EPC91116 – High Frequency 40 V, 17 A Laser Driver using EPC2203

The EPC91116 is a demonstration board suitable for driving laser diodes with short current pulses, achieving minimum pulse widths as low as 5 ns. It supports peak currents of more than 10 A, and a bus voltage of 40 V. This high-speed performance is enabled by EPC’s gallium nitride enhancement mode (eGaN^®) FET technology. The board utilizes the fully automotive qualified EPC2203 , an ultrafast eGaN transistor with a very low total gate charge (Q_G) of 670 pC. The eGaN transistor has a rated pulse current of 17 A, a rated voltage of 80 V, and a very low R_DS(on) of 80 mΩ while maintaining an exceptional small footprint of 0.9 x 0.9 mm.

The EPC91116 board is accompanied by the EPC9989 interposer board to provide the user with a simple means of mounting a small set of commercially available lasers. The EPC9989 comprises a collection of breakaway 5 mm square interposer PCBs with footprints for different lasers and various alternative loads. The use of the interposers allows many different lasers or other loads to be mounted on the demonstration boards. The boards do not include a laser diode or load, which must be supplied by the user.