IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - September 2019 - 37

switcher IC includes high-voltage GaN
levels, or analog controllers that use
power transistor, driver, control logic,
voltage levels of up to 12 V. Separate
Integration allows
sensors, isolation, and regulator on
and independent high- and low-side
designers to build
a single die. In a press release statelogic control inputs allow the exterment, Balu Balakrishnan, president
nal controllers to set dead times for
smaller, more efficient
and CEO of Power Integrations, said,
optimal operating efficiency, says the
solutions with high
"GaN is a pivotal technology offering
datasheet. According to EPC, the bensignificant efficiency and size beneefits offered by these ICs include high
system reliability for
fits over silicon. We anticipate a rapid
efficiency, small size, a competitive
applications ranging
conversion from silicon transistors to
system price, and reduced design and
GaN in many power applications."
assembly costs. Lidow calls this intefrom fewer than
gration a new definition of the GaN
100 W to 10 kW.
power device.
Other Manufacturers
Navitas Semiconductor was one of
High-voltage GaN maker Transphorm
the first high-voltage GaN suppliers to
does not intend to integrate a driver,
release GaN power ICs with a gate drive, 650-V e-mode GaN
because its GaN is a cascode structure that does not require
FET, programmable dv/dt control, and regulator on a single
a tight control at the gate. As a result, designers can pair its
die called GaNFast IC. The part number is NV6115. According
GaN FETs with any off-the-shelf driver. However, Transto Dan Kinzer, the chief technology officer at Navitas, there
phorm works closely with Silicon Labs and uses their drivare many benefits to integrating GaN FET with drive, regulaers with its evaluation kits and reference designs. "Silicon
tor, UVLO, and dv/dt control, which include the elimination
Lab's partnership with Transphorm Inc. enables designers to
of gate transient overshoot, low turn-off resistance, no inductake advantage of evaluation boards that simplify the use
tance or ringing in the gate loop, VGS within a safe operating
of high-voltage GaN FETs. These evaluation boards,
including one complete reference design (3.3-kW bridgeless
area, and protection when a full power supply is not availtotem-pole power factor correction (PFC) (TDTTP3300-RD),
able. "Switching losses, including turn-off losses, are very
low, which results in a more efficient switch
that can operate at higher frequencies (up to
2 MHz)," stated Kinzer. In addition, he added
23
21
20
13 1415
VB
that integrating these functions does not
DZH VDDH
VIN
take a lot of space, and therefore, cost is low.
Later, the company released a twoBoot
die version (Figure 6), the NV6252, with
Strap
REG
UVLO
650-V symmetrical and asymmetrical
half-bridge configurations. This model
also includes on-die shoot-through protecVCC
UVLO
24
tion, integrated regulators, level shifters,
Logic
and bootstrap. A presentation by Navitas
EN
cofounder Nick Fichtenbaum, also vice
25
president of engineering, at the 77th Device
Research Conference [4] shows many benDZL
Level
9
REG
efits of bootstrap diode integration. They
UVLO
Shift
16
include avoiding the risk of dv/dt-induced
VSW
17
VDDL
8
diode failure; eliminating diode junction
18
capacitance and reverse recovery power
INH
19
26
loss; eliminating the necessity of using SiC
Logic and
at high switching frequency, saving cost,
Antishoot
INL
especially if SiC is required; charging bootThrough
27
strap capacitor losslessly, assuring that
full charge/voltage is delivered; eliminating
lossy current limiting resistor; and saving
L
10 G
PGND
board space in high-voltage systems.
Implementing its proprietary high1 2 3 4 5 6 7
voltage GaN switch technology, Power
(PAD1)
Integrations has released new members of
the InnoSwitch3 family of offline CV/CC FIG 6 The two-switch (half-bridge) GaNFast IC integrates gate drivers, shoot-through
flyback switcher ICs. The GaN-based ac-dc protection, regulators, level shifter, and bootstrap diode.
September 2019

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IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - September 2019

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