, such as secure environments where radio frequency (RF) signals are restricted, including military and healthcare facilities. Li-Fi offers fast internet access and can be integrated with LED lighting systems to deliver both illumination and data transfer. It is advantageous in areas with high RF interference and is used to enhance applications like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) with its superior bandwidth and low latency.
6) What is SLD Laser LiFi?
SLD (Surface Light Emitting Diode) laser Li-Fi refers to a technology that utilizes surface-emitting laser diodes to facilitate communication via light. Unlike traditional LEDs that emit light from a single point, SLDs distribute light over a larger surface area, which enhances the efficiency and performance of Li-Fi systems. In SLD laser Li-Fi setups, these laser diodes enable high-speed, high-bandwidth communication using visible light, offering faster data transfer rates compared to conventional LED-based systems. This technology is beneficial for applications demanding rapid data transmission and reliable performance, such as in urban environments and industrial contexts.
Projects in Similar Relm
1) Li-Fi-based Text Communication between Two Arduino
Demonstration of Li-Fi communication using two Arduino boards: text data is transmitted from an LED and a 4x4 keypad and decoded on the receiver side using an LDR. This showcases Li-Fi's ability to facilitate high-speed, optical data transfer.
2) Audio Transfer using Li-Fi Technology
In this project, we’ll build a circuit to transfer audio data using Li-Fi technology.
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QR Code Scanner API for Low-Power Embedded SoC Boards
Over the past years we at CircuitDigest have built a ton of electronics projects and tutorials to help our community to learn and build electronics with ease. Recently we have noticed a huge interest from readers on our ESP32-CAM Projects, especially the ones involving image recognition and object detection. Since the board is capable of taking images and streaming videos we wanted to build more with it, apart from the standard ESP32 video streaming and ESP32cam face recognition.
Unfortunately, though this low-cost 8$ development board could only get you so far. We were not able to perform any image processing on-board, the Dev. Board even with its external 4M PSRAM is not powerful enough (read easy enough) to build anything useful with it. Our Solution!?
CircuitDigest Cloud - our very own cloud API which you and people like you can use for free to build and test their projects
QR Code Scanner API
This article is about the QR Code scanner API that can be used easily with ESP32-CAM and other low power SoC devices to decode QR code images easily. The API can handle poor quality images and also work with multiple QR codes in a single image. All the heavy lifting with image processing and QR code decoding is handled by the qreader python library on the server side, but you as a user need not worry about that.
Disclaimer: At the time of writing this article our cloud platform is functional but yet to have some cosmetic updates. We intend to build it with time and add more functionalities
Authentication and Authorization:
The QR Code Scanner API is built and maintained by CircuitDigest and is open for everyone to use in their projects. The API key can be created using the “Create Key” button on CircuitDigest Cloud platform.
This API key has to be sent from your SoC (like ESP-32) to be able to use our APIs. Please also note that all API keys will expire in 24 hours. You can also create a new key every 24 hours to keep your project running. This limit is temporary and is imposed to not overload our server from a single user. We will update this limit based on number of calls in future.
API Details
The API can be easily used with Arduino code snippets to capture a QR code image and send it to server API for processing. The API scans the QR code and returns a response in JSON format.
Server Name: www.circuitdigest.cloud
Server Path: /readqrcode
Server Port: 443
Method: POST
Authorization: Authorization: apikey (replace apikey with actual API key)
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=CircuitDigest
Request Body: The captured image data sent as JPEG file. Filename of image should be same as API key
Response: The server API should return a JSON response containing the decoded information from the QR code.
Note: Sample Arduino code for ESP32-CAM and other development boards can be found at the bottom of this page.
Response
A sample response code from the API is shown below. Left side shows the image taken from ESP32-CAM and right side shows the response from API call.
The decoded QR code can be found at QR_code, in this case “Hello World!”. If the image has more than one QR code all the available results can be found as a list as shown below
The API call also provides the height and width of the image and also the location at which the image is saved. This will help you to check what was captured and sent in your API call. For the above example the captured image is available at www.circuitdigest.cloud/static/c17e3a5831c4eaf8.jpeg which can open on any web browser like shown below
Code Examples:
The API is tested with ESP32-CAM, but it can be used with any Dev boards capable of taking an image and sending to web server. We will link all the tutorials built using this this API below with complete code and circuit diagram like always.
Raspberry Pi Pico W QR Code Reader
Create and Share:
Hope this will be useful to quickly test and deploy your ideas. If you have built something using the API do share it with us and we will mention your work on this page. Happy building!!
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Getting Started with Sipeed Maixduino Development Kit
Nowadays there are a lot of IoT development boards available. But if you look at the AI IoT development board the options are very limited. Even within them, the ones with good performance tend to be expensive, and the ones that are cheap don’t provide enough performance or are limited in some other way. Just like you, we have also been looking for an AI IoT board, that is not that expensive and comes with good performance. That was when we came across the Sipeed MaixDuino Ai Development kit. It is not only reasonably priced but also comes with a lot of useful features and peripherals. That's why we chose this as one of three boards for our upcoming IoT & Edge AI Project Challenge where you can win prizes up to Rs.7,00,000. Not only that you can even win development board and other exciting gooding by just submitting your project ideas. So don’t forget to check out the IoT & Edge AI Project Challenge for more details.
Powered by the Sipeed M1 AI module the Maixduino also comes with exciting features such as an ESP32 co-processor for WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 2.4” LCD, a VGA image sensor, a microSD card slot and an onboard MEMS microphone. All these are packed into an Arduino Uno sized board which is pin compatible with the Arduino Uno R3.
Let’s Unbox It
Now let’s check out the Maixduino package contents. The development board and all its extra components come in a sturdy plastic box which provides protection from any damages.
Within the box, you will find the Maixduino AI development board itself with the 2.5” LCD display and GC0328 VGA Camera Module.
Sipeed MaixDuino Ai Development Kit Features
As we said earlier the Sipeed MaixDuino Ai Development kit is packed with a lot of features. Here are some of the main features listed.
Core RISC-V Dual Core 64bit, with FPU
Frequency 400MHz （Can be overclocked to 600MHz）
SRAM built-in 8MB
Image Recognition QVGA@60fps/VGA@30fps
Speech Recognition Microphone array (8mics)
Deep Learning Framework: Supports TensorFlow, Keras, Darknet, Caffe, and other mainstream frameworks
Peripherals FPIOA, UART, GPIO, SPI, I2C, I2S, TIMER
Video Processing
Neural Network Processor (KPU)
FPU Meets IEEE754-2008 Standard
Audio Processor (APU)
Fast Fourier Transform Accelerator (FFT)
Built-in neural network processor
Connector: compatible with Arduino interface, TF card slot, speaker port
Wireless: Support 2.4G 802.11.b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2
Audio: MEMS microphone, 3W speaker output
DVP Camera Interface: 24P 0.5mm FPC connector, support OV2640, OV5640, OV7740, etc.
LCD Interface: 24P 0.5mm FPC connector; support 8bit MCU LCD
ESP32 Module: For WiFi and Bluetooth Connectivity
Development Environment: support for Arduino IED, MaixPy IDE, OpenMV IDE
2.4” 320x240 SPI TFT Display
GC0328 camera VGA Camera module
Sipeed Maixduino AI Development Board Hardware Overview
As you have familiarised yourself with the features, let’s look at the hardware overview for the Sipeed Maixduino Development Board. The Sipeed Maixduino Development Board has all of its components assembled on the same side. Here are parts marking images introducing each main component.
The main attraction on the Sipeed Maixuino development board is of course the Sipeed M1 AI module. The Sipeed M1 module is based on the K210 RISC-V AI processor from Kendryte. K210 comes with a dual-core processor chip with independent FPU, 64-bit CPU width, 8 MB on-chip SRAM, 400 adjustable clock frequency, and double-precision FPU supporting multiplication, division, and square root operation. It also has AI features such as neural network hardware accelerator KPU, voice processing unit (APU), programmable IO array (FPIOA/IOMUX), and Fast Fourier Transform Accelerator. In AI processing, K210 can perform operations such as convolution, batch normalization, activation, and pooling. At the same time, the pre-processing of voice direction scanning and voice data output can also be performed.
For WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, the Sipeed Maixduino uses an ESP32-WROOM module. Not only that some of the pins are broken out to the Arduino style header for custom usage.The board can be powered from either the DC connector or the USB type C port. The DC barrel connector can accept an input voltage of 6 -12V DC. There are two tactile switches available onboard, one is for board reset and one is for board boot selection. For programming and debugging the Sipeed Maixduino uses a CH552 USB microcontroller. With the specialised ch55x_dualserial firmware the CH552 can create two virtual UART ports which can be used to program the Sipeed M1 module as well as the ESP32 module. It also can automatically detect ESP32 & K210 bootloader messages, and force it to enter ISP mode without the need for any hardware flow control.
The Sipeed Maixduino also contains an MSM261S4030H0 MEMS microphone for audion capturing, a TM8211 DAC for I2S audio decoding and a 3W PA built around NS4150 for audio out. The PA output can be directly connected to a 3W speaker through the 1.25mm pitch JST connector. The board also has an RGB LED located near the MEMS microphone for use outputs. Other LEDs onboard include the power LED along with RX and TX indication LEDs for both Sipped M1 module and ESP32. It also has an onboard microSD card slot for storage explanation. For interfacing the TFT display the board uses a 24-pin 0.5mm FPC connector. The display comes with the kit is a 2.4” ST7789 TFT display with a resolution of 320x240 pixels, and it uses an 8-bit bus for interfacing with the M1 module. The 24-pin camera FPC interface supports various camera modules including OV2640, OV5640, OV7740 and GC0328.
Sipeed Maixduino AI Development Board Pinout
The above pinout image clearly shows the basic as well as alternate function of each pin on the Maixduino development board. As you can see some of the pins are directly connected to the Sipeed M1 module while some of them are connected to the ESP32 module. All of the digital pins are attached to the M1 module, while all of the analog pins are attached to the ESP32 SoC.
Even though the shape and pins are compatible with Arduino UNO R3, the output voltage levels of the GPIOs are different. The Maixduino only supports 3.3V and 1.8V in its GPIOs, which requires great attention when interfacing with external components, otherwise, the board can be damaged. The reset pin is only 1.8V compatible, be careful when using it. The board also comes with the basic Arduino style pin labelling on the bottom of the PCB.
Using the Sipeed Maixduino with Arduino IDE
In terms of software support also the Maixduino doesn’t disappoint us. The Sippeed Maixduino supports many popular frameworks such as MaixPy IDE, PlatformlO IDE and last but not least our favourite the Arduino IDE. It also supports various real-time operating systems such as Free-RTOS and RT-Thread. So our article will be using the Arduino IDE since it is very popular and easy to use. You can find detailed instructions on how to set up the Maixduino IDE can be found in the official Miaxuino documentation. To start with open up the Arduino IDE and add the following URL to the additional board manager URL section in the Arduino IDE preferences.
http://dl.sipeed.com/MAIX/Maixduino/package_Maixduino_k210_index.json
After closing the Arduino preference window search and install the Miaxuino board package through the board manager.
Once installed select the Miaduino board from the tools menu and also select the appropriate serial port. When connected the device will show two serial ports, select the first one. In the progamer option select the k-flash programmer. If you don’t select it you won’t be able to program the board. Leave other options as same as the default.
Caution: Now before moving forward. some of the libraries that come with the Maixduino board package are old and can cause some compiler errors. To overcome that please go to the Maixduino GitHub repository and download the library folder. Copy all the libraries, except the Adafruit_GFX library within the library folder to the library folder in the board package installation path. When asked to replace all the files.
To start with let’s open up an example file. Open the basic display example code under the Sipeed_ST7789. Compile the code and upload it to the board. Now the board will display some basic shapes and text on the TFT display. Ensuring everything is working accordingly.
Caution: If you face any errors while uploading such as “a programmer is needed for uploading” make sure you have selected k-flash as the programmer in the tool's menu. If the problem still persists, use the upload using the programmer option from the Sketch menu instead of the upload button. If you face a timeout error while uploading, reset the board while holding down the boot button and try uploading the error. If the board is stuck at FT2232 mode with the warning “recv unknown op 96”, change the baud rate to 1Mbps and try the uploading and when it fails change the baud rate to 1.5Mbps and upload again. If you face any error related to the Arduino_GFX library during compilation make sure to remove any existing versions and install version 1.4.8 of the Arduino_GFX library.
To test the camera, open up the sipeed_gc0328 example you can find on the updated libraries you have downloaded from the GitHub. This example will display the video feed from the camera on the TFT screen.
The Maixduino also support many advanced applications such as face recognition, speech recognition and many other AI applications. You can find examples for all of these applications in the GitHub repo we have provided before. Before concluding we can also look at one more example, and for that I have selected a speech recognition example. For this, we are going to use the Maix-SpeechRecognizer library by Andri. Download the voice_model.h file and the main.c file to a folder. Rename the main.c file into an ino file and open it with the Arduino IDE. Make sure the sketch file and the voice_model.h file is in the same folder.
Once the code is uploaded the code, you can interact with the board using the catchphrases “Hey, Friday” or “Hey, Jarvis”. The board will pick your voice through the onboard MEMS microphone, and it will run a speech recognition algorithm on it. To know more about how to train your own catchphrase and how to use it please watch the video attached below. You will also find more details on the board usage and examples we have discussed earlier in the video.
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Designing Asset Tracking Applications with Pre-certified Sensors
When transporting perishable goods such as food or pharmaceuticals, maintaining consistent conditions is critical to guaranteeing that products arrive in perfect condition. For pharmaceuticals, going outside of the allowed temperature range may potentially render the product unusable. For food transport, inappropriate conditions may lead to overripening or spoilage, thus creating food waste. In both cases, the value of the goods transported is lost when conditions are not tracked properly.
Sensor devices used in these applications must offer a high degree of confidence in their performance and are generally required to meet standards defined by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the International Standards Organization (ISO). In this blog, we consider a way to reduce the time and effort spent on certification by using pre-certified sensors.
Rethinking Sensor Certification for Product Design
Aside from using components with the right accuracy specification and calibration, devices used in asset tracking applications require certification. The most important certifications are NIST traceability and ISO17025.
Historically, certification was a step done on the device level, as an additional step in the manufacturing process. ISO17025 certification can only be given by an accredited institution. This meant that devices had to be sent to an accredited third-party lab for testing after coming off the assembly line, which added a costly and time-consuming extra step to the overall manufacturing process.
Today, a new approach is simplifying the accreditation process. By using pre-certified sensor components, product designers can remove the post-assembly third-party certification step, enabling product shipment straight from the production line to the end customer. This allows product designers to guarantee accuracy levels of the shipped devices while increasing speed to market.
To achieve this, Sensirion has gone through the process of ISO17025 accreditation. This allows for end-to-end monitoring, simplified manufacturing, and efficient recertification. By adding Sensirion’s certified SHT43 sensor to their designs, designers can meet NIST traceability and ISO17025 compliance without requiring additional changes in their manufacturing process (Figure 1).
Sensor Specification
The Sensirion SHT43 is a state-of-the-art digital humidity and temperature sensor with an I²C interface, offering typical accuracies of 1.8 percent relative humidity and 0.48°C for temperature. With its small size of 1.5mm × 1.5mm × 0.5mm, wide supply voltage range of 1.08V to 3.6V, and low power consumption, the SHT43 is well suited for asset tracking platforms and data logging applications. Reference drivers are available for development setups based on Arduino or Raspberry Pi, along with drivers for the most common microcontroller platforms.
Accessing Certificates via Cloud Services
To access certifications, Sensirion offers a cloud service called Libellus. This service has a web interface to access certificates manually, but more importantly, offers an application programming interface (API). The API can be used during the production process to verify the certification of the specific sensor built into the product, as well as to provide certificates to the end customer of the respective device (Figure 2). The cloud service can be used to obtain documents in portable document format (PDF) and allows direct access to the raw calibration data in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). This allows device manufacturers to generate certificate documents with all the necessary information on their own (digital) letterhead, ensuring a consistent brand identity.
Accessing Certificates Via the API
Sensor certificates are linked to a sensor’s serial number. The serial number can be read from the sensor via I²C. With the serial number in hand, it is possible to download the calibration data, both as a PDF document and as raw JSON data. The Sensirion API Guide provides a detailed documentation of the Web API.
As an example, here is the cURL command for downloading a sensor certificate as a PDF file for the SHT43 sensor with 123456 as the serial number:
curl --location --request GET \
'https://libellus.sensirion.com/api/SHT43/sensors/123456/certificate?format=application/pdf' \
--header 'Authorization: Token a2b3c4d5token7m8n9o'
Here is a breakdown of the example:
- The product name “SHT43” corresponds to the product used.
- The serial number “123456” is the serial number read via the I²C bus.
- The “Authorization” header token is used to verify user access and is shared with the user upon account creation. If lost, it can be reset under the account profile on the Libellus web interface.
Note that resetting the token will invalidate the older ones; thus, any scripts and processes getting data from Libellus will need to be updated to use the new token.
If the developer prefers to access the raw calibration data, there is a separate endpoint available called “calibration_info” to get this data in JSON, allowing for easy post-processing.
Further Reading
Explore the entire SHT43 product family to see how these pre-certified sensors streamline the design and manufacturing processes.
To learn more about the certification process, differences between NIST and ISO17025, and topics such as recertification or drift estimation, check out Sensirion's in-depth guide on certified smart tracking applications.
Author
Johannes Winkelmann is Sensirion's Director for Developer Experience, overseeing initiatives to support engineers in evaluating, prototyping, and designing solutions with sensors. With a background in Software Engineering and a decade of experience in developing software for embedded systems, wearables & mobile devices, he has spent the last ten years in the field of developer relations, with a secondary focus on building relationships with ecosystem partners.
Getting Started with the MAX78000 Feather Development Board
When it comes to the development board there are a ton of choices to choose from, such as Arduino boards, ESP32 development boards, STM32 Nucleo and Discovery boards, Teensy Boards, STM8 development boards and many more. However, the problem with most of these boards is that it is hard to find a price-to-performance balance. They are either cheap and lack features and performance or they are packed with features and performance with a hefty price tag. Even if you can find a board with a cheap price tag and better performance it most likely will lack any device support. With that in mind, I would like to draw your attention to the MAX78000FTHR development board from Analog Devices.
The MAX78000 Feather development board comes with a ton of features, including an ARM Coretex M4 processor with Risc-V coprocessor, Convolutional Neural Network Accelerator, CMOS VGA Image Sensor, Stereo Audio CODEC, Digital Microphone, On-Board DAPLink debugger and many more with price of only 32USD. It is designed for ultra-low-power, artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The MAX78000 feather board is not only packed with features, but it also gets great support from the manufacturer, Analog Devices. You can get almost all possible example codes with detailed explanations for easy learning and development.
So in this article, we will be reviewing the MAX78000 Feather development board, and we will go through its features, uses, and example codes. We have also selected the MAX78000 Feather development board for our IoT & Edge AI Project Challenge as one of three boards you can choose from. Check out the contest page for more information and don’t miss the chance to get a MAX78000 Feather development board and other interesting goodies along with a chance to win prizes up to Rs.7,00,000.
It’s Unboxing Time!
Now let’s unbox the MAX78000 feather board. The MAX78000 feather board comes in a sturdy cardboard box. The box contains the board itself, along with a USB cable, a pinout image, and header pins to be soldered to the board. The board is secured in a reusable ESD bag to protect it from any static electricity during shipment or handling.
MAX78000 Feather Development Board Features
As we said earlier the the MAX78000 development board is packed with a lot of features. Here are some of the main features listed.
MAX78000 Microcontroller
- Dual Core: Arm Cortex-M4 Processor with FPU, 100MHz, RISC-V Coprocessor, 60MHz
- 512KB Flash Memory
- 128KB SRAM
- 16KB Cache
- Convolutional Neural Network Accelerator
- 12-bit Parallel Camera Interface
- MAX20303 Wearable PMIC with Fuel Gauge
- Charge from USB
- On-board DAPLink Debug and Programming Interface for Arm Cortex-M4 processor with FPU
- Breadboard Compatible Headers
- Micro USB Connector
- Micro SD Card Connector
Integrated Peripherals
- RGB Indicator LED
- User Pushbutton
- CMOS VGA Image Sensor
- Low-Power Stereo Audio CODEC
- Digital Microphone
- SWD Debugger
- Virtual UART Console
- 10-Pin Cortex Debug Header for RISC-V Coprocessor
MAX78000 Feather Development Board Hardware Overview
Now let’s look at the hardware overview for the MAX78000. Here are the parts marking for the MAX78000 feather board top side.
As you can see the board comes with a lot of peripherals. The Micro USB port is used for powering the board as well as for charging, debugging and programming the feather board. The data pins of the USB are directly connected to the MAX32625, which is used for the DAP-Link interface. There an extra JTAG connector is available for debugging the RISC-V core. The board features a JST battery connector for LiPo batteries. This makes it easier to build portable devices and projects with this board. The power management for the entire board is managed by the MAX20303 power management controller. It also contains a fuel gauge feature, which will be useful to detect the state of charge of the connected battery. If we come to the peripherals, the MAX78000 feather board features 2 RGB LEDs, 5 tactile buttons, and a digital microphone. A VGA camera, and Audion line in and out connectors. Out of four tactile switches, one is used as a power button, one is used for the DAP link, one is for reset and the other two are for general usage. The SPH0645LM4H-B digital microphone is directly connected to the MAX78000 processor through the I2C interface. The OVM7692 VGA image sensor is also directly connected to the MAX78000 through the I2C and PCIF interface. The audio input and output are handled by the onboard MAX9867 stereo codec chip. This makes it easier to develop audion-related projects with very minimal software audio processing.
On the bottom side, we have the SD card slot which is interfaced with the MAX78000 through SPI. Other than that, we have the SWD connections for the MAX32625 along with the 1MB QSPI SRAM and some other complimentary circuitry.
The above image represents the application platform diagram of the MAX78000 feather board. In this, you can see all the peripherals and their corresponding interfacing buses.
MAX78000 Feather Development Board Pinout
This board comes with 17 GPIOs that are directly connected to the MAX78000, with two of them being analog input pins. It also has 3 more additional GPIO via the I2C interface of the PMIC. Among the available GPIOs, the MAX78000 board has two UART ports, one I2C port and one QSPI port. The QSPI interface is shared with the MicroSD and the QSPI SRAM. So keep that in mind while designing the projects.
The above image shows the connection between the MAX78000 processor and the onboard peripherals. This is very useful for understanding the structure and working the the standard peripheral libraries provided by Analog Devices.
Similarly, the above image shows the SRAM and Micro SD card connections to the MAX78000. Note that the VDD enable pin for the micro-SD card is connected to one of the GPIOs of the PMIC. You can control it via the I2C interface to enable or disable the micro-SD card.
It is Time to Test the Board
Just like most of the development boards, the MAX78000 feather board also comes with a demo program pre-programmed. Unlike most simple boards that come with basic blinky examples, the feather boards come with a fairly complex, but easy-to-use demo program. The Demo program is actually a keyword-spotting demo, which can detect certain voice commands or keywords using the onboard microphone. The demo code can recognize numbers from one to ten and the other two commands go and stop. Based on the number we prompt the board will then blink the onboard RGB LED that many times. For example, if we say four it will blink four times, if we say two it will blink twice.
So, to start with the demo code connect the board to a PC using the micro-USB cable, and it will show as a drive as well as a serial port. So, to understand the demo program a little better, we can use any serial monitor by checking the debug messages. To do so open any serial terminal program such as putty or you can use the serial monitor available in the Arduino IDE. Once connected select the appropriate COM port in the serial terminal and set the baud date to 115200. Now you will be able to see the debug message printed over the UART.
As you can see whenever a sound is detected the demo program will analyze it and if a keyword is detected it, will print out the result on the serial monitor and will blink the LED that many times. If the detected word is unknown, it will show that too.
Coding Our Own - Installing and Using Maxim Micros SDK
Just like Arduino IDE, Analog Devices provides its own development platform for the MAX78000 feather and similar boards, called the Maxim Micros SDK. To start with, go to the MAXT78000FTHR product page, and at the bottom of the page use can find the download links for the Maxim Micro SDK under the tools and simulations section. Download the package that is appropriate to the operating system you are using. Once downloaded install the SDK by following the onscreen instructions. Once installed you can find a folder named MaximSDK in the C drive, if you are using Windows. You can also find that the Eclipse IDE is also installed as a part of this SDK.
To start programming launch the Eclipse IDE. If you want to create a new project, you go to the file menu, select new and then select Analog Devices Microcontrollers. But we would recommend you try some of the sample programs that Analog Devices provide. To open a simple code, select import from the file menu, then select existing project into workspace, and click on next.
In the import window click on browse and select the root folder of any example code. You can find all the example codes within the MaximSDK folder located in the C drive. For this tutorial, we have selected the keyword sighting project, the one that came with the board, which can be found in the MaximSDK/Examples/MAX78000/CNN/kws20_demo. Select that particular folder and import the project. Once the project is imported you can see a lot of files and folders under the project file tree. In those let's look at the most important ones. The readme file will contain all the information about the project we need. You can go through it to understand the project and it's functioning a bit better.
Next the main.c file will contain the code for the project as usual. Next before compiling the project, we need to do some board-specific build setting. This is because the Maxim Micros SDK support different boards, and the example codes are written in a way that can be used with any of the supporting boards. So, to start, open the project.mk file and recommend the feather board definitions, that is BOARD=FTHR_RevA. Save that file and then open the make file. In the make file we need to set the build target, to do so change the line BOARD ?= EvKit_V1 to BOARD ?= FTHR_RevA. Save the file and now we can compile the project by clicking on the build button. Once the code is compiled successfully, we can click on the launch button to upload the code to the board. While the code is being uploaded the DAPLink Indicator LED will flash rapidly.
Once done open any serial monitor program and select the appropriate port and baud rate. As you can see in the above image, the sample program is similar to the one that came with the board and detects certain keywords and reacts accordingly.
Similarly, you can go through the other examples and get a grab on how they work and how to modify them to fit our need. Check out the video below for more information on how to use the MAX78000 Feather Development Board.
Overall, the MAX78000 feather development board is a very good option for both beginners and advanced users. Not only it is a powerful and easy-to-use development tool, but also the manufacturer Analog Devices provides a a ton of example codes and documentation. The development environment is easy to set up and doesn't need any lengthy procedure like some other development environments.
How The New Recommendations to the Govt will Boost Component Manufacturing Ecosystem in India
- To mitigate this threat, India must rapidly transition from import-dependence assembly to value-added component manufacturing.
- Value-added manufacturing requires a huge thrust on manufacturing components, parts, and their raw materials, which have a vast variety and are technology intensive.
India’s electronics industry is catalyzing economic transformation with an ambitious manufacturing plan to cater to both domestic and global markets. Electronics production is projected to grow from USD 107 billion to USD 300 billion by 2026, and further to USD 500 billion by 2030, reflecting strong confidence from manufacturers and investors.
Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in product assembly activities,especially in the mobile, consumer, IT, industrial, and telecom sectors, for which domestic and global companies have expanded production capacities in the country. However, the growth has been heavily reliant on imported components and sub-assemblies, with 60 percent plus of these imports appearing from China. This dependence threatens the sustainability and competitiveness of India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem, which is of strategic importance.
To mitigate this threat, India must rapidly transition from import-dependence assembly to value-added component manufacturing. Achieving this transition requires an enabling environment to build large-scale capacities in high-potential components and sub-assemblies. Integration with the global value chain is also essential to fulfill the government’s vision of “Local Goes Global” and Atmanirbhar Bharat. In an effort to grow the industry and making it globally competitive industry bodies such as ELCINA has been advocating for a targeted policy to encourage growth of value-added manufacturing of components and critical assemblies to establish India as a global supply base, fostering a competitive and sustainable electronics manufacturing ecosystem with a global footprint.
S Krishnan, IAS, Secretary MeitY said, "Ten to fifteen years back, the department was not looking to develop the core electronics and the focus was mostly centered upon developing software, e-governance and other aspects. Currently, 70 percent of PCBs used in India are still imported. But, in the past 5-6 years, the core electronics mojo is back again on the right track. India is now having a very successful PLI on IT hardware and 27 companies have signed MoUs. Many of them have already started operating. This PLI offers benefits even to the existing companies and provides subsidies as well. The overall projected investment is only about Rs 2,500 Crores."
What Value-added Manufacturing Requires?
Schemes to promote the ESDM sector announced under NPE 2019 policy have given encouraging results and set the ball rolling. It has strengthened the ecosystem including R&D and infrastructure and by incentivizing capital investment, production has multiplied fivefold to US$ 140 billion in the last ten years. The catch however is that success has been notable in the assembly of finished equipment and EMS. These policies have had limited impact on value-addition and/or deepening of the value chain and without the same a sustainable and globally competitive industry cannot be established in India.
Other than this, value-added manufacturing requires a huge thrust on manufacturing components, parts, and their raw materials, which have a vast variety and are technology intensive. This segment of the supply chain requires high investment and is characterized by low investment to turnover ratio, long gestation period as well as high intensity of energy, finance, and labor requirements.
A couple of days after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time, reports in the media surfaced that the union cabinet is all set to unleash Rs 30,000 Crore electronics component scheme. The scheme, which is a part of the government’s coming 100-day agenda, will provide ample subsidies for acquiring land to set-up industries for manufacturing critical components. An exclusive report by Money control stated that the scheme is expected to be rolled out in August-September and the majority of the funds will be allocated towards capital subsidies for purchasing land to manufacture certain electronic components, which has a lower capital output ratio. The upcoming scheme will appear in place of Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), which has already expired on March 31. A senior government official who wishes to be unnamed told the media, "We are not doing it as a PLI scheme… It may or may not be a PLI. It could be a mix and match of a variety of things because there will be certain cases where we have to do a capital subsidy."
Speaking of the growth of the sector, Amrit Manwani, Chairman at Sahasra Group of Electronics said, “India has immense potential to lead the global value chain in this industry. But in order to meet the same, the government must look to focus deeply on building components manufacturing and the associated supply chain. The infrastructure needs to be top-notch and there should be separate schemes to boost non-semiconductor components.”
What the New Government Must Do to Grow the Component Manufacturing Ecosystem
The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has been established to provide high priority for development of semiconductor wafer fabs, compound semiconductors, ATMP, and design which have similar characteristics. A focused scheme on non-semiconductor components, electronic modules (display, sensors, audio, batteries) and some discrete active components which are not covered under ISM is the need of the hour. For instance, ELCINA has submitted its recommendations for a scheme which will propel this critical segment of the electronics and target high double-digit growth.
As one size does not fit all types of components, they are judiciously divided into six categories. Of these, the sixth category is the ‘Other Components’ which is further subdivided in five categories. This has been done to make the recommendations effective and targeted to address the specific needs of each segment.
1. PCB
2. Electromechanical
3. Semiconductor/Active
4. Passive
5. Magnets & Wound
6. Other Components
a. Speakers, microphones, senors, and motors
b. Mechanics
c. Display Assembly/Module
d. Battery (Overall)
e. Camera Module
The above segments have been done on the following criteria which determine the strategy required to address the hurdles faced by each of these segments. There are:
- Investment to Output Ratio
- Value Addition
- Financial Investment to Achieve Competitive Scale and Critical Mass
- Labor Intensity
- Technology Requirement and Availability
- Import Dependence for Inputs
Important Recommendations to The Government to Boost ESDM Sector
The growth target in this industry is an idealistic goal to achieve India’s vision to become a global player in the ESDM sector. It is critical because of the growing importance of electronics technology in all spheres. For a country of our size, continued dependence on imports is a huge strategic risk exposing us to cyber, defense, and internal security related attacks. Strengthening the components ecosystem and strengthening our capabilities in design will enable India to be part of the global value chain and resilience for sustainable growth.
For instance, ELCINA has done a detailed analysis and multiple stakeholder consultation on the above criteria and taken inputs from industry experts as well as estimated item wise data for production, imports, exports, and demand. ELCINA has projected the production and demand supply gap on the basis of Business as Usual (BAU) without incentives and accelerated production with the proposed incentives. The incentives are proposed in two categories, High Priority Components and Standard Priority Components. It is noteworthy that with incentives the demand supply gap is reduced by US$ 23 billion by 2026 and 145 billion by the end of 2030.
Rajoo Goel, Secretary General of ELCINA said, “This is the time for India to realize its potential and become a major player in the global value chain for the electronics industry. The ISM’s package of Rs 76,000 Crore has generated significant interest in the country, though it may not be sufficient to fuel the industry for long, and the government must think to enhance the allocation for semiconductor manufacturing. We must further improve ease of doing business in India thus ensuring predictability for investors to pursue their projects with confidence for success.”
With right policy interventions and adequate quantum of incentives an additional capacity of US$ 23 billion and US$ 145 billion can be created by 2026 and 2030 respectively. The success story of mobile manufacturing in the country with exports crossing USD 10 billion and 100 million in numbers set a benchmark. It also boosted the confidence in the Indian ecosystem and the delivery mechanism of government backed projects. The nation has shown great initiative in developing the product and manufacturing ecosystem in the country and the government has provided due support to enable this growth.
Why India Must Have a Resilient Supply Chain to Grow Electronics Industry Globally, Highlights Experts
- Around 40-50 percent of the bill of materials in mobile phones assembled in the country is imported largely from China.
- With the help of latest technology and with the economies of scale, the Chinese firms have the ability to scale-up India’s domestic supply chain.
The geopolitical scuffles coupled with the pandemic have threatened international financial security. With the escalating tensions in the border, the union government flipped its policy governing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in an effort to reduce dependence on Chinese electronics firms. Initially, the policy tweaking did not help in speedy localization because the value addition in mobile products was just 12-20 percent in the first three years of PLI scheme. On the other hand, around 95 percent of laptops were also imported, mostly from China. Questions then surfaced all over the media that whether India will be able to set-up a robust domestic electronics supply chain or not.
The experts feel that boosting domestic electronics companies will take time. With the help of latest technology and with the economies of scale, the Chinese firms have the ability to scale-up India’s domestic supply chain. For instance, around 40-50 percent of the bill of materials in mobile phones assembled in the country is imported largely from China. Analyzing the situation, the Modi government has already begun discussing with stakeholders for an all new PLI scheme targeting electronic components.
Amidst this international global economic threat, the nation's Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) ecosystem has turned out to be a strategic and high-growth sector. The mobile phone sector has alone seen a rapid growth in production from 60 million to 310 million units towards the end of 2022. The nation’s competitive remuneration package, proficient workforce, and a favorable geopolitical environment has magnetized manufacturing investments from numerous countries. India now needs to abide by a multi-faceted approach, which include resource security measures, conclusive policy making, IP protection measures, and strategic collaborations.
All these strategic and geographical advantages are helping foriegn electronic firms to choose India as the next manufacturing hub. According to an exclusive report by PWC India, the strategic collaboration between India and other countries can facilitate the relocation of sub-component value chains to India, enabling local firms to develop niche advantages and achieve greater self-reliance in the production of electronics by consolidating value chains and leveraging the four most critical levers of the production system – technology, talent, trunk infrastructure and trade.
During the ongoing session, the speakers also highlighted that in an effort to grow the electronics supply chain sector, India must protect its crucial mineral resources and it needs to completely focus on leveraging ample reserves of some minerals in a way to access the resources the nation lacks. There are certain regions, where India faces immense challenges in having certain minerals, which forces it to depend on other countries. In this regard, India needs to depend on friendly countries with extremely low political risks.
In this regard, let’s find out what the industry experts and the government officials highlighted the key strategies of growing India’s electronics supply chain ecosystem:
Sanjay Agarwal, managing director, Globe Capacitors
India’s electronics industry is growing at a large scale, and we will definitely reach the target of $300 billions of total production by 2026. But in order to meet the same, we have to ensure that the country is equipped with resilient supply chain infrastructure by which we will be able to respond quickly to operational disruptions via flexible contingency planning and infrastructure. Our export ratios are also growing, and more strategies are required to grow it on a large-scale. For instance, mobile phone exports have reached more than Rs 1 Lakh Crore and are expected to cross Rs 1.2 trillion in the coming years. Now, we have to ensure that we have a robust component manufacturing ecosystem in the country and set the target to export them in other countries.
Sasikumar Gendham, managing director, Salcomp
Rome wasn't built in a single day. Keeping that in time, it will also take time for India to top the global value chain. But I am very optimistic that we will top it soon. In an effort to meet the same, India needs to focus strongly on building a robust supply chain ecosystem or else the same dependency situation will continue. Our export and production ratios of various segments of electronics have increased over the years. Semiconductors will take time to lead but recently we had giant announcements in this sector also in a very short span of time. I urge everyone to be optimistic and work closely to build the ecosystem.
Sushi Pal (IAS), joint secretary, MeitY
Our government is now actively involved with all the stakeholders in growing the industry and which is why we are able to successfully deliver the productivity. If you look back at the past couple of years, you will realize how India’s growth in electronics manufacturing has been escalated. There was a time when the industry was neglected, but now the government has kept it on a high priority because it is the future. Without electronics no industry can survive and therefore you can imagine its immense potential in growing the GDP. Supply chain management is the key area where we need to focus now actively, and the government will definitely come out with some new strategy and announcements soon. Apart from this the stakeholders should also concentrate on making India a design powerhouse in electronics manufacturing. We should now design products for ourselves also.
Anurag Dhoot, managing director, Epitome Components
The growth opportunities and employment generation is tremendous in this sector. India would have had the lion’s share in this industry if we would have taken steps twenty years back. But now keeping aside the past, let’s now concentrate on the present and formulate innovative strategies and make new designs for the country. We have a huge talent pool in the country, but we have to ensure there is a huge opportunity in hardware engineering. The PLI scheme, SPECS, EMC all proved to be a game-changer for the industry. Also, now we have to strengthen our supply chain ecosystem and grow the components manufacturing in the country as well.
India’s Electronics Boom: Spearheading The Global Market from Import to Export
Weeks after Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi became the Prime Minister of India in May 2014, a meeting has been summoned by the PM in Vigyan Bhawan for discussing key development strategies and the roadmap for India. While discussing the current policies and strategies, the PM also urged for Making products in India. In fact, separate funds and campaigns must be done to boost the industrial sectors in India. After highlighting all the sectors, the PM urged to formulate separate policies and form investment plans to bolster the electronics and semiconductor ecosystem in India. Quoting the impact of growing the electronics industry, the PM said that along with developing other social issues, there is a requirement to grow this sector and make it globally competitive as it has the huge potential to contribute in macroeconomics. This is when full effort and initiatives have been undertaken by the government to grow the industry. In the middle of the digital revolution, there is a requirement for all the nations to grow and boost their electronics manufacturing ecosystem. “Make-in-India”, “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, and “Vocal for Local” are some the campaigns that elevated the confidence among the indian electronics companies to produce goods locally for domestic consumption and exports.
Speaking of India's growth in export and production in the ESDM sector, exports of electronic goods reached Rs 41220 crores, and production reached Rs 388306 crore in 2017 as per a report by the government. By 2022, exports reached Rs 109797 crore and production had reached Rs 6,40,810 crore. Speaking of macroeconomics, in the financial year 2022, the contribution of domestic production value of electronics to Indian GDP was about 2.7 percent. This contribution share was estimated to increase to 4.7 percent by the financial year 2026 in the country.
In a very short span of time, the government in association with the industry bodies and the manufacturers has changed the dynamics of the electronics manufacturing ecosystem. It is growing at such a rapid pace, the government has now set a target of $300-$400bn worth of total production by 2026. Have you ever imagined why the entire world is now undertaking efforts to boost this sector? It is event that COVID-19 has spurred the demand of electronics and semiconductors all over the world, but demand has already augmented with the proliferation of the internet and increased pace of digitization. Hardly, there are any industrial sectors that can survive without electronics. From smart home to automobiles, FMCG, and other sectors, electronics have dominated most of the industrial sectors. This industry has the potential to contribute massively to the GDP of a country.
Policies and Schemes That Redefined India’s Electronics Manufacturing Ecosystem
After several rounds of discussions in regards to growing the industry, the then government and the industry bodies like ELCINA has formulated the first policy in 2012 directed towards growing the electronics industry in India, dubbed National Policy on Electronics (NPE). Under its aegis, Electronics Manufacturing Cluster EMC 1.0 was formed. Although it’s termed as the most comprehensive policy formulation, the NPE 2012 failed to attract big-ticket investments, seed high value-added manufacturing in the India ESDM ecosystem, or create large-scale employment, according to the Economic Times report by Rajoo Goel, Secretary-General of ELCINA. According to R. Swaminathan’s report, NPE 2012, comes on the back of a strong and sustained demand for consumer electronic goods that accounted for a hefty bill of US$125 billion. However, just about 10 percent of India's consumption was produced internally; the rest was imported.
Can a nation bolster electronics manufacturing at large-scale without developing the components ecosystem? Although the electronics industry is being developed at various fronts, the country still outsources 80 percent of components and raw materials from China and other countries. The industry bodies and the manufacturers have constantly stressed the importance of developing components and the semiconductor ecosystem. After several years of NPE 2012, the government revised the policy in 2019 and under its aegis launched the much-appreciated Production Linked Incentive for 14 sectors worth Rs. 197 lakh crores.
Under NPE 2019, Modified Special Incentives Scheme (M-SIPS), Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC), and Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) have been announced to boost the industry. In fact, the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign initiated during the pandemic in 2020 also played a key role in motivating manufacturers to make products in India and highlighted the imperativeness of self-reliance in electronics manufacturing. This is when Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron, now acquired by Tata, started producing Apple’s iPhones in the southern part of India.
The Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) was notified on 1st April 01, 2020. The SPECS Scheme provides financial incentive of 25% on capital expenditure for the identified list of electronic goods that comprise downstream value chain of electronic products, i.e., electronic components, semiconductor / display fabrication units, ATMP units, specialized sub-assemblies and capital goods for manufacture of aforesaid goods. .Over the tenure of SPECS Scheme, the expected new investment in Electronic Components and sub-assemblies was Rs 20,000 crore. The total employment potential of the scheme was approximately 6,00,000 (1,50,000 direct employment and 4,50,000 indirect employment). Under this scheme, around 32 companies have been selected and given incentives.
Then, in an effort to create a world class infrastructure, the government again revised the original Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in 2020, dubbed EMC 2.0. Under EMC 2.0 scheme, 3 EMC applications covering an area of 1,337 acres have been approved with project cost of Rs 1902.69 crore including financial assistance of Rs 889.02 crore from Government of India. These EMCs are poised to attract an investment of about Rs 20,910 crore and have potential to generate 51,520 employment opportunities after getting operational. An amount of Rs 205.24 crore has been released for scheme execution.
The industry bodies have also stressed for promoting large scale electronics manufacturing. The NDA government amended this scheme twice – in August 2015 and in January 2017, and mainly provided a Capex subsidy of 20-25%. It was closed on 31st December 2018 to receive new applications. In this scheme, 320 applications with proposed investment of Rs 89,194 crore are under consideration. Out of these 320 applications, 315 applications with proposed investment of Rs 86,904 crore and committed incentives of Rs 9,566 crore have been approved. Incentives amounting to Rs 1917.09 crore have been disbursed.
The important point to be noted is that semiconductors form a major part of all electronic products, as a result of growth in the electronics manufacturing sector. This market in India has also witnessed proportionate growth over the last few years. As per the industry estimate, the semiconductor consumption in India was around Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2020 which is being met through imports due to absence of commercial semiconductor fabs in India. The vision of AtmaNirbharta in electronics & semiconductors was given further momentum by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon‟ble Prime Minister approving the Semicon India program with a total outlay of Rs. 76,000 crores for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in our country. According to minister of electronics and IT for State Rajeev Chandrashekar, India is now looking forward to achieving $56 billion in semiconductors by 2026 and $110 billion by 2030.
The total outlay of India’s semiconductor program has helped the country to witness US based global semiconductor company Micron’s new assembly and test facility in Gujarat, India at an investment of $2.75 billion out of which the company will receive 50 percent fiscal support for the total project cost from the Indian central government and incentives representing 20 percent of the total project cost from the state of Gujarat. Micron’s new facility will enable assembly and test manufacturing for both DRAM and NAND products and address demand from domestic and international markets.
Most importantly, India also witnessed the first semiconductor fabrication unit, a joint collaboration between Tata Electronics and Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) with an investment of Rs 91,000 Crore. Apart from the fab approval, the cabinet also approved Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd’s ATMP unit in Assam with an investment of Rs 27,000 crore. Interestingly, Japan’s Renesas Electronics and India’s CG Power have also formed a joint venture to set-up another ATMP unit in Sanand region of Gujarat with an investment of Rs 75,000 crore. Interestingly, home-grown companies such as Sahasra group, Suchi Semicon, and HCL and in association with Foxconn have announced semiconductor OSAT units.
Global Strategies That Will Spurr India’s Growth in Electronics Value Chain
With the onset of COVID-19, anti-China sentiments started growing in India, US, Europe, and in several nations. In fact, the global companies such as Foxconn, Intel, Samsung, and others started finding alternatives other than China to set-up their production units. Apart from Vietnam and Philippines, India is the most preferred destination among the global companies.
Geopolitically speaking, ChinaPlus One Strategy is already helping India to grow its ESDM sector in various ways and the alliance with the USA will give India further impetus to boost its semiconductor industry both in terms of investment and revenues. The major problem is China is still leading the component industry and without that you can grow your industry. Therefore, both India and the US must find solutions to grow its component sector. Global investments have already happened in India and experts assure the close association with the US will make India a major player in the ESDM sector internationally.
As no one would like to put eggs in one basket. India has an added advantage in terms of design experts as leading semiconductor companies have design houses here and It's the manufacturing and IP where we catch up and we believe India is at the right place at the right time. Semi content within categories is increasing, while the electronic devices growth will continue too. Promoting product design, including both hardware and software can be a first step in making India a hub for the electronics system design and manufacturing sector. India semiconductor market consumption is all set to reach $64Bn by 2026 with a CAGR of 16 percent.
According to Mr. Rajoo Goel, India now stands out as a bright spot and beacon of hope. With our focus on the ESDM sector, India has been pulling out all stops for enabling the electronics eco-system and establishing itself as a serious player in the global industry. While our economy and markets are growing, demand growth outpaced supply and we remained dependent on growing imports. Concerted efforts in the last few years have salvaged the situation somewhat. However, much more needs to be done to create a sustainable ecosystem especially with respect to value addition and manufacturing of components.
"In this situation the India Taiwan partnership has great potential, particularly because we are aligned by our values of being trusted Partners and more importantly, our strengths and weaknesses complement each other. This presents a great opportunity for success through collaboration. Taiwan is looking to strengthen its partnerships in all domains with India, especially in the electronics and ICT domain. The gravitas with respect to India is growing with our steadily growing economy from 5th position currently to the expected 3rd rank by the end of this decade. All our trusted Partners and most of the world are looking towards the economic success of India with the conviction that India would be a stabilizing factor in the current fractured world and be a strong player in the global value chain,” added Mr. Goel.
Of late, various reforms and policy measures have been announced with an aim of escalating the share of manufacturing in gross value added (GVA) to 25 percent. In the financial year of 2019-20, the manufacturing cluster offered 17.1 percent of GVA and exports accounted for 20.7 percent of the overall manufacturing yield. The point to be noted is that none of the computer chips are completely manufactured in India yet and although US semiconductor firms have shown a lot of optimism to India there is still a discrepancy between what has been committed in eloquence and what has been assured in a signed document.
India’s Electronics Manufacturing Boom: From Import to Export
According to research body IBEF, overall, electronics manufacturing saw exponential growth to reach US$ 67.3 billion in 2020-21 from US$ 37.1 billion in 2015-16. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused serious disruptions across the globe, but the industry has shown strong signs of recovery. India has been one of the pioneers of the Local Goes Global movement. The country is focusing on developing its share in the global value chain, establishing export hubs in different states, constructing a high-quality and seamless supply chain, and increasing its overall market share in the electronics export market. The Digital India Program has led to a paradigm transition towards digitization and e-governance in India. India's market share in the global electronics manufacturing industry increased to 3.6 percent in 2020 from 1.3 percent in 2012.
A US$ 1 trillion digital economy target is projected to boost demand for electronics, which may stand at around US$ 180 billion by 2025-26. If India can accomplish the manufacturing goal of US$ 300 billion for electronics, the local market requirement may be fully met by such manufacturing. The US$ 300 billion target also requires US$ 120 billions of exports in the global market.
Speaking about the growth of India’s EMS sector, Vinod Sharma, managing director, Deki Electronics, said, “India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem is certainly growing very rapidly, but most importantly, the industry today believes that it has the potential to grow globally. India is now becoming a favored destination for electronics manufacturing. For instance, the PLIs for IT hardware, mobile phones, LED’s, and consumer electronics have mostly sparked the assembly department. It incentivizes locally made components, but in the last ten years, we have become a huge assembler and exporter at the same time. We are expecting that there will be some sort of incentives given by the government in component manufacturing. Although PLI is the most game-changing policy of all, it should reach the smaller companies and target the component sector. It mostly attracted the larger companies because the investment ratios are very high.”
India is one of the largest mobile handset manufacturing countries globally and the second-largest smartphone market in the world. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) unveiled the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) for cellular handsets and other sub-assemblies with an aim to scale up domestic value addition. Manufacturing of mobile phones rose to 290 million units in 2020-21 from 60 million units in 2014-15. Mobile phone exports from India will grow more than fivefold to USD 50-60 billion in the coming time from about USD 11 billion last year, Union IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. He said that 10 years ago India imported 98 per cent of mobile phones and at present 99 per cent of the devices are made in India. Around 10 lakh people work in electronics manufacturing. In the coming days, 25 lakh people will work in electronics manufacturing. The minister also added that India will become the third largest economy by 2027 while it was ranked 11th in 2014.
Now, when it comes to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hardware, the first use of electronics was in the communication and computing domain. In 2020, India witnessed a surge in ICT hardware demand due to COVID-19-led disruptions. Due to the remote working trend, households and individual customers purchased tablets and computers. Enterprises have heavily spent on their data center infrastructure (to ensure steady demand amid work-from-home and online dealings), and telecommunication service providers have been modernizing their infrastructure to cater to surging broadband demand.
Ten out of the 40 companies that applied for the Centre's revised production-linked incentive scheme for IT hardware have started production from 1 July 2023, while 25 plan to begin manufacturing by 1 April 2024, according to MeitY. The government expects an incremental investment of Rs 5,010 crore from the 40 applicants, including global IT hardware companies such as Dell and HP that are participating directly under the revised production-linked incentive scheme. Other major players such as HPE, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS, Thomson were participating through electronics manufacturing services providers or contract manufacturers including Flextronics and Rising Stars, a unit of Foxconn Technology Group in India. Officials added that Indian companies such as Padget, a subsidiary of Dixon Technologies, VVDN, Netweb, Syrma, Optiemus Technologies, Sahasra, Neolync, Panache, Sojo, a unit of Lava mobiles, and Kaynes have also participated in the scheme which will get impetus from the strong IT services industry which was driving the demand within the country.
Consumer electronics is another key domain whose manufacturing and demand has escalated tremendously in the country over the years. According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), India's television production was US$ 4.24 billion in 2020-21 and is anticipated to reach US$ 10.22 billion by 2025-26, expanding at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20%. The kind of television sets available in the market includes a wide variety of LCDs, plasma, LEDs and so on, offering high resolution and sharp picture quality. Additionally, a decreasing trend in the pricing of LED and LCD televisions is fuelling the penetration of such televisions in the market. A few initiatives taken by the government include increasing the basic customs duty on multiple consumer electronics goods in order to push companies into replacing imported goods. Furthermore, the government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the consumer electronics manufacturing segment through the direct route and offered capital expenditure subsidy under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS).
The ELCINA CTF report also highlighted that the industry’s ecosystem has evolved to keep pace with the changing demand patterns. The supply chains are now far more complex, diverse, and optimized to meet the new industry structure. Currently, a significant share of Indian demand is met by imports. But the Indian electronics industry is being ushered into an era wherein the manufacture of several components will be indigenized through regulatory support and incentivized production from the government of India. There have been several policies such as Make in India, National Policy of Electronics 2019, Production Linked Incentives (PLI) & Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) etc. which are primarily to promote domestic manufacturing, lowering import dependence, and expanding exports.
The electronics industry in India has been one of the fastest growing sectors. It has grown at a healthy pace of 15% over the last 7 years, despite Covid as shown in the Chart below. The Indian Electronics manufacturing has reached Rs 625,950 Crores in 2021-225 comprises of Mobile Phones (44%), Industrial Electronics (16%), Consumer Electronics (14%), Electronic components (13%), Strategic Electronics (6%), Computer Hardware (4%) and LEDs (3%).
Highlighting further on India’s potential to grow the industry, Amrit Manwani, managing director Sahasra Group, said, “The industry has seen sea change towards policy for this sector. In the last tens years, the electronics industry has seen a proper direction that has helped to expand its presence in the global market. All the three PLIs which have been announced in the last three years including the SPECS scheme have boosted investments in the sector. But as far as PLI for IT hardware 2.0 is concerned, this should actually stimulate the manufacturing of IT hardware products in India, which has witnessed a very nominal growth in the last seven decades. In the coming five to six years, this scheme will pose a significant growth in electronics manufacturing. It will not only make us self-reliant, but will also address various security concerns through the import of the IT hardware products.”
Source: ELCINA CTF 2.0
Growth of India’s Electronic Components Market-Overview
Although India has set to achieve a target of $300 billions of electronics by the end 2025, industry leaders feel that the country’s component manufacturing is still in its nascent stage. According to Viond Sharma, managing director of Deki Electronics, in the current product mix, out of the 100 billion dollars, we are actually manufacturing 52.7 percent of the electronics components, according to last year's data. Around 150 billion dollars of components will be required to reach the target.
The global market for electronic components is expected to reach USD 2,628 billion in 2022, of which the Asia Pacific region is going to capture a dominant share. Following this global trend, the Indian electronic components market is also poised to grow significantly. This growth will be driven by rising local demand and growing disposable incomes. Apart from this, the adoption of high-end technology devices, technology-driven transformation such as the roll-out of 5G/4G/LTE networks and the Internet of Things (IoT), policy and incentive boosts from the government like ‘Digital India’ and ‘Smart Cities’, wider broadband connectivity, e-governance programmes, etc, are all driving the accelerated adoption of electronic products.
The growth of the electronic products industry has started driving the expansion of the electronic components industry as well. According to ELCINA, the market size of the Indian Electronic Components Market in India [(Domestic Production – Exports) +Imports] increased from USD 11 billion in FY 2009-10 to USD 29.9 billion in FY 2021-22 (excluding the Imported PCB-Assemblies), with a year-on-year growth rate of around 8.7 percent. The Electronic Components Market has largely grown driven by a huge increase in Mobile Phones manufacturing in India in the last 2 years. The Electronic Components Market in India including Imported PCB-Assemblies is estimated to be around USD 39.2 billion.
Mobile Phones, Consumer Electronics and Industrial Electronics account for the major demand (85%) for electronic components in India. This is followed by Computer Hardware, strategic electronics and lighting industry contributing to the balance of the market. The Indian Electronic Components Market seems to be largely dependent on imports which accounts for over 68 percent of the Indian Market requirement. Nearly 37% of the local production of Electronic Components is exported. Industries like Mobile Phones, Industrial Electronics (due to the advent of EVs) and Strategic Electronics are expected to witness substantial growth in the near future. The Indian Electronic Components Market (Excluding Imported PCB-Assemblies) was estimated to be around USD 27.3 billion in FY 2021-22 as shown below in Chart below.
Some Additional Developments: In a Nutshell
- In the interim budget 2023-24, apart from the incentive scheme of Rs 76,000 crore unleashed in December 2021, the finance minister allocated Rs 3,000 crore in the budget session of FY 2023-24 and this year the amount has been increased to Rs 6,903 Crore.
- In terms of mobile manufacturing, the PLI scheme has been increased to Rs Rs 6,125 crore, up from Rs 4,489 crore in the last year.
- Production-linked scheme (PLI) for large-scale electronics manufacturing (including mobiles) has seen investments worth Rs. 6,887 crore (US$ 833 million) (till June 2023), already surpassing the target for FY24 which was Rs. 5,488 crore (US$ 664.4 million).
- India has overtaken China as the second-largest manufacturer of mobile devices in the world, according to a report released by the international research firm Counterpoint in August. The ‘Make in India’ initiative's mobile phone shipments from India exceeded 2 billion cumulative units and an annual growth rate of 23% was recorded.
- The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) announced the exchange of signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and Lam Research India at the SemiconIndia in Gandhinagar.
- In November 2023, Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications & IT said that 99% of mobiles used in India are made in India.
- In FY23, the exports of electronic goods were recorded at US$ 23.57 billion as compared to US$ 15.66 billion during FY22, registering a growth of 50.52%.
- During April 2022-February 2023, the imports of electronics goods stood at US$ 70.07 billion, whereas exports stood at US$ 20.69 billion.
- A joint venture of Corning and Tamil Nadu state government agreed to invest Rs 1,000 crore underscoring the growing importance of the south Asian country as a manufacturing hub.
GaN HEMTs: Future Power Semiconductors
Silicon-based metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) have been the standard in power electronics applications since the 1960s. Still, the evolution of various technologies—particularly in the automotive and consumer electronics sectors—have created new challenges for developers seeking to provide higher efficiency and greater power density in increasingly smaller form factors. Power supplies for everything from large data centers and wall outlet AC adapters to onboard charging stations in automobiles require high voltages while taking up as little valuable board space as possible. Self-driving cars also require more efficient energy distribution to operate the growing number of imaging devices and sensors used to navigate and detect potential obstacles. And while silicon-based semiconductors have essentially already been maxed out in higher-demand implementations, GaN-based (gallium nitride) semiconductors are increasingly proving to be an optimal solution for these types of design challenges.
Understanding GaN HEMTs
GaN HEMTs (High Electron Mobility Transistors) aren’t necessarily a better option than Si MOSFETs, silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, or IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) in every design scenario. However, they are particularly well-suited for applications requiring high-frequency performance in the medium voltage range. 600V GaN FETs are most commonly used in traditional power supplies for everything from personal computers and consumer electronic devices to base station power supplies and wireless charging devices. In contrast, SiC MOSFETs can provide up to 1200V, making them a better fit for applications with higher current requirements like automotive traction inverters and large-scale solar farms. Despite providing less power than SiC MOSFETs, GaN HEMTs operate at higher frequencies—greater than 200kHz—delivering faster switching speeds with reduced transmission loss. And although GaN HEMTs feature a power density similar to traditional Si MOSFETs, their capacity to operate at higher frequencies makes them ideal for wireless charging applications. SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs are better suited for sets that require more power but less efficiency (i.e., electrically powered vehicles, large industrial machinery) or enormous power consumers like server farms.
What ‘s more, GaN HEMTs are offered in smaller form factors than conventional MOSFETs while being less costly to manufacture and operate. The raw materials used in GaN technology are also significantly less expensive than those in SiC devices. For example, GaN requires less heat than SiC to produce, resulting in significant energy savings for manufacturers. Additionally, GaN devices are developed on silicon substrates, as are most integrated circuits, allowing developers to use pre-existing production methods and facilities to produce GaN HEMTs with very little retrofitting. Finally, post-production operation of GaN HEMTs consumes less power and requires less cooling and, therefore, less energy to operate than SiC MOSFETs, providing additional cost savings to the consumer.
One drawback of GaN HEMTs is the need to be used in conjunction with gate drivers in certain implementations due to their narrow optimal drive voltage. If the drive voltage is too low—less than two volts—the device may malfunction and turn on by itself, and if the gate withstand voltage is too low, the gate itself might break down. The optimal drive voltage for GaN implementation is between 4.5V and 6V—any less may mean it won't turn on, and any more might fry the circuit. Incorporating an external gate driver helps maximize transistor performance but takes up additional space on the board, which is a factor developers must consider. However, GaN devices produce less heat and require less cooling than their silicon-based counterparts, potentially lowering energy and maintenance costs for the customer even further.
The many benefits of using discrete GaN HEMTs may seem to be significantly restricted by the issues described above, but overcoming these limitations is possible. One advantage of GaN HEMTs is that they can be built on the same substrate as other integrated circuits, enabling additional circuitry to be included in the same device. For example, circuits for controlling the drive voltage to within the desired range to prevent a low voltage from turning on the device unexpectedly or driving the gate voltage too high and potentially damaging the device. At the same time, an integrated solution typically costs less than a discrete configuration, takes up less board space, reduces parasitic effects, and simplifies board layout. And from a performance standpoint, an integrated solution can maintain and even improve the high operating frequency advantage of the GaN HEMT compared to a multiple-device implementation. Reliability is also increased—a benefit that is very important for many power delivery applications.
ROHM Semiconductor’s Nano Cap™ 650V GaN HEMT Power Stage ICs combine the high-power density and efficiency of GaN technology with a silicon driver to form a fully integrated IC solution. GaN ICs are not only an optimal fit for medium voltage applications like base station chargers and power adapters—they can be implemented in industrial applications and high-density power supplies as well. The lower cooling requirements of ROHM’s GaN ICs minimize the need for heat sinks and other cooling mechanisms, further reducing physical board space. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GaN’s smaller form factor (and superior efficiency) eventually overtake silicon-based ICs as technologies continue to evolve, especially when implemented in tandem with gate drivers. For mobile applications that require ultra-high frequency operation and loss minimization, ROHM’s Nano Cap 650V GaN HEMT Power Stage ICs provide a complete and efficient solution.
Conclusion
Gallium Nitride HEMTs represent a promising frontier in power semiconductor technology, offering efficiency improvements and cost advantages for various applications, from consumer electronics to power delivery systems. With ongoing advancements and integration possibilities, GaN HEMTs, like those from ROHM Semiconductor, are poised to reshape the landscape of power electronics.
Original Source: Mouser
About the Author
Alex Pluemer is a senior technical writer for Wavefront Marketing, specializing in advanced electronics, emerging technologies and responsible technology development.
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