8 July 2014

EPC launches ‘off-the-shelf’ high-performance GaN power transistors

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA, which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) for power management applications, has introduced six new-generation power transistor products and corresponding development boards. Ranging from 30V to 200V, the new devices provide a significant reduction in RDS(on), greatly increasing their output current capability in applications such as high-power-density DC-DC converters, point-of-load (POL) converters, synchronous rectification in DC/DC and AC/DC converters, motor drives, LED lighting, and industrial automation.

The features of the new devices are as follows:

• Lower on-resistance (RDS(on)) - The new family of eGaN FETs cuts on-resistance (RDS(on)) in half, enabling high-current, high-power-density applications.

• Improved figure of merit (FOM) - The latest generation of eGaN FETs cuts the hard-switching FOM in half compared with the previous generation for improved switching performance in high-frequency power conversion applications.

• Extended voltage range - Extending the performance benefits of GaN to 30V enables higher-power DC-DC converters, point-of-load (POL) converters, synchronous rectifiers for isolated power supplies, PCs, and servers.

• Better thermal performance - Increased temperature capabilities and improved die layout improve the thermal and electrical performance of the Gen 4 family of devices, allowing for higher-power operation under all conditions.

• Demonstrated power conversion efficiency improvements - To demonstrate the improved performance of these new eGaN FETs, two buck converters were built. The EPC9018 combines the 30V EPC2023 FET as the synchronous rectifier with the 40V EPC2015 as the control switch of a 12–1.2V DC-DC point of load (POL) converter.

The 12V–1.2V, 40A POL converter operating at switching frequency of 1MHz achieved efficiencies above 91.5% and demonstrated the superior in-circuit performance of the latest generation of eGaN power devices compared with the state-of-the-art silicon MOSFET modules, claims EPC.

The EPC9019, a 48–12V converter, uses the 80V EPC2021 as the synchronous rectifier switch with the 100V EPC2001 as the control switch. The results of this 48–12V, 30A non-isolated DC-DC intermediate bus converter operating at a switching frequency of 300kHz achieved efficiencies above 98%, again significantly outperforming a comparable converter using state-of-the-art silicon power MOSFETs, EPC claims.

Detailed results of the in-circuit demonstrations of eGaN FETs can be seen at http://bit.ly/EPCAN017.

To simplify the evaluation process of the latest high-performance eGaN FETs, development boards are available to support easy ‘in circuit’ performance evaluation of each new product being introduced. These boards include all the critical components on a single board that can be easily connected into any existing converter.

The EPC9014 and EPC9031 through EPC9034 development boards are half-bridge configurations with onboard gate drives, featuring various eGaN power transistors. All boards are 2” x 1.5” and contain two eGaN FETs using the Texas Instruments LM5113 gate driver, supply and bypass capacitors. Each board contains all critical components and layout for optimal switching performance.

The EPC9018 and EPC9019 development boards are also available for easy ‘in circuit’ performance evaluation.
Pricing for the EPC2019–24 power transistors starts at $3.14 each, in 1000-unit quantities. Pricing for corresponding development boards start at $104.40 each. Both are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key.

Tags:  EPC E-mode GaN FETs

Visit: http://digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion.page

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products.aspx

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards.aspx