News: Microelectronics
25 April 2023
GaN Systems showcasing innovations at PCIM Europe
In booth 9-204 at the Power, Control and Intelligent Motion (PCIM) Europe 2023 trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany (9–11 May), GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (a fabless developer of gallium nitride-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications) is showcasing GaN solutions demonstrating advances in power density and efficiency across automotive and additional markets.
At PCIM Europe, GaN Systems is showcasing the new GaN-based 11kW/800V on-board charger (OBC) reference design. Using GaN transistors in an 800V OBC targets EV automotive design. The new OBC design includes the following key features:
- 36% higher power density than silicon carbide (SiC) transistor designs;
- 15% lower bill of materials (BOM) cost than SiC transistor designs;
- AC/DC stage peak efficiency >99%, DC/DC stage peak efficiency >98.5%;
- reduced total semiconductor power loss; and
- improved thermal performance.
The OBC combines a three-level flying capacitor topology for a bridgeless totem-pole PFC structure and dual active bridge in the AC/DC and DC/DC, respectively. The GaN transistors halves the transistor voltage stress, allowing the 650V GaN to be used in this and other 800V applications.
At PCIM, GaN Systems is also showcasing the following:
- additional automotive OBC, DC-DC, and traction implementations;
- fast-charging GaN chargers and adapters from industry-leading OEMs such as Samsung, Dell, Harman, Philips, and Razer;
- Wi-Fi speaker from Mark Levinson, founder of Daniel Hertz;
- data-center power supplies ranging from less than 50W/in3 to 100W/in3;
- innovations in e-mobility, LED lighting, and wireless power transfer.
CEO Jim Witham is also participating on Bodo’s Power Systems’ panel — ‘Wide Bandgap Design with GaN HEMT and Vertical GaN’ (1:05pm in Hall 7, booth 480).
“The GaN-powered 800V on-board charger reference design is a major advance to accelerate GaN adoption in the automotive sector,” believes Witham. “Our new cutting-edge design delivers extraordinary gains in efficiency, power density, cost, thermals and CO2 footprint reduction to deliver a game-changing solution for our automotive customers,” he believes.
GaN Systems presenting products and strategies at APEC
