In a world where efficiency and power density are a priority, could GaN technologies offer a path to improved performance?
As the number of electronic products increases and demands for reduced energy consumption become ever more pressing, the challenges facing power electronics engineers are increasing exponentially. In a world where efficiency and power density are a priority, could GaN technologies offer a path to improved performance?
Why choose GaN?
When compared with conventional silicon technologies, gallium nitride (GaN) offers some significant advantages. In terms of its physical characteristics, it boasts a much wider bandgap than conventional silicon as well as being able to operate at much higher temperatures. These characteristics combine to make GaN an ideal solution in some power conversion applications, particularly where silicon has reached the limits of its physical performance.
Initial uptake of GaN-based power transistors and ICs focused on applications looking for faster switching. Since then, GaN technology has also been developed to address demand for high density power conversion requirements, with applications in a variety of sectors, including the rapidly growing market for electric vehicle onboard chargers.
With GaN technology still in its infancy compared to silicon devices, the future is promising for GaN products. Here eBOM.com takes a look at some of the latest GaN components to deliver on efficiency, switching speed, and size.
Increased power density
Power management technologies, such as those from Texas Instruments, enable the integration of electronics in all areas of our lives. TI’s GaN FETs, for example, boast superior performance over traditional silicon FETs, enabling engineers to push the boundaries of power density and efficiency.
The company offers a variety of GaN FETs with integrated driver and protection, targeting all kinds of applications from consumer AC/DC power supplies all the way up to multi-kW, three-phase converters.
Check out TI’s various reference designs for ideas and inspiration, such as this GaN-based, 6.6kW, bidirectional, onboard charger for electrical vehicles, which achieves peak system efficiency of 96.5% with an open-frame power density of 3.8 kW/L.
Higher efficiency
Now available from Digi-Key, PowiGaN is Power Integrations’ internally-developed technology that allows InnoSwitch3 ICs to achieve 95% efficiency across the full load range and up to 100W in enclosed adapter implementations without heat sinks.
According to Digi-Key, GaN technology is revolutionizing the power electronics industry and the number of applications requiring PowiGaN levels of efficiency and integration is growing rapidly.
As vice president of global supplier management at Digi-Key, David Stein, explains, Digi-Key is keen to offer components that are more efficient, more compact, and lighter than silicon alternatives, that will power faster, more efficient, and diverse applications.
Reduced cost
Other companies are also responding to the demand for GaN’s increased power density and efficiency with Infineon and Panasonic recently signing an agreement to accelerate their gallium nitride (GaN) technology. These Gen2 products will be developed as 650V GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) which also promise an improved price-performance ratio. Target applications include high- and low-power switch mode power supplies, renewables and motor drives amongst others.
President of Infineon’s Power and Sensor Systems Division, Andreas Urschitz, explained: “With our next generation, customers will benefit from even easier control of the transistor as well as a significantly improved cost position, thanks to moving to an 8-inch wafer manufacturing.”
Like the jointly developed Gen 1 devices, known as Infineon’s CoolGaN™ and Panasonic’s X-GaN™, the second generation will offer several advantages compared to silicon MOSFETs, not least impressive specific dynamic on-state resistance and smaller capacitances. The resulting power savings and total system cost reduction combine to make GaN a very attractive choice for design engineers.
Green solutions
With GaN development continuing apace and ever more efficient products releasing all the time, could GaN be the key to a greener future? For designers looking to create more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions, eBOM wonders if GaN might be the next step towards a smaller carbon footprint.
Companies:
