The EPC2101 GaN power monolithic half bridge offers power systems designers a solution that increases efficiency and power density. For a complete buck converter, system efficiency approaches 87% at 14 A, and over 82% at 30 A when switching at 500 kHz and converting from 28 V to 1 V while reducing the board area occupied by transistors by 50% when compared to a discrete solution.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — November 2014 — EPC announces the EPC2101, 60 V enhancement-mode monolithic GaN transistor half bridge. By integrating two eGaN^® power FETs into a single device, interconnect inductances and the interstitial space needed on the PCB are eliminated, resulting in a 50% reduction in board area occupied by the transistors. This increases both efficiency (especially at higher frequencies) and power density, while reducing assembly costs to the end user’s power conversion system. The EPC2101 is ideal for high frequency DC-DC conversion.

Each device within the EPC2101 half-bridge component has a voltage rating of 60 V. The upper FET has a typical R_DS(on) of 8.4 mΩ, and the lower FET has a typical R_DS(on) of 2 mΩ. The high-side FET is approximately one-fourth the size of the low-side device to optimize efficient DC-DC conversion in buck converters with a high V_IN/V_OUT ratio. The EPC2101 comes in a chip-scale package for improved switching speed and thermal performance, and is only 6.05 mm x 2.3 mm for increased power density.

Development Board

The EPC9037 is 2” x 1.5” and contains one EPC2101 integrated half-bridge component using the Texas Instruments LM5113 gate driver, supply and bypass capacitors. The board has been laid out for optimal switching performance and there are various probe points to facilitate simple waveform measurement and efficiency calculation.

Price and Availability

The EPC2101 monolithic half-bridge price for 1K units is $6.92 each

The EPC9037 development boards are priced at $137.75 each

Both are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key at https://www.digikey.com/en/supplier-centers/epc

Design Information and Support for eGaN FETs:

• Download EPC2101 datasheet at https://epc-co.com/epc/Products.aspx
• EPC9037 Quick Start Guide: https://epc-co.com/epc/products/evaluation-boards/EPC9037.aspx
• Application Note: GaN Integration for Higher DC-DC Efficiency and Power Density at http://bit.ly/EPCan018
• Video: Increase Effici