EPC Technical Articles

Advancements in GaN Motor Drive Inverters Revolutionize UAV Drones for Agricultural Applications

Modern agricultural techniques have been revolutionized by the integration of unmanned aerial- vehicle (UAV) drones, which are low-voltage battery-operated aircrafts. Smaller drones are utilized for terrain mapping and vegetation monitoring, while heavier, more robust variants are employed for tasks such as spraying and distributing fertilizers and insecticides as well as disseminating seeds and feed with payloads up to 50 kg loads. GaN-based inverters prove to be suitable for UAV agricultural drones since they extend the battery life by improving motor efficiency, courtesy of the higher PWM frequency with sinusoidal excitation. In addition to the efficiency considerations, the higher PWM frequency contributes to a reduction in the dimensions of the DC link, thereby reducing the size and weight of the inverter, which is vital in lightweight aircrafts.

Bodo’s Power Systems
December, 2023
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GaN Transistors Simplify the Design of High Current Motor Drive Inverters

Battery-powered industrial vehicles such as forklifts, manual handlers, or warehouse automatic vehicles require high-current inverters to drive the electric motors. Gallium nitride technology helps to increase the power capability and simplify the inverter design in these applications.

Bodo’s Power Systems
October, 2023
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Performance Benefits of Using Next-Gen Monolithic Integrated GaN Half-Bridge Power Stages in DC-to-DC and BLDC Motor Drive Applications

Monolithic GaN integration has matured to the point that complex circuits such as a half bridge gate driver with various features can now be realized. This article will cover DC-to-DC and BLDC motor drive application examples that benefit from monolithic half-bridge integration.

Power Electronics News
May, 2023
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GaN’s Evolution from Science Project to Mainstream Power Conductor

Power-conversion technologies are experiencing the first tectonic shift since the move from bipolar to MOS. That shift, of course, is due to the viral adoption of wide-bandgap power devices. At this point, GaN is more than a specialty technology; it is a broad-scale replacement for silicon MOSFETs in applications ranging from 30 V up to 650 V — a multibillion-dollar market.

Power Electronics News
December, 2022
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GaN-Based Low-Voltage Inverter for Electric Scooter Drive System

This paper deals with the application of the latest generation low voltage (up to 80 V) Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices for motor drive applications in the field of electric micro-mobility. A two-level inverter topology oriented to light electric traction (such as electric scooters) with a power rate of 1500 W has been considered. An experimental board using two GaN FETs in parallel connection for each switch of an inverter leg has been arranged. The intrinsic parameters spread of the device, as well as the leakage inductances of both the circuit and the PCB, to evaluate the impact on the current share during both the transient phase and in the steady state have been investigated. In the paper, several simulation runs have been carried out and described. Furthermore, the inverter experimental board has been used to evaluate the phase voltages and currents at different load conditions. Finally, the temperature limits versus phase current variation have been evaluated.

IEEE 2022 AEIT International Annual Conference (AEIT)
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Note: This site requires IEEE membership to access full paper.

GaN ePower Stage ICs Bring Logic-In, Power-Out Simplicity to Motor Drive Applications

Gallium nitride devices are leading the innovation in power conversion. The benefits of GaN-based inverters are becoming increasingly evident in motor drive applications.

Power Electronics News
October, 2022
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Dispelling a Myth – GaN and Motor Drivers

There is a commonly held belief in the industry that GaN devices are wasted on inverters for electric motors. After all, if the performance of the system is restricted by the use of a 20KHz PWM, then there can be little benefit in using a material that gains the majority of its advantages from faster switching speeds. However, according to Marco Palma, Director of Motor Drives Systems and Applications at EPC, there are some ways that GaN can still prove effective in that role.

Power Systems Design
September, 2022
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Reference design aimed at e-bikes

EPC’s inverter reference design is based around a GaN chip to reduce powertrain sizes

E-mobility Engineering
September, 2022
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Packaged GaN FETs Offers Footprint Compatible Solutions to Optimize Performance vs. Cost

GaN FETs in thermally enhanced QFN packages offer higher performance and smaller solution size for high power density applications, including DC-DC conversion, AC/DC chargers, solar optimizers and microinverters, motor drives, and Class D Audio

Power Electronics News
September, 2022
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GaN ePower Integrated Circuits Applied to Motor Drives

The latest ePower™ integrated circuits based on gallium nitride technology by Efficient Power Conversion are revolutionizing motor drive applications such as industrial drones, e-bikes, scooters, power tools.

Bodo’s Power Systems
April, 2022
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Premium Motor Drive Performance at Low Cost for e-bikes, Drones, and Robotics with GaN FETs from EPC

The EPC9167 GaN-based inverter reference design enhances motor system performance, range, precision, torque, all while lowering overall system cost. The extremely small size of this inverter allows integration into the motor housing resulting in the lowest EMI, highest density, and lowest weight.

Robotics Tomorrow
March, 2022
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CES 2022: GaN Technology for the Next Future

The year 2021 was a transitional year in which the world decided to open its doors to GaN. In this interview with Power Electronics News during CES week, GaN industry experts confirmed that GaN is now proving its superiority over silicon.

Power Electronics News
January, 2022
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Low-Voltage GaN FETs in Motor Control Application; Issues and Advantages: A Review

In the field of motion control, there is a growing use of GaN devices, especially in low voltage applications. This paper provides guidelines for designers on the optimal use of GaN FETs in motor control applications, identifying the advantages and discussing the main issues.

Energies Journal
October, 2021
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Utilizing GaN Inverters for Battery-Powered Motor Drive Applications

GaN transistors and ICs increase power density in motor drive applications. An optimal lay-out approach allows obtaining ring-free output switching waveforms and clean current reconstruction signals either from leg shunts or from in-phase shunts.

EEPower
October, 2021
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Why Motors are Smaller, Faster, and More Precise with GaN

With the growing adoption of and increasing applications for GaN, Bodo Arlt has taken the opportunity to talk to EPC’s CEO and Co-Founder, Alex Lidow to discuss what he believes is the next big market for this evolving technology

Bodo’s Power Systems
September, 2021
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1.5kW GaN Inverter for Battery-Powered Motor Drive Applications

GaN transistors and ICs increase power density in motor drive applications. An optimal lay-out approach allows obtaining ring-free output switching waveforms and clean current reconstruction signals either from leg shunts or from in-phase shunts.

Bodo’s Power Systems
June, 2021
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Product roundup: GaN power semiconductors gain traction

(Image: Yole)

Manufacturers of GaN power semiconductors showcased their latest products, from 100 V to 650-V devices at PCIM Europe. PCIM Europe showcased several presentations about the benefits and use cases of wide bandgap (WGG) semiconductors, including gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). Several manufacturers, including EPC, GaN Systems, Infineon, Nexperia, and STMicroelectronics announced several new families of GaN power semiconductors during the week.

Electronic Products
May, 2021
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GaN Is Revolutionizing Motor Drive Applications

In last month’s Safety & Compliance column in How2Power, “WBG Semiconductors Pose Safety And EMI Challenges In Motor Drive Applications,”[1]Kevin Parmenter made some assertions about the difficulties of using SiC, and to a lesser extent GaN, power semiconductors in large motor-drive applications. This commentary is a response to that article, showing that GaN can be a game changer in low-voltage integrated motors.

How2Power
February, 2021
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Layout Considerations for GaN Transistor Circuits

Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors have been in mass production for over 10 years. In their first few years of availability, the fast switching speed of the new devices – up to 10 times faster than the venerable Si MOSFET – was the main reason for designers to use GaN FETs. As the pricing of GaN devices normalized with the MOSFET, coupled with the expansion of a broad range of devices with different voltage ratings and power handling capabilities, much wider acceptance was realized in mainstream applications such as DC-DC converters for computers, motor drives for robots, and e-mobility bikes and scooters. The experience gained from the early adopters has led the way for later entrants into the GaN world get into production faster. This article is the first in a series of articles discussing three topics that can help power systems designers achieve the most out of their GaN-based designs at the lowest cost. The three topics are: (1) layout considerations; (2) thermal design for maximum power handling; and, (3) EMI reduction techniques for lowest cost.

Bodo’s Power Systems
January, 2021
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The Smarter the Car, the More it Needs GaN

Gallium nitride is helping the transition from internal combustion engines to electric and smart cars.

Power Systems Design
July/August 2020 Issue
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