News: Microelectronics
28 April 2023
Transphorm introduces six SuperGaN D-mode FETs pin-to-pin compatible with E-mode devices
Transphorm Inc of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA — which designs and manufactures JEDEC- and AEC-Q101-qualified gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors (FETs) for high-voltage power conversion — has announced the availability of six surface-mount devices (SMDs) available in industry-standard PQFN 5x6 and 8x8 packages.
The SMDs are said to deliver the reliability and performance advantages offered by Transphorm’s patented SuperGaN depletion-mode (D-mode) two-switch normally-off platform in the package configurations typically used by competing E-mode GaN devices. As a result, the six devices can serve as a first design source or as pin-to-pin drop-in replacements and/or secondary sources for enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN solutions.
For power systems that require additional thermal performance from the SuperGaN platform, Transphorm also offers SMDs in optimized Performance packages. All Transphorm devices offer what is claimed to be easy designability and drivability, regardless of packaging, given the D-mode configuration’s use of a low-voltage silicon MOSFET paired with the GaN HEMT. This platform configuration also allows for the use of standard, off-the-shelf controllers and/or drivers, adding to the Transphorm portfolio’s drivability and designability.
“We’ve solidified our low-power strategy with the release of these industry-standard packages, which follow the recently announced SiP developed with Weltrend Semiconductors,” says Philip Zuk, Transphorm’s senior VP of business development & marketing. “Customers now have a choice of how they can tap into the advantages of SuperGaN, whether it be through Performance packages, pin-to-pin E-mode compatible industry-standard packages, or a system-in-package.”
SuperGaN drop-in replacement advantages
Transphorm says that replacing E-mode devices with SuperGaN D-mode FETs has proven to deliver higher performance and lower operating temperature through lower conduction losses, resulting in longer lifetime reliability. This is due to the fundamental intrinsic superiority of the D-mode GaN normally-off device versus the E-mode GaN normally-off device, it claims. An example of such validation can be found in a recent head-to-head comparison wherein 50mΩ E-mode was replaced by 72mΩ SuperGaN technology in a 280W gaming laptop charger: https://bit.ly/diraztbISP.
In the charger analysis, the SuperGaN FETs operated at the controller’s output voltage range (whereas E-mode had to level shift) with cooler temperatures. The SuperGaN temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is about 25% lower than that of E-mode, contributing to the lower conduction losses. Additionally, the peripheral component count was reduced by 20%, suggesting a lower bill-of-materials (BOM) cost.
Target applications
The 72mΩ FET is optimally designed for use in datacom, broad industrial, photovoltaic (PV) inverter, servo motor, computing systems, and general consumer applications.
Graphic: Transphorm’s new SuperGaN D-mode FET SMDs in industry-standard PQFN 5x6 and 8x8 packages
The 150mΩ, 240mΩ and 480mΩ FETs are optimally designed for use in power adapter, low-power switch-mode power supply (SMPS), lighting, and low-power consumer applications.
Transphorm and Weltrend partner to release integrated GaN system-in-package
