Page 16 - PEN eBook March 2022
P. 16
DESIGN
Keeping Cool and Calm
in Tight Environments
— The GaN Way
By Rajesh Ghosh, chief power electronics engineer, and Dhaval Dalal, systems
applications architect, both at Tagore Technology
The landscape for power adapters used to power everyday electronic devices ranging from phones
to laptops has changed considerably since the introduction of USB-PD specifications and through
its evolution. While USB-PD ensures wide-ranging compatibility, the power adapter design becomes
somewhat more challenging: now, the power adapter has to support a wide range of output voltages
(as opposed to a single output voltage for captive use adapters). Meanwhile, the end user’s desire
for lighter, smaller adapters continues. Gallium nitride power switches have been introduced in
recent years to address these dual requirements.
MARCH 2022 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 55
