News: Microelectronics
2 May 2025
CGD demos ICeGaN in motor drives, data centers and EVs at PCIM
In booth 657 (Hall 7) at the Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management (PCIM 2025) Expo & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany (6–8 May), fabless firm Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd (CGD) — which was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 to design, develop and commercialize power transistors and ICs that use GaN-on-silicon substrates — is demonstrating how gallium nitride (GaN) technology is delivering improved performance in higher-power applications.
The firm’s ICeGaN technology is said to bring the benefits of GaN – including efficiency, size and thermal management – to applications including servers, data centers, inverters, industrial power supplies and automotive electric vehicles (EVs). A highlight of the booth will be the world-first Combo ICeGaN innovation, which pairs the company’s ICeGaN GaN ICs with IGBTs to address EV inverters at 100kW+, improving efficiency over traditional silicon solutions and reducing cost compared with silicon carbide solutions.
“By integrating the interface circuitry on the GaN chip along with the HEMT, ICeGaN is very easy to use,” claims Henryk Dabrowski, senior VP of global sales. “Devices can be easily driven using a standard power IC driver. Moreover, it is very rugged and robust, and includes extra protection circuitry, so reduces component count,” he adds. “Engineers are now understanding the true value proposition of ICeGaN, and are beginning to realize that GaN may replace SiC in certain high-efficiency designs, due to its lower manufacturing cost.”
During PCIM, CGD is giving the following Technical Session and Exhibitor presentation:
- 6 May (12:55–13:15: Hall 4, booth 4-435) — ‘ICeGaN benefits in Motor Drive Inverters through the evaluation of Electrical Performance under Application Conditions’ by Farhan Beg, director of application engineering. This presentation explores the advantages of ICeGaN technology in motor drive inverters, focusing on its impact on electrical performance. Key topics include improved efficiency, reduced power losses, enhanced thermal management, and the potential for compact system design. Through application-specific evaluations, the discussion highlights how GaN-based solutions outperform traditional silicon inverters, offering transformative benefits for modern motor control systems.
- 7 May (10:25–10:45 Hall 5, 135) — ‘ICeGaN Leads GaN Integration for High-Power Applications’ by Henryk Dabrowski, senior VP, global sales. ICeGaN technology is said to simplify GaN integration, offering a cost-effective solution at the system level for high-power applications in the 1–100kW range. Now available on the market, the P2 product series featuring 25mΩ and 55mΩ GaN chips has demonstrated high performance in automotive inverter and industrial motor drive applications. With high dV/dt immunity, 3x gate robustness versus incumbent GaN technologies and true 0V turn-off, ICeGaN is said to ensure ease of use, optimized efficiency and reliability. In addition, P2 enables paralleling with negligeable design effort.
In booth 7.657, CGD is presenting demos highlighting the benefits of employing its ICeGaN technology in three application spaces: motor drives; data centers; and electric vehicles.
Motor drives
- 650V 25mΩ half-bridge for 2–6kW systems. The design uses the BHDFN enhanced bottom-side-cooled package, which is capable of dissipating 10W (TA=50°C).
- Targeting home appliances, a 400W design in partnership with Qorvo demonstrates how easily MOSFETs can be replaced with ICeGaN, eliminating fans, heatsinks and bulky and expensive resistors, increasing efficiency and reducing size.
- A 800W evaluation kit (EVK), also in partnership with Qorvo, targets industrial applications. ICeGaN’s integrated Miller clamp eliminates the need for negative gate voltage for turn-off, and there is no need for a special GaN driver. The design increases efficiency and provides a quiet drive profile.
- An intelligent power module (IPM) uses ICeGaN to run cooler and eliminate heatsinks, providing lower deadtime and less distortion.
- A demo compares three-phase inverter designs using a shunt resistor with the simpler, lower bill-of-materials (BOM)-count ICeGaN design with integrated Current Sense.
Data centers
- 650V 25mΩ half bridge for 2–6kW systems. The design uses the BHDFN enhanced bottom-side-cooled package, which is capable of dissipating 10W (TA=50°C).
- 3kW bridgeless totem-pole PFC reference design hits 99.1% efficiency levels, meets IEC 61000-3-2 and exceeds 80 Plus Titanium specs. The modular design facilitates comparison with different controllers and power stages.
- 2.5kW CCM totem-pole PFC demo board delivers high efficiency and enables easy interfacing to an analog PFC controller. Co-designed with Inventchip, this solution features an optimized AC current zero crossing control and low THD.
- 3kW LLC test board for a 400V-to-48V single-stage LLC converter. This ICeGaN design enables high-frequency LLC for high-power-density DC/DC.
- Power Matrix 2kW quarter brick isolated DC/DC converter with a peak efficiency of 98% and a power density of 1.16kW/in3. Measuring just 63.5mm x 36mm x 12.4mm, it demonstrates ultra-high power density, and supports multiple modules in parallel.
- 650V 25mΩ full-bridge 4–10kW reference design. The DHDFN package featuring double-side cooling reduces thermal resistance, enabling the highest power density.
Electric vehicles
- Developed with IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN, a French public research and training organization in the fields of energy, transport and the environment), a 3-level ANPC EV inverter for 800V traction develops 100kW. Enhanced motor performance, reliability and efficiency with ICeGaN in 3-level NPC topology increases inverter efficiency, lowers THD and reduces dV/dt at the motor. Reduced switching losses enables power density of 25–30kW/l.
- Using ICeGaN in parallel configuration enables higher power levels — to 10kW in this example. The dual-side-cooled DHDFN package with dual-gate pinout simplifies PCB routing, and ICeGaN’s innovative control creates superior current sharing, it is claimed. Clean switching allows for full current (400V, 120A) in double-pulse test.
- 650V 25mΩ full bridge 4–10kW reference design. The DHDFN package featuring double side cooling reduces thermal resistance, enabling the highest power density.
“CGD’s latest P2 series ICs feature RDS(on) levels down to 25mΩ, supporting multi-kW power levels with the highest efficiency,” notes founder & CEO Dr Giorgia Longobardi. “We have built a secure supply chain including manufacturing deals with TSMC and ASE, and distribution through Digi-Key,” she adds. “With Combo ICeGaN, our technology roadmap has been extended to address EV applications to over 100kW.”
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CGD and Qorvo collaborate on evaluation kit for motor control systems
