GaN inverter shrinks motor drives

EPC announced the EPC9176 3-phase BLDC motor drive inverter for a variety of applications such as eBikes, eScooters, power tools, robots, drones, DC servos, medical robots, and factory automation. The GaN inverter leverages the EPC23102 ePower Stage GaN IC, operating from an input supply voltage of between 20 V and 80 V, to deliver up to 28 Apk (20 ARMS) steady state output current.

The EPC23102 incorporates an embedded gate driver function and two GaN FETs with 5.2-mΩ typical RDS(on). The fully integrated power stage also integrates a level shifter and synchronous bootstrap charging with an enable pin for low quiescent current in disabled mode and 5-V bias.

The 100-V ePower Stage GaN IC features a 6.6-mΩ RDS(on) maximum. It supports PWM switching frequencies up to 250 kHz in motor drive applications and 500 kHz in DC/DC applications.

(Source: EPC)

The EPC9176 reference design board, which measures 81 × 75 mm including the connector, contains critical function circuits for a complete motor drive inverter such as gate drivers, regulated auxiliary power rails for housekeeping supplies, voltage, and temperature sense, accurate current sense, and protection functions. The board is configurable for multi-phase conversion.

Other features include low distortion switching for low motor audio emission and reduced torque ripple as well as over-current and input supply under-voltage lockout protection.

GaN IC technology enables lighter and more efficient battery-operated motor drives. The EPC917620 delivers a smaller footprint, higher performance, and reduced design effort for a rapid time to market, according to EPC.

The reference design board is available from Digi-Key and is priced at $900.00. Interface boards (EPC9147X) operate the reference design with common motors and contain all critical function circuits that support a complete motor driver inverter.

See EPC’s GaN Power Bench’s cross-reference tool here for those interested in replacing their silicon MOSFETs.