GaN FETs cut size in half with performance boost
The 7 mΩ, 100 V EPC2045 and 10 mΩ, 200 V EPC2047 eGaN FETs are aimed at single stage 48 V to load Open Rack server architectures, point-of-load converters, USB-C, and LiDAR. Wireless charging, multi-level AC-DC power supplies, robotics, and solar micro inverters.
The EPC2045 cuts the die size to under 4mm2, half that of the previous EPC2001C eGaN FET. The 200 V, 10 mΩ EPC2047 eGaN FET also cuts the size in half so that it is now about 15 times smaller than equivalently rated silicon MOSFETs.
The chip-scale packaging handles thermal conditions better than the plastic packaged MOSFETs since the heat is dissipated directly to the environment with chip-scale devices, whereas the heat from the MOSFET die is held within a plastic package.
“We are very excited about how our innovative gallium nitride technology used in the development of these eGaN FETs is changing the industry,” said Alex Lidow, EPC’s co-founder and CEO. “These new products demonstrate how EPC and gallium nitride transistor technology is increasing the performance and reducing the cost of eGaN devices for applications currently being served by MOSFETs. Further, advancements in EPC’s GaN technology will continue to enable new end-use applications that go beyond the capability of silicon devices. These products are evidence that the performance and cost gap with MOSFET technology continues to widen.”
There are three development boards available to support easy in-circuit performance evaluation of the EPC2045 and the EPC2047, respectively. The EPC9078 and EPC9080 support the 100 V EPC2045, whereas the EPC9081 features the 200 V EPC2047.
A virtue of underlying GaN process developments is that these devices have significantly lower capacitance than their silicon counterparts. This condition translates into lower gate drive losses and lower device switching losses at higher frequencies for the same on-resistance and voltage rating. In the case of the EPC2045, a 30 percent reduction in power loss with a 2.5 percentage points better efficiency than the best comparable MOSFET was achieved in a 48 V to 5 V circuit operating at 500 kHz switching frequency.
In contrast to silicon MOSFETs, the switching performance of eGaN FETs improves even though they are significantly smaller – this attribute introduces a “virtuous cycle” for eGaN products going forward that will result in continued introduction of smaller devices with higher performance.
The performance, size, and cost improvement evidenced in these new products were made possible by an innovative method of both reducing the electric fields in the drain region during breakdown, and significantly reducing the number of traps that could cause electrons to become inactive.
Low volume pricing for the EPC2045 100 V, 7 mΩ product at 1K units is $2.66 each, and low volume pricing for the EPC2047 200 V, 10 mΩ product at 1K units is $4.63 each. The development boards are priced at $118.25 each.
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