GaN test board characterizes wide-bandgap semiconductors to reduce prototype cycles

A customized gallium nitride (GaN) test board for a dynamic power device analyzer/double-pulse tester (PD1500A) enables Tier 1 and OEM power converter designers to reduce prototype cycles and speed introduction of new products.

To facilitate advances in power converter design, new wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies are being commercialized, providing improvements in speed, voltage and thermal operation. This, in turn, improves efficiency, while decreasing size and reducing cost. However, the resulting high-performance power converters are proving difficult to design.

To deliver consistent, reliable characterization of WBG semiconductors, Keysight developed the PD1500A dynamic power device analyzer platform. The PD1500A is modular, allowing discrete silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) based power devices to be characterized. Now with a customized GaN test board, Keysight’s PD1500A delivers repeatable and reliable characterization for faster switching devices.

GaN is currently only targeting on-board chargers and dc-dc converters in EVs. However, with the advent of vertical GaN, expectations are that operating voltages will catch up with SiC (1.2 kV and higher), making GaN a potential choice for higher power applications in e-Mobility.

Keysight’s measurement science enables a commercially available solution for repeatable and reliable characterization of GaN power devices, accelerating the ability of OEM and Tier One providers to introduce competitive EV technology to the market.

Keysight Technologies, 1400 Fountain Grove Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, 1-800-829-4444, www.keysight.com