Technology funding aims to spur development of high-current switches

Technology funding aims to spur development of high-current switches

An advanced technology program (ATP) award from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was presented to Velox Semiconductor for development of high-voltage (600- and 1,200-V), high-current (20- and 100-A) electronic switches based on the company’s gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN on-Si) technology. The program funding will advance the company’s efforts in developing new enhancement-mode FETs. These new switching devices will offer major benefits to the automotive, computer laptop, consumer, and industrial power supply industries.

GaN has the unique ability to deliver high-frequency, high-voltage, and high-power attributes simultaneously.

GaN is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material, currently used in optoelectronic applications and in high-power and high-frequency devices. In power supply applications it enables the implementation of higher frequency circuits which offer benefits in efficiency, product size, low noise, smaller heat sink requirements, and higher yield. In automotive applications it enables implementation of significantly more efficient motor drivers.

Successful introduction of the new FETs will both significantly increase the fuel efficiency of the best-in-class hybrid vehicles, and they will increase the efficiency and drastically decrease the size of power supplies used for consumer, computer, industrial and telecom applications. The ATP funding for the two-year program will total $2,000,000 and matching funds from a variety of sources will make the total program cost of approximately $3,280,000.

In Phase I, Velox will develop 600-V 20-A GaN FETs for improved power supply applications. In the next phase, 1,200-V 100-A devices will be developed, which are ideal for motor driver applications in the automotive industry. For more information, visit http://www.veloxsemi.com.

Paul O’Shea