News: Microelectronics
7 May 2025
CGD’s ICeGaN ICs used by Inventchip in 2.5kW CCM totem-pole PFC reference design
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 — says that Inventchip of Shanghai, China, a provider of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices and ICs, has demonstrated a 2.5kW GaN-based CCM totem-pole PFC reference design using CGD’s ICeGaN gallium nitride ICs.
A key feature is said to be ease-of use. ICeGaN ICs integrate interface circuitry and protection on the same GaN die as the HEMT, so any standard driver IC can be used. The Inventchip IVCC1104 totem-pole PFC controller IC is also simple to use, with no programming required. It offers optimized AC zero-crossing control, low THD and high robustness against AC disturbance.
“Inventchip had an existing 2.5kW TPPFC reference design based on its controller and gate drivers using SiC MOSFETs in TO-247 packages,” notes CGD’s technical marketing & business development director Di Chen. “To evaluate the performance of GaN instead, Inventchip designed a TO-247 adapter board using our P2 25mΩ ICeGaN ICs, and the ICeGaN design works perfectly without any modification of their circuits. It has demonstrated that the ICeGaN can significantly shorten the learning curve and allow engineers to bring new product faster to market,” he adds.
“By using a TO247-4 adapter board to solder on a DFN-packaged ICeGaN device for a quick test on our EVM, despite the relatively long gate drive path and the extended drive power supply trace, the board was powered up successfully at the first shot with clean switching waveform,” comments Inventchip’s chief technology officer Dr Zhong Ye. “No abnormalities or shoot-through was observed from no-load to full-load conditions,” he adds. “The CGD GaN device has proven to be very noise-immune, user-friendly and highly efficient.”
Having proved its efficiency and power density in low-power charger designs, GaN is now being adopted by makers of server and data-center PSUs, inverters, industrial brick DC/DC converters and LED drivers. Soon, EV inverter drives of over 100kW are expected to transition to GaN too. ICeGaN technology is especially suitable at higher power levels because of its proven reliability and robustness, claims CGD.
CGD demos ICeGaN in motor drives, data centers and EVs at PCIM
CGD and IFPEN demo GaN-based 800VDC inverter that outperforms SiC
