Microsemi opens Aviation Centre of Excellence for intelligent power solutions in Ennis, Ireland

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., 3 Feb. 2016. Microsemi Corp. (Nasdaq:MSCC), a provider of semiconductor solutions, is opening its Aviation Centre of Excellence in Ennis, Ireland. The 1,900 square-foot research and development facility will support the design, development, and manufacturing of Microsemi’s new product line of high reliability aviation intelligent power solutions (IPS).

The facility’s new research and development laboratory offers modeling, simulation, analysis, and algorithm development capabilities for accelerated product innovation. The state-of-the-art measuring equipment enables extensive product testing, while a dedicated reliability laboratory facilitates product qualification and long-term application specific life testing, officials describe.

As the aviation sector continues to demand higher levels of reliability and integration in the area of power electronics in order to realize the goal of more electric aircraft (MEA), Microsemi’s Aviation Centre of Excellence will play a critical role in supporting this objective, officials explain.

Power electronics is the enabling technology for the more electric aircraft; however, MEA advantages are marginal with current technology and advancements in the areas of reliability, power density, wide band gap semiconductor materials, and thermal management are essential to achieve its full potential, says Professor Pat Wheeler, head of department, electrical and electronic engineering and deputy head of the Power Electronics, Machines and Controls (PEMC) Research Group at the University of Nottingham in England.

Microsemi is developing IPS products for a variety of growing applications within the commercial aviation industry.

The actuator, electrical, and electronics systems market was valued at $8 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 percent to reach $21 billion by 2020, according to global market research and consulting company MarketsandMarkets. The electrical systems are expected to grow at a CAGR of 16 percent and the electronics components market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13 percent.

“Our new Aviation Centre of Excellence is the latest example of Microsemi’s investment in research and development in Ireland, and reflects our Ennis facility’s important contributions to the wider Microsemi global product/technology development network. We now offer a complete solution for high-reliability aviation intelligent power solutions from design to manufacturing,” says Jim Aralis, chief technology officer and vice president of advanced development at Microsemi. “The facility will not only provide access to a portfolio of highly integrated, flexible and scalable solutions for aviation electric actuation and power conversion applications, but customers will also have access to a full technical service provider as an extension of their design teams.”

Among the flagship products of Microsemi’s new Aviation Centre of Excellence is the aviation power core module (PCM) with an integrated FPGA and hybrid power drive (HPD) stage. The PCM controls the electrical motors used in applications such as primary flight control actuation and landing gear systems. It interfaces with aircraft power supplies and flight computers, providing vital sensor feedback for monitoring. Customization options are also available to ensure an optimized product offering for customers. The hybrid power drive (HPD) with integrated solenoid drive is also available as a stand-alone product.

The manufacturing of these power systems leverages the company’s existing operations infrastructure as well as the high quality and reliability processes in the current Ennis facility, which is a manufacturing center for Microsemi’s high-reliability discrete products.

“This investment in aviation intelligent power solutions is a significant testament to our vision to be a full solutions provider, leveraging the extensive technologies and capabilities across the company to expand our footprint in focus applications,” says Siobhan Dolan Clancy, vice president of business development, aerospace, at Microsemi. “By combining our team’s industry-leading technology from around the globe with our aerospace power module capabilities, we look forward to announcing truly game-changing developments in this market.”

Microsemi’s annual spend in Ireland is in excess of $20 million annually and it continues to recruit engineers and other technical professionals.

The Ennis facility’s key competencies are the development, manufacturing, and high-reliability testing of semiconductors to meet stringent aerospace, satellite, medical, and security standards.

Microsemi also has a design group in Dublin which is focused on advanced system-on-chip (SoC) software and solutions with an emphasis on ARM processor-centric designs, and a group in Cork who are specialized in the development of highly efficient and scalable embedded hardware and software for real-time Ethernet operations.

Microsemi offers a range of high-reliability products for flight-critical avionics and power conversion applications addressing the evolving needs of the aviation industry. Microsemi provides field programmable gate array (FPGA) and system-on-chip (SoC) technology for low power and SEU immunity, transient voltage suppression (TVS) solutions for lightning protection, high-performance power discrete technology such as silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, diodes, and their ruggedized power modules, a comprehensive analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) capability including high-temperature SiC transistor drivers and sensor interface ICs, Ethernet and networking technologies, radio frequency (RF) diodes, power transistors, MMICs, modules and subsystems, high-density memory products, solid-state storage (SSD) devices and advanced packaging services including high-temperature (HT) Polymer packaging technology.