GaN Systems Showcased Design Tools and Reference Designs at APEC
At Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC), GaN Systems displayed a broad variety of innovative design tools including new reference designs from partners. The company says that visitors to GaN Systems booth #553 got to find a multitude of unique design resources that make GaN easy to incorporate into numerous power system designs, thereby expediting customer go-to-market product releases.
These design resources included the GS-065 low current 3.5A, 8A, and 11A evaluation kit with EZDrive circuit which eliminates the need for a discrete driver.
The evaluation kit includes the product suite of GaN transistors (see image above) that the company developed for sub-1kW power applications such as consumer level power supply products such as AC adapters for gaming and workstation laptops, TV power, LED lighting, wireless power systems, and appliance motor drives.
Evaluation Kit with EZ-Drive circuit
The new transistor line leverages the company's technology in 650V enhancement mode GaN HEMTs. The devices are come in thermally efficient, low-cost PDFN packages with small 5.0mm x 6.0mm footprint. The specific device ratings are 3.5A, 8A, and 11A, ranging in RDS(on) from 500mΩ to 150mΩ. The company says that the kit provides a low-cost and easy-to-implement solution that reduces the number of components.
Half-Bridge and Bridgeless Totem Pole PFC Reference Designs
The half-bridge and bridgeless totem pole PFC reference designs utilize uPI Semiconductor drivers and GaN Systems' 100V GaN E-HEMTs. These reference designs provide cost-effective, higher efficiency solutions in applications such as 48V (half-bridge) and compact single unit switch mode power supplies (BTP PFC) for the enterprise market.
Half-bridge Design Solution on GaN Systems' Evaluation Board
An advanced half-bridge design solution onboard GaN Systems' evaluation board using the new 650V GaN E-HEMTs for smaller consumer and enterprise power supply applications that reduces existing PCB footprints and bill of materials (BOM) costs.
IMS Half-Bridge Thermal Mounting Solution
New high-performance Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) half-bridge thermal mounting solution, which offers design flexibility and scalability with three power level configurations up to 1.5kW (GS66504B) (see image below), 3kW (GS66508B), and 6kW (GS66516B). The optimized driver board boasts the highest power density due to having the lowest system thermal resistance. The layout also allows for fewer assembly steps and lowers the cost of materials.
GaN Systems -- 66504B half-bridge IMS thermal mounting solution
Full 1.5kW Bridgeless Totem Pole PFC Reference
The full 1.5kW bridgeless totem pole PFC reference design using GaN Systems 650V E-HEMTs feature an EMI filter and surge protection that can be utilized in applications including data center power supplies to increase efficiency, reduce systems size, and reduce system BOM cost. The evaluation board can also start up at full-load condition.
Half-Bridge Daughter Card
In a half-bridge daughter card, the company also showcased a preview of new driver technology from a world-leading analog and mixed-signal IC manufacturer. These GaN drivers provide safety and protection features, fast loop response, and integrated chip functionality, which helps reduce component count. These new driver technology solutions are suited for industrial and automotive markets and offer features not previously available with existing GaN Driver IC's.
Small Footprint 50W Wireless Power Amplifier
GaN Systems also displayed a now available small footprint 50W wireless power amplifier, that comes in the form of a low-cost, and high-efficiency evaluation board suitable for wireless power transfer and charging applications. The evaluation board is targeted for lower power applications in industrial and consumer markets.
"The selection of reference designs, circuit simulation tools, and evaluation kits from GaN Systems and our ecosystem partners empower design engineers to take advantage of GaN benefits - high efficiency and low size, weight, and total system cost - to accelerate product time-to-market," said Paul Wiener, Vice-President, Strategic Marketing for GaN Systems.
