News: Microelectronics
22 March 2023
Navitas launches GaNSense Control ICs
Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor of Torrance, CA, USA has launched a family of GaNSense Control ICs that deliver what it claims are unprecedented levels of performance and integration.
Power systems require an optimized, high-speed, low-voltage (LV) silicon system controller, which Navitas has developed and integrated with its high-performance GaN ICs to create the first GaNSense control IC technology.
The initial range of GaNSense Control features high-frequency quasi-resonant (HFQR) flybacks supporting QR, DCM (discontinuous conduction mode), CCM (continuous conduction mode) and multiple-frequency, hybrid-mode operations, with frequencies up to 225kHz. The range is provided in a single, surface-mount QFN package (NV695x-series) or as a chip-set (NV9510x + NV61xx) for maximum designer flexibility. On the secondary side, integrated synchronous rectifier (SR) power ICs (NV97xx) achieve maximum efficiency at any load condition compared with conventional rectifiers.
Integrated features such as loss-less current sensing, high-voltage (HV) start-up, frequency-hopping, low standby power, and wide VDD input voltage deliver small, efficient, cool-running systems with fewer components and no RSENSE hot-spot. An array of integrated protection features including 800V transient voltage, 2kV ESD, over-voltage, over-current, and over-temperature protection create a robust power IC and reliable power systems, says Navitas.
Initial applications span 20–150W including smartphone, tablet and laptop chargers, consumer and home appliances, point-of-sale, and auxiliary supplies in high-power data center power and 400V electric vehicle (EV) systems. Over a million units have already been shipped.
“Strategically adding high-speed, analog and mixed-signal silicon controller technology to our existing GaN, SiC and digital-isolator technology platforms creates a design foundation for optimized power systems, adding over $1bn/year to the addressable market opportunity,” says chief operating officer/chief technology officer & co-founder Dan Kinzer. “We’re starting with GaNSense Control for fast-chargers and consumer appliances, as well as auxiliary supplies in servers and data centers. In the future, we can expand the portfolio to address higher-power applications in renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles,” he adds. “Navitas is uniquely positioned to influence customer architecture decisions with our advanced system design centers in those markets. Through those, we are able to maximize the system benefits and Navitas’ value whether using GaN or SiC in next-generation power electronics.”
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