News: Microelectronics
12 June 2024
TI unveils first 650V three-phase GaN intelligent power module for 250W motor drive applications
Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced what it claims is the first 650V three-phase gallium nitride (GaN) intelligent power module (IPM) for 250W motor drive applications, on display at the Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management (PCIM) conference in Nuremberg, Germany (11–13 June).
The new GaN IPM addresses many of the design and performance compromises that engineers typically face when designing major home appliances and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Specifically, the DRV7308 GaN IPM enables more than 99% inverter efficiency, optimized acoustic performance, reduced solution size and lower system costs.
“Designers of high-voltage home appliances and HVAC systems are striving to meet higher energy-efficiency standards to support environmental sustainability goals around the world. They are also addressing consumer demand for systems that are reliable, quiet and compact,” notes Nicole Navinsky, Motor Drives business unit manager at TI. “With TI’s new GaN IPM, engineers can design motor driver systems that deliver all of these expectations and operates at peak efficiency.”
Worldwide efficiency standards for appliances and HVAC systems such as SEER, MEPS, Energy Star and Top Runner are becoming increasingly stringent. The DRV7308 helps engineers meet these standards, leveraging GaN technology to deliver more than 99% efficiency and improve thermal performance, with 50% reduced power losses compared with existing solutions, claims TI.
In addition, the DRV7308 achieves what is claimed to be industry-low dead-time and low propagation delay, both less than 200ns, enabling higher pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching frequencies that reduce audible noise and system vibration. These advantages, plus the higher power efficiency and integrated features of the DRV7308, also reduce motor heating, which can improve reliability and extend the lifetime of the system.
Advanced integration and high power density reduce solution size and costs
Supporting the trend to more compact home appliances, the DRV7308 helps engineers to develop smaller motor drive systems, says TI. Enabled by GaN technology, the new IPM delivers high power density in a 12mm x 12mm 60-pin quad flat no-lead (QFN) package, making it the industry's smallest IPM for 150-250W motor-drive applications, it is claimed. Because of its high efficiency, the DRV7308 eliminates the need for an external heat-sink, resulting in motor drive inverter printed circuit board (PCB) size reduction of up to 55% compared with competing IPM solutions. The integration of a current sense amplifier, protection features and inverter stage further reduces solution size and cost.
Pre- production quantities of the DRV7308 three-phase, 650V integrated GaN IPM are available for purchase now. Pricing starts at $5.50 in 1000-unit quantities. The DRV7308EVM evaluation module is also available at $250.
TI’s high-voltage technology at PCIM 2024
In addition to the DRV7308 GaN IPM, TI’s highlights at PCIM (Hall 7, booth 652) include:
- Next-generation EV propulsion system: TI is demonstrating a new 800V, 750kW silicon carbide (SiC)-based scalable traction inverter system for EV six-phase motors, in collaboration with EMPEL Systems. The demonstration features high power density and efficiency using TI's high-performance isolated gate drivers, isolated DC/DC power modules and ARM Cortex-R MCUs.
- TI’s manager of high-voltage power systems applications, Sheng-Yang Yu, is speaking on 11 June in the Markt & Technik panel discussion ‘Will SiC ultimately Hold its Own against GaN?’.
- TI’s manager of renewable energy systems Harald Parzhuber is speaking on 12 June in Bodo’s Power Systems panel discussion ‘GaN Wide Bandgap Design, the Future of Power’.
TI launches first automotive GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and active power management
