New silicon-carbide FETs perform better than previous versions and can replace silicon MOSFETs with relative ease. Anup Bhalla, VP Engineering UnitedSiC Wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors are now accepted as the future of high-efficiency power conversion. The reason: they provide lower conduction and switching losses than otherwise-comparable silicon-based IGBTs or MOSFETs. Since the introduction of WBG silicon […]
Transistors
80 V RETs feature overhead to handle spikes and pulses
Nexperia announced the industry’s first 80 V RET (Resistor-Equipped Transistor) family. These new RETs or ‘digital transistors’ provide enough headroom for use in 48 V automotive board net (e.g. mild hybrid and EV cars) and other higher voltage circuits which are often subject to large spikes and pulses that previous 50 V parts cannot handle. […]
Half-bridge PCBs help evaluate GaN drivers, transistors
GaN Systems announced the release of two 650V half-bridge daughter cards (30A and 60A), which provide an ultra-versatile platform to evaluate GaN drivers and transistors. The evaluation cards are available in two power levels, up to 3kW (GS-EVB-HB-66508B-RN) and up to 6kW (GS-EVB-HB-66516T-RN), and include the Renesas RAA226110 low-side GaN FET driver. These cards are the industry’s […]
SiPs combine two GaN HEMTs, high-voltage gate drivers
Building upon the advantages of STMicroelectronics’ MasterGaN platform, MasterGaN2 is the first in the new family to contain two asymmetric gallium-nitride (GaN) transistors, delivering an integrated GaN solution suited to soft-switching and active-rectification converter topologies. The 650V normally-off GaN transistors have on-resistance (RDS(on)) of 150mΩ and 225mΩ. Each is combined with an optimized gate driver, making GaN […]
High-Voltage 700/800-V super junction MOSFETs target TVs, LED lighting and fast chargers
MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation announced eight new 700V and 800V series high-voltage Super Junction Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (SJ MOSFETs), featuring high performance and efficiency and optimized for TV, LED lighting, and fast charger applications. MagnaChip began SJ MOSFET development in 2013. Cumulative shipments have now reached 1.5 billion units, and the company’s flagship […]
IEDM highlights: GaN HFETs get a p-channel version that operates at gigahertz speeds
Researchers at Cornell University and Intel Corp. say they’ve devices a wide-bandgap p-type transistor counterpart of the n-channel GaN HFET. In a paper to be presented at the upcoming IEDM conference (Paper #8.3, “GaN/AlN p-Channel HFETs with I max >420 mA/mm and ~20 GHz f T /f MAX ,” K. Nomoto et al, Cornell University/Intel), […]
Good-bye x-ray tubes, hello “vacuum” transistors
Among the presentations at this year’s IEDM: A silicon vacuum transistor that operates at over 38 kV. Examine a hospital x-ray machine or a high-power RF transmitter and you’ll find a beefy vacuum tube. Vacuum devices still rein for applications requiring extremely high voltages (>30 kV) such as for x-ray generation or high-power radar (> […]
650 V automotive GaN FETs integrate 2.2. MHz gate driver, reduce onboard charger size
Vehicle electrification is transforming the automotive industry, and consumers are increasingly demanding vehicles that can charge faster and drive farther. As a result, engineers are being challenged to design compact, lightweight automotive systems without compromising vehicle performance. Texas Instruments’ new LMG3522R030-Q1 and LMG3525R030-Q1 650-V automotive GaN FETs for automotive and industrial applications are designed to […]
Tiny ICs minimize electrolytic capacitors, reducing volume of power supply by up to 40 percent
Designing the fast-charging, small adapters consumers are expecting today poses a not unfamiliar challenge to the designers of those devices. How do you deliver loads of power safely and efficiently when the increased component count and complexity of providing sophisticated charging control means a larger adapter? Even a more efficient circuit design requires new ways […]
New GaN 650-V, 60-A transistors optimized for automotive apps
GaN Systems announced the release and availability of the first product in a family of new 650V, 60A transistors for the automotive market. The GS-065-060-5-T-A is designed to meet automotive reliability standards including AEC-Q101 qualification and GaN Systems’ AutoQual+ testing and qualification. AutoQual+ is an enhanced AEC-Q test sequence based on the company’s collaboration with automotive partners to […]
