Considering high-voltage GaN Cascodes

Focus:

This short article explains why many of the emerging players in the GaN power semiconductor field are adopting the cascode configuration to implement the emerging GaN power devices of the high-voltage variety (about 600 V). Rather than offering these lateral GaN HEMTs as discrete transistors, companies are co-packaging them with low-voltage silicon MOSFETs and offering them as modules. This is done for ease of use, which the author explains in terms of lessons learned with low-voltage GaN transistors and by citing specific device characteristics. But the most interesting passage in this article may be the specs comparison of a 50-milliohm, 650-V GaN cascode device with a 50-milliohm, 600-V superjunction silicon MOSFET pair. The article concludes with a description of the GaN cascode power device’s two quadrant operation, also noting the value of this capability in the bridgeless totem pole PFC topology.

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Author & Publication:

John Roberts, GaN Systems, Power Systems Design Europe, Aug 06 2013

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