Misconceptions About GaN Create Barriers To Better Power Performance

Focus:

You've heard about gallium nitride (GaN) transistors' superior performance, and you are excited. The samples finally arrive, and you put them onto your board. You turn on the power, you bring up the load, and you see--no better performance than before. Worse, you have switching problems that didn't previously exist. These transistors are no good. What a sham. What is all the buzz about? Is it possible you are missing something? In this commentary, Adam Vašíček and Alexander James Young discuss misconceptions about GaN power transistors, important differences between these devices and the silicon power transistors, and why GaN devices should not be used as drop-in replacements for silicon power transistors. As the authors explain, systems need to be designed around the new GaN transistors in order to take advantage of their special characteristics.

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Author & Publication:

Adam Vašíček and Alexander James Young, How2Power Today, How2Power Today, Dec 17 2015

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