News: Microelectronics
27 May 2021
EPC and uPI partner on GaN half-bridge driver for Americas and Europe
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 – and Taiwan-based IC design house uPI Semiconductor Corp are partnering to offer the uP1966 GaN half-bridge driver to the Americas and European markets.
The uP1966E is an 85V dual-channel gate driver designed to drive both high-side and low-side eGaN FETs in half-bridge and full-bridge topologies. The driver integrates an internal bootstrap supply and UVLO in a small 1.6mm x 1.6mm wafer-level chip-scale package (WLCSP) form factor.
The uP1966E can be used together with EPC eGaN FETs in bridge topologies including DC-DC buck and boost converters, LLC DC-DC converters, buck-boost, or bidirectional converters for battery charging and motor drives.
The uP1966E is rated at 85V and is therefore suitable for input voltages up to 60V and can be paired with EPC 80V and 100V FETs and integrated half-bridges.
The uP1966E driver is featured on many EPC evaluation boards including the DC-DC buck converters EPC9143 and EPC9153, the DC-DC LLC converter EPC9149, and most of the generic 80V and 100V half-bridge evaluation boards, of which the EPC9097 and EPC90123 are among the most popular.
Pairing the u1966E to EPC GaN transistors offers a very cost-effective driver, reduces total solution cost, and accelerates time to market for GaN-based designs, it is said.
The uP1966E is available for immediate delivery from distributor Digi-Key Corp, and is priced in high volume (>100Ku) at $0.50.
