Collaboration yields 100-V, GaN half-bridge evaluation board

GaN Systems has released a 100-V high-speed, half-bridge evaluation board (GS-EVB-HB-61008P-ON) in collaboration with ON Semiconductor. Designed for existing and new printed-circuit-board (PCB) designs, it allows power electronics designers to evaluate GaN for 48-V applications, including non-isolated step-down converters, non-isolated step-up converters, and half-bridge and full-bridge converters.

GaN Systems partnered with ON Semiconductor to make it easier for power designers to design with GaN and accelerate market acceptance for the wide-bandgap technology. The company believes that 2021 will be the year that GaN technology will shift from early adoption to taking a foothold in power-reliant markets, including automotive, data centers, and consumer electronics. At the same time, “the perceived risk factors [of these companies] will shift from not adopting GaN technology to the risk of being left behind.”

“OnSemi is part of the larger GaN ecosystem and it is the ecosystem’s responsibility to make designing with GaN easier,” said Paul Weiner, VP of strategic marketing, GaN Systems. “Having a board that combines the two most important pieces of the circuit together and optimized, makes it so much easier for power designers as well as increases GaN market acceptance more broadly and rapidly.”

The GaN power device market is forecast to reach about $1.2 billion by 2027, up from  $110.3 million in 2019, growing at a compound annual growth rate of CAGR of 35.4%, according to Allied Market Research. Two key advantages of the technology are their extremely low resistance and high-frequency switching, making them suited to high-efficiency power supplies, electric vehicle (EV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), photovoltaic inverters, and RF switching applications.

About the board

The evaluation board includes an OnSemi NCP51810 GaN driver and two GaN Systems GS61008P E-mode GaN power transistors connected in a high-side, low-side configuration and all the necessary drive circuitry.

The OnSemi NCP51810 high-speed gate driver is designed to meet the requirements of driving E-mode GaN HEMT power switches in half-bridge power topologies. Key features include 150-V, high-side and low-side gate driver; 200 V/ns dV/dt rating, and protection functions such as an independent under-voltage lockout (UVLO) for high-side and low-side output stages.

Delivering high efficiency power switching, the  GaN Systems GS61008P is an E-mode GaN-on-silicon power transistor, bottom-side cooled, that offers very low on-resistance, low gate charge, junction-to-case thermal resistance, and high current capabilities for high power applications. Key features include a simple gate drive (0 V to 6 V), high switching frequency (> 10 MHz), fast and controllable fall and rise times, reverse current capability, and zero reverse recovery loss.

Image: GaN Systems

The evaluation board offers flexibility of GaN transistor and driver combinations, and can be used in any topology that requires a high-side/low-side FET combination, said GaN Systems. When connected into an existing power supply, it can replace HS/LS drives and MOSFETs. Several pins are available to probe the circuit. The HS and LS gate drives, as well as SWN are accessible.

Key features include fast propagation delay of 50 ns maximum and configurable dead-time control and driver enable/disable functions. It also allows paralleling and control of the rise and fall time for EMI tuning.

The evaluation board is available through GaN Systems’ distribution partners.

GaN Systems also recently introduced four new integrated GaN power module evaluation kits that make it easy to evaluate GaN power devices for high-power applications, including traction inverters, industrial motors, energy storage systems, PV inverters, and a variety of lower power board and brick power supplies.

Weiner said the company will be releasing at least two evaluation boards in the coming weeks (not with OnSemi). “As we develop new products and other companies in the ecosystem develop new products, we work together to bring GaN solutions to the market.”