News: Microelectronics
16 December 2021
Navitas samples GaN power ICs for data-center, solar and EV customers
Gallium nitride (GaN) power integrated circuit firm Navitas Semiconductor of El Segundo, CA, USA and Dublin, Ireland says that high-power GaN power IC samples are now available for the first time to data-center, solar and electric vehicle (EV) customers worldwide.
Founded in 2014, Navitas first introduced its GaNFast ICs to mobile customers three years ago, enabling high-efficiency and ultra-fast charging of mobile devices with ultra-lightweight and miniaturized form factors, since GaN is said to run up to 20x faster than legacy silicon and enables up to 3x more power, 40% energy savings and 3x faster charging in half the size and weight. Now, for the first time, the GaN power IC technology – claimed to be the only GaN semiconductor platform to monolithically integrate drive, control, protection and power – is available to applications operating in the 2-20kW power range, which includes data centers, solar inverters and electric vehicle power electronics.
Navitas’ new products are optimized for each of the high-power markets, with feature, function and power upgrades to become true GaNFast application-specific integrated circuits.
“The Navitas engineering teams have delivered on-time again, with high-performance GaN power ICs that drive our market expansions,” says co-founder & CEO Gene Sheridan. “This is another successful step along the path we outlined in our financial roadmap to investors, expanding from our number-1 position in the 20-300W mobile fast-charger market into high-power 2-20kW-plus applications.”
The new products are power-upgraded, thermally enhanced versions of the proven 650/800V GaNFast platform, with over 30 million units shipped and zero reported field failures. Navitas’ proprietary GaNFast integration technology has built-in, fast and accurate protection against over-temp, over-current and ESD protection.
