News: Microelectronics
24 March 2026
Renesas unveils first bidirectional 650V-class GaN switch for solar power inverters, AI data centers and onboard EV chargers
Renesas Electronics Corp of Tokyo, Japan has introduced what is claimed to be the industry’s first bidirectional switch using depletion-mode (d-mode) GaN technology, capable of blocking both positive and negative currents in a single device with integrated DC blocking. Targeting single-stage solar micro-inverters, AI data centers and onboard electric vehicle chargers, the high-voltage TP65B110HRU simplifies power converter designs and replaces conventional back-to-back FET switches with a single low-loss, fast-switching, easy-to-drive device.
Single-stage topology boosts efficiency and reduces components
Existing high-power conversion designs use unidirectional silicon or silicon carbide (SiC) switches, which block current in only one direction when in the off state. As a result, power conversion must be divided into stages with multiple switched bridge circuits. For example, a typical solar micro-inverter uses a four-switch full bridge to convert from DC to DC for the first stage, followed by a second stage to produce the final AC output to the grid. Even as the electronics industry moves toward more efficient single-stage converters, engineers must work around inherent switching limitations. Many of today’s single-stage designs use conventional unidirectional switches back-to-back, resulting in a four-fold increase in switch count and reduced efficiency.
Bidirectional GaN changes this landscape entirely, says Renesas. By integrating bidirectional blocking functionality on a single GaN product, power conversion can be achieved in a single stage using fewer switching devices. A typical solar micro-inverter, for example, will require only two high-voltage Renesas SuperGaN bidirectional devices, eliminating the intermediary DC-link capacitors and halving the switch count. In addition, GaN products switch fast, with low stored charge, enabling higher switching frequencies and higher power density. In a real-world single-stage solar micro-inverter implementation, the new GaN architecture demonstrated higher than 97.5% power efficiency with the elimination of back-to-back connections and slow silicon switches.
Combining robust performance and reliability with silicon-compatible drivers
Renesas’ field-proven 650V SuperGaN devices are based on a proprietary normally-off technology that is said to be simple to drive and highly robust. The TP65B110HRU combines a high-voltage bidirectional d-mode GaN chip co-packaged with two low-voltage silicon MOSFETs with high threshold voltage (3V) high gate margin (±20V) and built-in body diodes for efficient reverse conduction.
Compared with enhancement-mode (e-mode) bidirectional GaN devices, the Renesas bidirectional GaN switch offers compatibility with standard gate drivers that require no negative gate bias. This translates to a simpler, lower-cost gate loop design and fast, stable switching in both soft- and hard-switching operation without a performance penalty. Power conversion topologies that require hard switching, such as the Vienna-style rectifier, can benefit from its high dv/dt capability of >100V/ns, with minimum ringing and short delays during on/off transitions. Renesas says that its GaN device enables true bidirectional switching with high robustness, high performance and ease of use.
“Extending our SuperGaN technology to the bidirectional GaN platform marks a major shift in power conversion design norms,” claims Rohan Samsi, vice president, GaN business division at Renesas. “Customers can now achieve higher efficiency with fewer switching components, smaller PCB area and lower system cost. At the same time, they can accelerate design by leveraging Renesas’ system-level integration with gate drivers, controllers and power management ICs.”
Key features of the TP65B110HRU
- ±650V continuous peak AC and DC rating, ±800V transient rating;
- 2kV human body model ESD protection rating (HBM and CDM);
- 110mΩ typical RSS,ON @ 25⁰C;
- 3V typical Vgs(th);
- no negative drive required;
- ±20V maximum Vgs;
- >100V/ns dv/dt immunity;
- 1.8V, VSS,FW freewheeling diode voltage-drop;
- TOLT top-side cooled package with industry standard pin-out.
Availability
Renesas is showcasing the latest bidirectional GaN switch and its growing portfolio of intelligent power solutions in booth #1219 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2026) in San Antonio, Texas, USA (22–25 March).
The TP65B110HRU bi-directional GaN switch is available in quantity now. Customers can also purchase the RTDACHB0000RS-MS-1 evaluation kit for testing with different drive options, detect AC zero crossings and implement ZVS soft switching.
Combinations
Renesas offers 500W Solar Microinverter and Three-Phase Vienna Rectifier System solutions that combine the new GaN bidirectional switch with numerous compatible devices from its portfolio. These Winning Combinations are technically vetted system architectures from mutually compatible devices that work together to bring an optimized, low-risk design for faster time to market. Renesas offers more than 400 Winning Combinations with a wide range of products from its portfolio to enable customers to speed up the design process and bring their products to market more quickly.
Renesas adds GaN-based half-wave LLC platform to AC/DC and power adapter range
Renesas licenses EPC’s low-voltage eGaN technology to complement its 650V+ portfolio
