Infineon is back in the GaN race, thanks to Panasonic

Infineon Technologies and Panasonic Corporation have announced an agreement under which both companies will jointly develop Gallium nitride (GaN) devices based on Panasonic’s normally-off (enhancement mode) GaN on silicon transistor structure integrated into Infineon’s surface-mounted device (SMD) packages. In this context Panasonic has provided Infineon with a license of its normally-off GaN transistor structure.

This agreement will enable each company to manufacture GaN devices. Customers will have the added advantage of having two possible sources for compatible packaged GaN power switches

A setup not available for any other GaN on silicon device so far. Both parties have agreed not to disclose any further details of the contract. For the first time the companies will showcase samples of a 600V 70mΩ device in a DSO  (Dual Small Outline) package at the trade show Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition(APEC), which will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 15-19, 2015.

GaN on silicon has been receiving significant attention as one of the next compound semiconductor technologies that will on the one hand enable high power density and therefore a smaller footprint (e.g., for power supplies and adapters), and on the other hand serve as a major key for energy efficiency improvement. In general, power devices based on GaN on silicon technology can be used in a wide range of fields, from high voltage industrial applications such as power supplies in server farms (a potential application of the showcased 600V GaN device) to low voltage applications such as DC-DC conversion (e.g., in high-end consumer goods).

GaN power device application in laptop chargers has been highlighted in our blog article: Is GaN’s power devices future in Laptop chargers.