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EE|Times EUROPE — Power Electronics 57

POWER ELECTRONICS
AspenCore Book Illuminates GaN’s Pivotal Role

in the New Power Era

By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio and Nitin Dahad

s silicon reaches its theoretical
performance limits for power
electronics, the industry is shifting
Atoward wide-bandgap materials,
including gallium nitride.
Why WBG, and why GaN specifically?
AspenCore Media’s new book, the “Aspen-
Core Guide to Gallium Nitride: A New Era
for Power Electronics,” answers those ques-
tions and more.
WBG power semiconductor devices in
silicon carbide and GaN technology pro-
vide design advantages that are allowing
previously unimaginable application per- Figure 1: GaN technology (shown in red) is able to reduce the total switching loss for a
formance: low leakage current, significantly power switch operating at offline flyback voltages (switch rating 600–750 V) (Source: Power
reduced power losses, higher power density, Integrations)
higher-frequency operation, and the ability
to tolerate higher operating temperatures,
all with a smaller device size than could be achieved for a sili- POWER MANAGEMENT
con-only equivalent. Other features, of no lesser importance, are From a power management standpoint, all power systems require
robustness and increased reliability, resulting in improved overall a high level of integration to achieve the required portability. High
device life expectancy and increased operational stability. energy efficiency is required for truly portable and therefore
GaN is one of the “coldest” alternatives to silicon that exist today, battery-operated systems. Lower power consumption maximizes
in the sense that its low junction resistance allows low device tem- device operating time without recharging or replacing the batteries.
peratures and low energy losses even in extreme, high-temperature The power supply industry for commercial applications is
operating conditions. GaN’s properties can provide clear benefits in extremely dynamic; it has to be able to adapt to market changes, the
power converters for consumer and industrial electronics; char- introduction of new regulations, and the advent of new technologies,
gers for wireless devices, and as such, it is under constant transformation. The industry must
GaN must operate including 5G; driver circuits be capable of developing products and power solutions to support
new technologies (such as 5G and Industry 4.0) and anticipate tech-
for motor control; power
safely and efficiently switches in automotive and nologies that have yet to be introduced.
Semiconductors such as GaN and SiC can provide effective
in a high-frequency space applications; efficient solutions for the advancement of power electronics. Indeed, their
power conversion in data
ecosystem to fulfill its centers; smart metering for broad-bandgap characteristics provide superior thermal management
green energy installations;
on the one hand and improved frequency response on the other. This
role in the revolution and imaging and wireless results in more efficient, smaller, less expensive power electronics.
in fast charging, power power for medical devices. EFFICIENCY FOR POWER DEVICES
GaN technology,
conversion, and energy implemented through Energy efficiency is now a strategic initiative in increasingly power-
transistors, has seen sig-
reliant industries such as data centers, electric vehicles, and the green
storage. nificant improvements that grid. GaN-based devices hold the key to addressing a primary hurdle for
have brought down its cost the expansion of renewable energy.
enough to make it a viable With the world on course to move from 8 billion to 30 billion
MOSFET replacement. The momentum began to build in 2017, connected devices over the next few years, data center operators and
when the adoption rate of GaN in 48-V DC/DC converters achieved their suppliers need to rethink how these installations are powered.
IN
market-shifting proportions. Topologies such as multi-phase and Will technology be up to the challenge of making data centers more
multi-level buck converters now enable solutions with greater efficient and sustainable, and what will GaN’s role be?
efficiency to cover the energy demands of the IT and automotive Wireless charging solutions enable fast, easy-to-use, and secure
markets. In addition to GaN’s microelectronics, digital control offers charging ecosystems while eliminating the need for cables or precise
an extra boost to improve performance. device alignment. GaN has a role here as well as in power electron-
By using GaN-based transistors and ICs, designers have been able ics for radiation-hardened space applications, audio amplifiers, and
to produce smaller chargers and adapters. GaN technology allows motor control. But what are the challenges in bringing GaN-based
the development of converters that can operate at higher switching designs to market for these applications, and what other materials are
frequencies than equivalent silicon devices. It reduces transformer competing with GaN?
size, provides solutions that deliver significant system efficiency The efficient storage of electricity, possibly from renewable
improvements, and reduces or eliminates the need for heat sinks. sources, is now a strategic objective for all companies in the energy

www.eetimes.eu | DECEMBER 2020