TDK-Lambda has been working on this product almost a year. The release has been delayed several times due to design issues to be solved before having a reliable and high quality product. PFH500F-28 has been released in November, without a great press and marketing shout outs. It was displayed at Electronica 2018, with no sign advertising for GaN devices inside, as one would expect. This is the first application of GaN power devices in this type of power supplies in module form factor.

About the inside, TDK-Lambda used GaN transistors in a ‘bridge-less’ PFC stage. This delivers an efficiency of 98% for this stage, resulting in a peak efficiency of 92% for the overall power supply. The advantages of GaN transistors here is not only on efficiency but also on form factor: These power supplies are made to stay small and very flat. TDK says they have been able to reduce the board space by 25% thanks to GaN devices in this case. They target a limited amount of small volume industrial applications, where customers prefer to outsource the power supply stage and focus on their added value.

According to the marketing team at TDK-Lambda, the power supply could have been more efficient, at the cost of more components counts, a higher price, and potentially a bigger form factor due to limited board space. The GaN components used are from Transphorm (cascode D-Mode devices), that can provide the high switching speed necessary, together with the expected reliability.

The PFH500F is targeting off-the-shelf power supply markets as LED signage, communications, broadcast, test and measurement according to TDK.

 

Specifications:

• Input: 85 to 265Vac
• Output: 22.4 to 33.6V with 18A at 28V
• PMBus control for output adjustment.

TDK says other output voltages will be available later this year.

We expect other manufacturers as Recom, or Cosel (through their recent acquisition PRBX) to release similar power supplies based on GaN devices in a near future. The market volume for such power supplies is quite small but still an opportunity for GaN to grow and show its used and reliable.

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Transphorm Inc. today announced availability of its third generation (Gen III) 650-volt (V) GaN FETs. Power transistors built on Gen. III technology yield lower electromagnetic interference (EMI), increased gate noise immunity, and greater headroom in circuit applications.

The latest evolution of Transphorms’ devices, Gen III, to be released include the TP65H050WS 50 mΩ FET and TP65H035WS 35 mΩ FET, both available in standard TO-247 packages. Technologically, the incorporation of a new MOSFET along with other design modifications enable Gen III devices to deliver:

• An increased threshold voltage (noise immunity) to 4 V from 2.1 V for Gen II, eliminating the need for a negative gate drive.
• A gate reliability rating of ±20 V; an 11 percent increase versus Gen II.

As a result, switching is quieter, and the platform delivers performance improvement at higher current levels with simple external circuitry.

Regarding learned design techniques, Transphorm published elegant solutions for oscillation suppression in its app note 0009: Recommended External Circuitry for Transphorm GaN FETs. Example recommendations include the use of DC-link RC snubbers and switching-node RC snubbers that add further stability without adverse impact on efficiency. Notably, the solutions can benefit half-bridge and bridgeless totem-pole PFC topologies.

“It’s important to us to evolve our GaN technology based on customer need and real-world experience. Our Gen III FETs exemplify what’s possible when we adhere to that basic philosophy,” said Philip Zuk, Vice President of Technical Marketing, Transphorm.

Gen III 650 V Product Line Details:

Availability: Currently shipping

• TP65H050WS 50 mΩ TO-247 unit price: 8.86 USD (sold in 1000 unit quantities)
• TP65H035WS 35 mΩ TO-247 unit price: 11.55 USD (sold in 1000 unit quantities)

Optimal output ratings: 1.5 kW to 5.0 kW applications depending on design criteria

Source

Infineon Technologies AG is starting volume production for CoolGaN™ products by the end of 2018, the company announced during PCIM Europe 2018 edition. Engineering samples of the high reliable GaN solution in the market are available now.

“Infineon is the global leader in power solutions and we truly believe that the next big thing in power management is gallium nitride,”

said Steffen Metzger, Senior Director High Voltage Conversion at Infineon. “Our goal is to be the first choice for customers when it comes to GaN power, and we have all assets in place to live up to this ambition. The market for GaN has been gaining a strong momentum; the advantages of using this technology in certain applications are evident. From operating expense and capital expenditure reduction, through higher power density enabling smaller and lighter designs, to overall system cost reduction, the benefits are compelling.”

Full production of CoolGaN 400 V and 600 V e-mode HEMTs will start by end of 2018:

• CoolGaN 400 V will be available in 70 mΩ in SMD
  • Bottom-side cooled TO-leadless
  • Top-side cooled DSO-20-87 package
• CoolGaN 600 V comes in
  • Top-side cooled DSO-20-87 package
  • Bottom-side cooled DSO-20-85.

The portfolio will be complemented with 70 mΩ and 190 mΩ 600V CoolGaN devices in bottom-side cooled TO-leadless  and DFN 8×8 packages with190 mΩ, the 600V CoolGaN portfolio will be complemented.

Source

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) has announced the EPC2050, a 350V GaN transistor with a maximum RDS(on) of 65 mΩ and a 26A pulsed output current. Applications include EV charging, solar power inverters, motor drives, and multi-level converter configurations, such as a 3-level, 400 V input to 48 V output LLC converter for telecom or server power supplies.

The EPC2050 is 1.95 mm x 1.95 mm (3.72 mm²) integrated a half bridge with gate drivers. It occupies five times less area than a comparable silicon solution, using the usual Wafer-Level Package (WLP) used by EPC corp. for all their devices. EPC’s 350V transistor can handle thermal conditions more efficiently than plastic packaged MOSFETs, according to the company.

“The performance and cost gap of silicon with eGaN technology widens with the 350 V, EPC2050, that is almost 20 times smaller than the closest silicon MOSFET.”

said Alex Lidow, EPC’s CEO.

 

The EPC9084 development board is a 350V maximum device voltage, half bridge featuring the EPC2050, and the Silicon Labs Si8274GB1-IM gate driver. This 51mm x 38 mm board is designed for optimal switching performance and contains all critical components for easy evaluation of the 350 V EPC2050 eGaN FET.

The EPC2050 eGaN FET is priced for 1K units at $3.19 each and the EPC9084 development board is priced at $118.75 each from Digikey.