News: Microelectronics
14 December 2023
Transphorm and Weltrend make available 100W USB-C PD power adapter reference design
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 —and fabless firm Weltrend Semiconductor Inc of Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan (which specializes in the design, testing, application development and distribution of mixed-signal/digital ICs in power supplies, motor controls and image processing) have announced the availability of a 100W USB-C PD power adapter reference design. The board uses the companies’ WT7162RHUG24A SuperGaN system-in-package (SiP) to achieve 92.7% efficiency in a quasi-resonant flyback (QRF) topology.
This is Weltrend’s second USB-C PD adapter board using the WT7162RHUG24A in a QRF topology. The first is a 65W board released earlier this year. The fact that both boards deploy the same SuperGaN SiP is beneficial to customers seeking to achieve economies of scale and a lower-cost implementation for 100W designs compared with the competition, it is claimed, demonstrating that the 65W-class SuperGaN SiP also meets the performance and thermal requirements of 100W designs.
“The idea of a GaN-based integrated circuit is a great one as it can simplify the design experience. However, it must be done right. It should be a truly integrated single device with the necessary controllers packaged inside. Which is where Weltrend and Transphorm’s SuperGaN SiP excels,” says Philip Zuk, senior VP, business development & marketing, Transphorm. “The SiP is a simple, normally-off solution that does not require protection, a driver or an external controller. Add to that the ability for the same SiP to perform in a 65W and 100W power adapter board…now we’re seeing the inherent versatility and robustness of GaN really shine. And that only comes from Transphorm’s SuperGaN platform today,” he adds.
“It’s important to us to ensure what we bring to market the best, most functional solutions possible. Particularly as we deepen our footprint in the AC-to-DC power market,” says Wayne Lo, Weltrend’s VP of marketing. “The power adapter market continues to evolve, innovating around GaN’s very attractive advantages. We’re just making sure customers can tap into those advantages not just for technical benefit but for broad ROI benefit as well. One SiP accommodating an adapter’s physical design needs plus the financial objectives of an entire adapter line with varying models is a win for all of us,” he adds. “The 100W reference design released today is a strong proof point of what our technology can do at lower price points. And we’re just getting started.”
100W adapter reference design specifications
Weltrend’s universal 100W power adapter board is designed to the USB PD 3.0 + PPS standards. Its use is intended to speed development of various high-performance, low-profile power adapters charging smartphones, tablets, laptops and other smart devices. Key specifications include dimensions of 69mm x 63mm x 23.8mm.
SuperGaN SiP
The WT7162RHUG24A is a true integrated circuit designed for use in 45W to 100W USB-C PD power adapters. It integrates Weltrend’s WT7162RHSG08 quasi-resonant/multi-mode flyback PWM controller with Transphorm’s 240mΩ, 650V SuperGaN FET. The surface-mount device is available in a 24-pin 8x8 QFN package and offers a peak efficiency of 92.7% (at 264VAC/full load). Key benefits include increased power density with better thermal management for long-term reliability and reduction of BOM costs.
Transphorm and Weltrend partner to release integrated GaN system-in-package
