29 April 2015

EPC launches eGaN power transistors to break silicon cost-speed barriers

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA, which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) for power management applications, has launched the 60V EPC2035 and 100V EPC2036 eGaN power transistors, which are designed to compete on price while outperforming silicon. Price (the last barrier to widespread adoption of GaN transistors as silicon MOSFET replacements) has fallen, says the firm. EPC claims that the new products demonstrate that GaN can displace silicon semiconductors and drive the industry back onto the Moore's Law growth curve.

The power MOSFETs used for comparison purposes were selected on the basis of having comparable maximum rated on-resistance (RDS(on)) and having the same maximum rated breakdown voltage (VDS(max)). EPC notes that, as indicators of their faster switching speed compared with their counterpart MOSFETs, the EPC2035 and EPC2036 GaN FETs have lower values of QOSS, QGD and QG. Likewise, their capacitances are significantly lower. In addition, device area is one-fortieth the area of the equivalent MOSFET.

EPC reckons that power system designers can therefore, for the first time, realize lower cost, superior switching speeds, and a meaningfully smaller final product when designing with gallium nitride parts. 

To support easy 'in circuit' performance evaluation of the new family of eGaN FETs, development boards are available (EPC9049 for the EPC2035; EPC9050 for the EPC2036). The boards measure 2" x 1.5" and are in a half-bridge topology, featuring the eGaN FETs, on-board gate drives, supply and bypass capacitors. They contain all the critical components laid out for optimal switching performance.

Pricing for the EPC2035 and EPC2036 power transistors is $0.36 and $0.38 each, respectively, in 1000-unit quantities and $0.29 and $0.31 each, respectively, in 10,000-unit quantities. The EPC9049 and EPC9050 development boards are $104.40 each. The products are available from distributor Digi-Key.

Tags: EPC E-mode GaN FETs

Visit: www.digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/eGaNFETs/EPC2035.aspx

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/eGaNFETs/EPC2036.aspx

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards/EPC9049.aspx

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards/EPC9050.aspx