Ready to Get the Most Out of Your GaN Power Designs?

Or curious to learn more about how to incorporate GaN into your next power system design and take advantage of the benefits of higher efficiency and lower size, weight, and total system cost?

GaN Systems recently published new materials in our Design Center, a one stop source that aims to help customers make system design easier. The latest application notes and reference design not only offer methods to make the most of GaN Systems’ power transistors but to spur new design ideas and concepts, whether beginner or GaN expert:
GN001: An Introduction to GaN E-HEMTs is an informative primer for power design engineers who want to learn more about GaN. We have recently updated the Characteristics and Design Resources sections, adding additional details and a review of key GaN characteristics. Additionally, we have updated the list of the resources available that make GaN easy to incorporate into numerous power systems, thereby expediting the design process and go-to-market product releases.
GN012: Gate Driver Design with GaN E-HEMTs application note is NEW and provides an overview of the ecosystem of drivers and controllers. While GaN Systems’ GaN HEMTs are compatible with most drivers and controllers for silicon devices, we outline the most popular products from new and current partners used with GaN Systems’ 100V/80V and 650V GaN HEMTs. In this app note, we present an easy-to-use driver circuit selector to identify topology (single switch driver, half/full bridge driver, and paralleling GaN) that matches a customer’s design target.
We have updated the 3-kW BTP-PFC reference design which was developed to demonstrate the performance of GaN HEMTs. The reference design document reviews the incentive, operating principle, and design considerations of replacing silicon MOSFETs with GaN power transistors in Bridgeless Totem Pole PFC (BTPPFC) designs. This reference design highlights the benefits of GaN: high efficiency (peak efficiency reaches 99.1%), improved thermal performance, robustness, high power density and more efficient component utilization, lowering BOM cost. Updates from the previous version include: ~50% overall size reduction, EMI compliance tested, and operation at both low-line and high-line (90-264Vrms).

The ability to simulate circuits with our GaN has grown as five additional devices have been added to the PLECS simulation webpage. The GS-065-008-1-L and GS-065-011-1-L along with the three 100V products: GS61004B, GS61008P, and GS61008T are now options for review. For these models to be accurate, the Eon/Eoff characteristics of the transistors must be known. This measurement is quite difficult and most 100V transistor datasheets from both Silicon and GaN suppliers do not have this information. Due to some innovative engineering at GaN Systems, these values are known and hence the GaN Systems 100V products are now available for PLECS circuit simulation.

Lastly, a comment on our evaluation board hardware. These are very popular with design engineers and a great way to speed up design schedules. Some to highlight include:

• GS61008P-EFBHF – A 100V GaN E-HEMT Synchronous Buck Converter used for applications such Energy Storage Systems, Fast Battery Charging, Robotics, and Wireless Power Transfer.
• GSP65RXXHB-EVB – This Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) evaluation platform is used to evaluate the electrical and thermal performance benefits of GaN Systems devices on an IMS for high power applications. The platform consists of a motherboard and separate Half bridge IMS modules (3kW and 6kW).
• GS1200BTP-EVB – A 1.2kW High efficiency GaN E-HEMT Bridgeless Totem Pole PFC Evaluation Kit is popular with designers in the Data Center and Industrial Power segments.

These new application notes, simulation models, and hardware designs offer more options, details, and ease-of-use examples from GaN Systems. Our goal is to provide these resources and tools to empower design engineers to become GaN experts and maximize system performance.

For more information, please contact productmarketing@gansystems.com.