GaN FETs, like any other form of transistor, dissipate power during switching, which manifests in the form of heat and can damage these devices if specific limits are exceeded. Heat management is therefore an important part of converter design.

In some applications, thermal management strategies are limited to solutions that can be implemented using only the PCB. Several effective board-level design techniques can be employed to maximise heat dissipation and improve GaN devices’ thermal performance without the use of a heatsink.

PCBs play a key role in determining how effectively heat can be transferred from GaN FETs to the surrounding environment. Board area, copper area, copper thickness, thermal vias and device proximity all influence thermal performance, while also affecting converter electrical performance too.

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Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio, Director of Global Marketing Communications at EPC