Page 30 - PEN eBook February 2024

SEMICONDUCTORS
VisIC’s V22TG D GaN advanced top-side–cooled isolated package
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power electronics for EVs—enabling higher
switching frequencies, reduced losses and
more compact designs.
▶ GaN enables high power density, which
contributes to the miniaturization of
power electronics components, which is
advantageous in EVs, where space and weight
considerations are significant.
However, GaN’s properties pertaining to power
management often imply that the respective devices
operate at higher temperatures than traditional
silicon-based devices. While this can be an advantage
in some cases, it also means that effective thermal
management is essential to prevent overheating and
ensure long-term reliability. Furthermore, GaN devices
have an inherent thermal resistance. Even more
importantly, the higher-power–density capacity of GaN
devices also means that more heat is generated in a
smaller space. This cumulatively calls for a reliable
thermal management system, especially in EV power
packages, as overheating poses serious fire hazards. “This advanced power package not only offers
Prevalent cooling systems for GaN power packages
30 FEBRUARY 2024 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com
SEMICONDUCTORS
required for emerging automotive and industrial The new GaN SMD power package is thus compact,
applications,” said Tamara Baksht, CEO and with a small footprint of 19.7 × 13.6 mm (including
co-founder of VisIC. “We are confident that the V22TG leads), making it easier to incorporate in EV systems.
D GaN will empower manufacturers to accelerate the VisIC has sought to adhere to the automotive
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adoption of electric vehicles.” AEC-Q101 standard with its V22TG D GaN, which in
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turn ensures the high endurance and reliability of the
V22TG D GaN, which is a GaN surface-mount device product.
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(SMD) power package by nature, utilizes VisIC’s D GaN
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technology designed to extract the full GaN power The size, compact design, high voltage, high power
devices’ potential. As the GaN transistors in V22TG density and especially the top-side–cooling system
D GaN are in depletion mode (d-mode), its use is of V22TG D GaN all imply the inherent flexibility
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favored in high-power applications. The d-mode the product line can offer in integrating the power
technology in its transistors also provides higher noise package into different system configurations and
immunity in the gate drive, making the GaN transistors applications, allowing for versatile and efficient
less susceptible to interference or disturbances. This deployment. This flexibility allows for seamless
is especially important in automotive applications, in integration into a wide array of power electronics
which the operating environment can be electrically applications, and hence, it can be used beyond the
noisy. intended EV applications—server power supplies, data
centers, solar inverters and a wide range of industrial
Improved noise immunity contributes to the stability applications.
and reliability of the power electronics system.
Furthermore, with a voltage capability of 650 V, VisIC will make the samples of V22TG D GaN in the
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this SMD power package can handle high-voltage first quarter of 2024, allowing customers to assess
requirements with effortless efficiency. As established and experience the performance and benefits of the
before, GaN devices in power electronics can offer package firsthand. By integrating a top-side–cooled
high power density when operating, and V22TG isolated package in V22TG D GaN, VisIC is fueling the
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D GaN provides just that along with offering a low necessary breakthroughs in realizing highly efficient
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on-resistance of 22 mΩ. This allows for the design power management systems in future wide-arrayed
of smaller and lighter components within the power EVs as well as industries.
electronics system.
include heatsinks for increased surface area, liquid
cooling using coolants to absorb and dissipate heat,
phase-change materials leveraging phase transitions
for efficient cooling, thermoelectric coolers actively
pumping heat away, forced air cooling with fans to
enhance convective heat transfer, microchannel
cooling using small tubes for increased surface
area and so on. VisIC Technologies, a global leader
in advanced GaN power electronics solutions, has
incorporated a thermal management system in its
new V22TG D GaN (direct drive depletion-mode GaN)
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power package, keeping in mind the EV applications.
V22TG D GaN is encapsulated in an advanced leaded
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top-side–cooled isolated package. Here, the design
of the package is such that the heat dissipates from
the top frame. While adding a product with top-side
cooling was certainly revolutionary for improving the
capabilities of VisIC’s power packages, the highlight
of the new V22TG D GaN is perhaps its heightened
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performance capabilities suiting EV applications.
exceptional performance and reliability but also
provides the versatility and ease of implementation
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