News: Microelectronics
8 December 2022
EPC launches 80V AEC-Q101-qualified GaN FETs for vehicle electronics and advanced autonomy
Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA has expanded its range of automotive, off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors by introducing the 80V, 6mΩ EPC2204A (which delivers 125A pulsed current in a 2.5mm x 1.5mm footprint) and the 80V, 3.2mΩ EPC2218A (which delivers 231A pulsed current in a 3.5mm x 1.95mm footprint), offering designers significantly smaller and more efficient devices than silicon MOSFETs for automotive DC–DC for 48V–12V conversion, infotainment, and light detection & ranging (LiDAR) for autonomous driving.
The EPC2204A and EPC2218A are suitable for applications with demanding requirements for high power density including 48V–12V bidirectional converters for mild hybrid cars, 24V–48V DC–DC in cars and trucks, and for infotainment, lighting, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications.
Lower gate charges (QGD), and zero reverse recovery losses allow high-frequency operation at 1MHz and beyond. Combined with high efficiency in a tiny footprint, these factors enable state-of-the-art power density, it is claimed.
As an example, for 2–4kW 48V–12V converters, GaN devices allow five times the frequency of silicon MOSFET solutions. Also, with a quarter of the inductance, inductor size and losses are reduced, allowing 40% higher current per phase and up to half of the phases for lower system cost and half of the size. Despite the smaller size, efficiency rises to up to 98%, more than 2% higher than MOSFET solutions.
For lower-power DC–DC, such as those used for infotainment applications in the vehicle, GaN allows for operations at 2MHz and above to avoid interference and enable the smallest solution size.
The fast-switching speed of GaN, with sub-nanosecond transitions and the capability to generate high-current pulses in less than 3ns, allows for longer range and higher resolution in LiDAR for autonomous driving, parking, and collision avoidance.
For automotive LiDAR and 48V DC–DC, the 80V EPC2204A and EPC2218A switch devices improve performance and cost for highly efficiency vehicle electrification and advanced autonomy applications, says EPC’s co-founder & CEO Alex Lidow. “EPC is committed to the automotive market with devices ranging from 15V–100V shipping in volume, and many more are planned for release,” he adds.
The EPC2204A is priced at $1.55 each and the EPC2218A at $3.01 each, respectively, in 1000-unit quantities. Both devices are available for immediate delivery from distributor Digi-Key Corp.
