News: Microelectronics
21 March 2023
Transphorm releases 3kW inverter board with Microchip’s digital signal controller
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 availability of its third high-power GaN design tool using a digital signal controller from Microchip Technology Inc of Chandler, AZ, USA. The TDINV3000W050B-KIT is a 3.0kW DC-to-AC non-isolated full-bridge inverter evaluation board. It pairs Transphorm’s TP65H050G4WS 650V, 50mΩ SuperGaN FET (in a TO-247 package) with Microchip’s dsPIC33CK digital signal controller (DSC) plug-in module (PIM), which includes pre-programmed firmware that can be easily customized per end-application requirements. Transphorm says that use of the new board highlights GaN’s superior performance and enables an understanding of how GaN can be used for broad industrial and renewables power systems.
As with the previous two SuperGaN/Microchip DSC evaluation boards (the 4kW TDTTP4000W066C-KIT) and the 2.5kW TDTTP2500B066B-KIT), the single-phase 3.0kW inverter board is backed by access to Microchip’s worldwide technical support team for firmware development assistance.
“Our dsPIC digital signal controllers and firmware customization expertise complements Transphorm’s GaN technology and helps accelerate development while simplifying the design,” says Joe Thomsen, vice president of Microchip’s MCU16 business unit. “Working together with Transphorm, we are proud to enable flexible and highly efficient power conversion to address a wide range of sustainability applications.”
“High-voltage power systems such as EV chargers, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and solar inverters are quickly becoming rapid growth markets for GaN. Transphorm’s GaN platform was developed with such applications in mind,” says Philip Zuk, Transphorm’s senior VP of business development & marketing. “Working with Microchip on the firmware side enables us to support important, sustainable customer power system projects in a highly efficient manner. It removes potential limitations that may be experienced with firmware programming, simplifying development and speeding time to market,” he adds. “This collaboration allows renewables and other industries to easily leverage all our GaN has to offer.”
Firmware updates for the dsPIC33CK PIM will be available for download from Microchip’s website.
Microchip’s dsPIC DSCs are supported by a set of embedded design tools created to empower developers, even those with limited expertise. These tools provide intuitive graphical user interface for device initialization in Microchip’s free MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment. The software tools are complemented by a full line of programmer, debugger and emulator accessories.
The TDINV3000W050B-KIT is available through distributors Digi-Key Corp and Mouser Electronics Inc.
The evaluation board is designed for use when developing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging systems, solar or photovoltaic (PV) inverters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and other high-voltage power applications.
