Page 25 - PEN eBook July 2023

Semiconductors

conduction protection, can now be realized. These complete circuits are packaged into a single
and simple-to-use component. This article will cover DC-to-DC and BLDC motor drive application
examples that benefit from monolithic half-bridge integration.

INTRODUCING THE ePOWER STAGE eGaN IC FAMILY

The EPC23102, EPC23103 and EPC23104 form a family of next-generation monolithically integrated
half-bridge ePower Stages, as shown in Figure 1. The devices are rated at 100 V and are available in
a 3.5 × 5.0-mm PQFN package that makes layout and design simple.

Figure 1: Overview of the half-bridge ePower Stage family

EPC monolithic ICs combine the excellent switching performance of GaN transistors with the good
thermal capabilities of QFN packages; as a result, GaN monolithic ICs make it possible to increase
the switching frequency of the converter, keeping the switching losses and the temperature increase
low. The EPC2310x family includes enhanced features like switch-node slew-rate programming;
3.3-V and 5-V logic-compatible, synchronous bootstrap supply; and enable function.

Monolithic ICs allow designs to shrink to a single QFN component, the half-bridge cell, which is
composed of at least one gate driver and two discrete FETs in conventional Si MOSFET–based
inverters. Moreover, increasing the switching frequency allows reduction of the input filter, so the
overall weight and volume of the converter are reduced.

JULY 2023 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 25