GaN devices enter the aircraft power supply market

Transphorm as confirmed that AES Aircraft Elektro/Elektronik System GmbH has released its first 650 V GaN-based power supplies. The company’s newest Switch Mode Power Supplies are currently used by large CS-25 airplane manufacturers (e.g., Airbus A318-A321, A330, A340, A380 and Boeing B767, B787 VIP aircraft) and use GaN FETs to increase overall system efficiency by more than 10 percent compared to competitive Silicon-based power supply unites (PSUs).

The two GaN-based Switch Mode Power Supplies are the PS250X 500 W system and the PS6120 1200 W system. Both products support a 96-130 VAC/360 Hz – 800 Hz input voltage with a 28 VDC continuous power output at 15 amps for the 500 W system and 42 amps for the 1200 W system.

The flagship 500 W PS250X is the industry’s first passively cooled power supply at 420 W and deploys Transphorm’s GaN in a single-phase CCM boost power factor correction (PFC) topology. It offers more than 92 percent overall system efficiency at full load, which is more than 10 percent greater than its competition. The system also yields a more than .98 power factor and 200 mVpp nominal at 115 VAC/400 Hz input at full load. All within an end product that is 1.4 kg (~3 lbs).

The 1200 W PS6120 deploys Transphorm’s GaN in a fan-cooled, three-phase CCM boost PFC topology. It offers more than 91.5 percent overall system efficiency at full load, which is 11.5 percent greater than its competition. The PS6120 also yields the same power factor and nominal ripple voltage at 115 VAC/400 Hz input at full load as the PS250X 500 W PSU. All within an end product that is 4.0 kg (~8.8 lbs).