High-speed isolated gate drivers optimized for bi-direction GaN control

Navitas Semiconductor has announced the latest breakthrough of the world’s first production-released 650 V bi-directional GaNFast ICs and high-speed isolated gate drivers, creating a paradigm shift in power with single-stage BDS converters, which enables the transition from two-stage to single-stage topologies. Targeted applications range widely and open up multi-billion dollar market opportunities across EV charging (On-Board Chargers (OBC) and roadside), solar inverters, energy storage, and motor drives. The recorded launch event video can be viewed here.

Over 70% of today’s high-voltage power converters use a ‘two-stage’ topology. For example, a typical AC-DC EV OBC implements an initial power-factor-correction (PFC) stage and a follow-on DC-DC stage, with bulky ‘DC-link’ buffering capacitors. The resulting systems are large, lossy, and expensive. Bi-directional GaNFast consolidates the two stages into a single, high-speed, high-efficiency stage and in the process, eliminates the bulky capacitors and input inductors – the ultimate solution in EV OBCs.

A leading EV and solar micro-inverter manufacturer has already begun their implementation of single-stage BDS converters to improve efficiency, size, and cost in their systems. GaNFast-enabled single-stage converters achieve up to 10% cost savings, 20% energy savings, and up to 50% size reductions.

The ultimate power semiconductor switch (transistor) can block voltage and allow current flow in two directions, with the highest efficiency. Navitas’ leadership in GaN innovation has delivered this landmark – the bi-directional GaNFast power IC.

Previously, two discrete, ‘back-to-back’ single switches had to be used, but new bi-directional GaNFast ICs are leading-edge, single-chip designs (monolithic integration) with a merged drain structure, two gate controls, and a patented, integrated, active substrate clamp. One high-speed, high-efficiency bi-directional GaNFast IC replaces up to 4 older switches, increasing system performance while reducing component count, PCB area, and system costs.

The initial 650 V bi-directional GaNFast ICs include NV6427 (100 mΩ R_{SS(ON) typ.}) and NV6428 (50 mΩ R_{SS(ON) typ}) in thermally enhanced, top-side-cooled TOLT-16L (Transistor Outline Leaded Topside-cooled) packaging. The product family will be extended into lower R_SS(ON) offerings in the future.

The new, high-speed IsoFast devices are galvanically isolated, high-speed drivers optimized to drive bi-directional GaN. With 4x higher transient immunity than existing drivers (up to 200 V/ns) and no external negative bias supply needed, they deliver reliable, fast, accurate power control in high-voltage systems. The initial parts are the NV1702 (dual, independent-channel, digital, isolated bi-directional GaN gate driver) and NV1701 (half-bridge GaN digital isolator) in SOIC-16N and SOIC-14W packages.

Bi-directional GaNFast ICs (NV6427 and NV6428) are fully qualified and immediately available in mass-production quantities. IsoFast (NV1701 and NV1702) samples are available now to qualified customers. Single-stage evaluation boards and user guide showcasing both IsoFast and bi-directional GaNFast ICs are available for qualified customers. Navitas will feature bi-directional GaNFast ICs and IsoFast at the APEC 2025 power electronics conference in Atlanta, March 17^th-19^th, booth 1107.