News: Microelectronics
14 March 2025
Navitas production-releases first 650V bi-directional GaNFast ICs and isolated gate-drivers
Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has announced the first production-released 650V bi-directional GaNFast ICs and high-speed isolated gate-drivers, creating a paradigm shift in power with single-stage BDS converters, which enables the transition from two-stage to single-stage topologies. Targeted applications range widely and opens up multi-billion dollar market opportunities across electric vehicle (EV) charging (on-board chargers (OBC) and roadside), solar inverters, energy storage and motor drives.
Over 70% of existing high-voltage power converters use a two-stage topology. For example, a typical AC-DC EV OBC implements an initial power-factor correction (PFC) stage and a follow-on DC-DC stage, with bulky DC-link buffering capacitors. The resulting systems are large, lossy and expensive. Bi-directional GaNFast consolidates the two stages into a single, high-speed, high-efficiency stage and, in the process, eliminates the bulky capacitors and input inductors - the ultimate solution in EV OBCs.
A leading EV and solar micro-inverter manufacturer has already begun implementing single-stage BDS converters to improve efficiency, size and cost in their systems. GaNFast-enabled single-stage converters to achieve up to 10% cost savings, 20% energy savings, and up to 50% size reductions.
The ultimate power semiconductor switch (transistor) can block voltage and allow current flow in two directions, with the highest efficiency. Navitas says that it has now delivered this with the bi-directional GaNFast power IC.
Previously, two discrete back-to-back single switches had to be used, but new bi-directional GaNFast ICs are monolithically integrated single-chip designs with a merged drain structure, two gate controls, and a patented, integrated, active substrate clamp. One high-speed, high-efficiency bi-directional GaNFast IC replaces up to four older switches, increasing system performance while reducing component count, PCB area and system costs.
The initial 650V bi-directional GaNFast ICs include NV6427 (100mΩ RSS(ON) typ.) and NV6428 (50mΩ RSS(ON) typ.) in thermally enhanced, top-side-cooled TOLT-16L (transistor outline leaded topside-cooled) packaging. The product family will be extended into lower-RSS(ON) offerings in the future.
The new, high-speed IsoFast devices are galvanically isolated, high-speed drivers optimized to drive bi-directional GaN. With 4x higher transient immunity than existing drivers (up to 200V/ns) and no external negative bias supply needed, they deliver reliable, fast, accurate power control in high-voltage systems. Initial parts are the NV1702 (dual, independent-channel, digital, isolated bi-directional GaN gate driver) and NV1701 (half-bridge GaN digital isolator) in SOIC-16N and SOIC-14W packages.
“These ICs are a truly game-changing and disruptive technology both at the semiconductor and at the system level,” reckons CEO & co-founder Gene Sheridan. “They not only deliver improved efficiency, power density, simplicity and system costs but will also transform multiple multi-billion-dollar markets in the most sustainable way possible,” he adds. “The future of our electrified planet is bi-directional energy flow. From all renewable energy sources, the power grid, and all electrified applications, such as ESS, solar and EVs, energy should flow efficiently and bi-directionally... Single-stage BDS converters are the key for this inflection”.
Bi-directional GaNFast ICs (NV6427 and NV6428) are fully qualified and immediately available in mass-production quantities. IsoFast (NV1701 and NV1702) samples are available now to qualified customers.
Single-stage evaluation boards and a user guide showcasing both IsoFast and bi-directional GaNFast ICs are available for qualified customers.
Navitas is featuring bi-directional GaNFast ICs and IsoFast in booth 1107 at the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC 2025) in Atlanta, GA, USA (17–19 March).
