600 V GaN on Si-Based Power Devices Use GaNpowIR

Focus:

GaN-based power devices (rectifiers and transistors) based on IR’s GaNpowIR technology are becoming available in 600-V ratings. These devices are candidates to replace silicon and silicon carbide (SiC) rectifiers as well as silicon MOSFETs in power factor corrected boost converters used in ac-dc power supplies. They are also potential replacements for silicon MOSFETs in LLC resonant dc-dc converters. Most of the experimental results presented here concern the PFC boost converters, where GaN rectifiers are shown to match the efficiency of SiC rectifiers (and at lower cost, says the author), and where GaN prototype transistors are shown to deliver better efficiency than silicon superjunction MOSFETs when tested in 450-W PFC boost converters switching at 100 kHz. Another experiment measures the efficiency of a 200-W PFC boost converter switching at 400 kHz using either all GaN or all silicon designs, with the GaN solution achieving much better efficiency. Another experiment measures the efficiency of an LLC resonant dc-dc converter switching at 400 kHz (300 V in, 30 V out) using GaN power devices or silicon MOSFETs, with GaN achieving better efficiency. As a lead in to the experiments, the article briefly discusses the characteristics of GaN-based HEMTs and their advantages versus silicon MOSFETs, the cascode switch design, the need for PFC boost converters to meet limits on EMI and power factor, and the requirement for 600-V rated semiconductor devices in PFC stages.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the efficiency, cost and size improvements that can be achieved by using 600-V rated GaN power devices in PFC boost converters
• How to understand the efficiency improvements that can be achieved by using 600-V and 100-V GaN-based power devices in LLC resonant dc-dc converters

Notes:

This article appeared in the July 2012 print edition of Power Electronics Technology.

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Author & Publication:

Michael A. Briere, ACOO Enterprises LLC for International Rectifier, Power Electronics Technology, Jun 27 2012

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