How will this new devices shape the application landscape? These days, energy savings and new regulations around the topic are more important than ever. These regulations can be addressed with existing circuits and devices. But it cannot be done while maintaining existing cost levels. Power switches from Fairchild Semiconductor provide a new cost-performance ratio that makes life easier for many R&D engineers that are asked by their company and their customers to make the power subsystem more efficient.

It is important to note that these new, smaller devices, really enable efficient integration of power subsystems in multi-chip packages too, for covering reasonable power levels. With previous technologies, power was always too limited, since with the thermal limitations of the packages and the excessive heat these solutions made no sense. This is changing now, with a multitude of IGBT modules mainly for motion control, induction heating and welding applications, and first power supply modules beyond the FPS power range already available from Fairchild Semiconductor, and more to come.

It was (again) possible to improve the state of the art where it matters most in power subsystems. Developing such a new technology and making sure it works under all imaginable circumstances can take several years, and is a multi-million dollar undertaking - not something for the faint at heart. But it is worth it, as more and more products are being scrutinized for saving energy, leaving more money in the end users' pockets and saving the planet in the process. So, it's just a switch - or is it?