News: Microelectronics
2 November 2022
Navitas delivering keynote at IEEE Power Semiconductor Workshop
Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor of Torrance, CA, USA, says that Dan Kinzer, co-founder & chief operating officer/chief technology officer (COO/CTO), is presenting a keynote speech on next-generation semiconductor technology at the 9th IEEE WiPDA (Wide Bandgap Power Devices & Applications) 2022 workshop at the Sonesta Redondo Beach and Marina hotel in Redondo Beach, CA, USA (7-9 November).
Sponsored by the IEEE Power Electronic Society (PELS), the IEEE Electron Devices Society, and the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA), the WiPDA Workshop provides a forum for device scientists, circuit designers and application and system engineers from the Power Electronics & Electron Devices Societies to share wide-bandgap (WBG) technology updates, research findings, experience and potential applications.
Kinzer’s keynote ‘High-speed GaN and SiC: $22B of pure-play power semiconductors’ spotlights key market drivers and technology developments in GaN and SiC as they continue to displace legacy silicon in a growing range of applications including mobile ultra-fast chargers, data centers, renewables and electric vehicles (EVs).
An additional technical paper ‘Advancement in Integration for GaN Power ICs: Autonomous Protection and Loss-Less Sensing’ is being presented by Tom Ribarich, Navitas’ senior director strategic marketing.
Navitas says that its latest family of 650V GaNSense half-bridge ICs offer a step forward in integration, integrating two GaN FETs with drive, control, sensing, autonomous protection, and level-shift isolation. This single-package solution is reckoned to reduce component count and footprint by over 60% compared with existing discretes, cutting system cost, size, weight and complexity.
Additionally, new GeneSiC MOSFETs range from 750V to 6.5kW, and deliver what are claimed to be the industry’s highest figures-of-merit for high-temperature, high-speed switching. Trench-assisted planar-gate MOSFETs, enabling 30% energy savings, 25°C cooler operation and 3x longer life. The SiC portfolio is completed with a broad range of high-performance Schottky MPS diodes, from 650V to 3.3kV.
“Navitas delivers critical technological advantages in a $22bn market opportunity,” says Kinzer. For 30 years, Kinzer has led R&D at semiconductor and power electronics companies at the VP level or higher. His experience includes developing advanced power device and IC platforms, wide-bandgap GaN and SiC device design, IC and power device fabrication processes, advanced IC design, semiconductor package development and assembly processes, and design of electronic systems. Before co-founding Navitas, Kinzer served as VP R&D, VP advanced product development, and chief technologist at International Rectifier (IR sold to Infineon for $3bn), and senior VP product & technology development & chief technology officer at Fairchild Semiconductor (sold to onsemi for $2.4bn). He holds over 180 US patents, and a BSE degree in Engineering Physics from Princeton University.
Navitas acquires GeneSiC, accelerating entry into EV, solar and energy storage markets by 2-3 years
