DC-DC
This application note will cover the layout and thermal design challenges. Finally, the performances are demonstrated by two design examples: a 48 V-12 V 600 W 2-phase buck converter and a 24 V to 5 V/3.3 V, 2 MHz dual output buck converter.
This application note shows how to design a 98% efficient 100–250 V to 40–60 V DC-DC converter taking advantage of the low RDS(on) of EPC2215. A 3-level topology offers a 2x reduction of voltage and current stresses, which improves overall efficiency.
This application note discusses the design of a EPC9165, 2 kW, two-phase 48 V/12 V bi-directional converter using GaN FETs in QFN packages, achieving 96% efficiency. The heatsinking capability can be considered infinite since this will ultimately function inside a vehicle with the unit mounted to the chassis.
To accommodate the increasing power requirement in the server applications, there is increasing demand on extracting more power from standard 48 V bus converters. This application note presents the design of a 1.2 kW, 4:1 conversion ratio, eGaN FET-based LLC resonant converter in the 1/8th power brick size for the 48 V server applications. The EPC9174 [1] converter module achieves 97.3% peak efficiency and 96.3% full-load efficiency.
The 48 V/12 V automotive evaluation power modules (EPC9137, EPC9163, EPC9165, etc) utilize the two-phase synchronous buck/boost topology. The edge connectors and controller card are also designed to operate two modules in parallel with one controller, effectively achieving four-phase and therefore double the rated current and power
48 V is being adopted in many applications including AI systems, data centers, and mild hybrid electric vehicles. However, the conventional 12 V ecosystem is still dominant and so the need of a high power density 12 V to 48 V boost converter is required.
Modern displays typically require a low power boost converter. In this application, the screen intensity is low to moderate and the converter operates at light load most of the time, so the light load efficiency is very important.
This application note presents the design of a 1 kW, 4:1 conversion ratio, eGaN FET-based LLC resonant converter in the 1/8th power brick size for the 48 V server applications. The EPC9149 [5] converter module achieves 97.5% peak efficiency and 96.7% full-load efficiency.
This application note discusses the design of a 1.5 kW, two-phase 48 V/12 V bi-directional converter using automotive qualified GaN FETs that operates with 95% efficiency. The heatsinking capability can be considered infinite since this will ultimately function inside a vehicle with the unit mounted to the chassis. The design of this converter is scalable to 3 kW by paralleling two converters.
Brick DC-DC converters are widely used in data center, telecommunication and automotive applications, converting a nominal 48 V bus to (or from) a nominal 12 V bus. Advances in GaN integrated circuit (IC) technology have enabled the integration of the half bridge and gate drivers, resulting in a single chip solution that simplifies layout, minimizes area, and reduces cost.
As computers, displays, smart phones and other consumer electronics systems become thinner and more powerful, addressing the challenge of thinning the power converter and getting more power out of limited space without increasing the surface temperature increases in demand. This application note will look into designing a 44 V to 60 V input, 12 V to 20 V, 12.5 A output, thin DC/DC power module with low temperature rise using eGaN FETs in the simple and low-cost synchronous buck topology.
Brick DC-DC converters are widely used in data center, telecommunication and automotive applications, converting a nominal 48 V to a nominal 12 V distribution bus among other output voltages. The main trend has been towards higher power density given the form factor is fixed. This application note discusses the design of a digitally controlled 1/16th brick converter using GaN FETs for a 48 V to 12 V, 9 V, 5 V application, with up to 25 A output current, 300 W output power, a peak efficiency of 95.8%, and maximum power density of 730 W/in3.
Over the past decade, DC-to-DC power modules in datacom, telecom, and consumer electronics systems demand more power with increasing limitations on space and volume, requiring ultra-thin and highly efficient solutions. The multi-level converter is an exceptional candidate to shrink the size of the magnetic components and achieve high efficiency in a compact solution.
The rapid expansion of the computing and telecommunication market is demanding an ever more compact, efficient and high power density solution for intermediate bus converters. The LLC resonant converter is a remarkable candidate to provide a high power density and high efficiency solution. eGaN FETs with their ultra-low on-resistance and parasitic capacitances, benefit LLC resonant converters by significant loss reduction that is challenging when using Si MOSFETs.
The rapid expansion of the computing and telecommunication market is demanding an ever more compact, efficient and high power density solution for intermediate bus converters. The LLC resonant converter is a remarkable candidate to provide a high power density and high efficiency solution. eGaN FETs with their ultra-low on-resistance and parasitic capacitances, benefit LLC resonant converters by significant loss reduction that is challenging when using Si MOSFETs.
Single-phase buck converter can work efficiently at output currents up to 25 A, but the power efficiency drops significantly at higher currents. A compact, cost effective, high-power and high-efficiency 48 V to 12 V buck converter, suitable for high-power computing and telecommunication applications, can be achieved by employing eGaN FETs such as EPC2045 in a multiphase topology.
採用氮化鎵場效應電晶體(eGaN FET)，例如EPC2053，可實現最微型、最具成本效益、最高效及可提供25 A的輸出電流的非隔離型48 V轉到5-12 V 轉換器，適用於高效運算及電信應用。EPC9093開發板被配置為同步降壓轉換器，主要功率級的佔板面積只是10毫米x9毫米，與等效矽元件相比，其體積最少縮小了兩倍，而且輸出電壓可在5 V至12 V範圍內。
採用氮化鎵場效應電晶體（eGaN®FET），例如EPC2045元件，可實現適用於高效運算及通信應用的最微型、最具成本效益及最高效的非隔離型48 V – 12 V 轉換器。EPC9205被配置為一個同步降壓轉換器，當工作在48 V輸入電壓、12 V 輸出電壓及 10 A負載條件下，可實現1400 W/in3 功率密度、5 V至12 V的輸出電壓範圍及提供14 安培輸出電流。
採用單片半橋式eGaN積體電路（例如EPC2111）可以實現最微型、最具成本效益及最高效率的非隔離型12 V–1 V負載點轉換器，適用於高效運算、比特幣挖礦及電訊等應用。EPC9204被配置為同步降壓轉換器，功率密度可達1000 W//in3 及可發送12安培電流。
馬達控制器
Due to the ever-increasing demand for highly efficient and compact motor drive applications, EPC has designed the EPC9176 boards eGaN IC-based to provide a reference design to achieve maximum performance for vacuum cleaner inverters.
Due to the ever-increasing demand for highly efficient and compact motor drive applications, EPC has designed the EPC9173 board eGaN IC-based to provide a reference design to achieve maximum performance for the eBike inverters. The EPC9173 is based on six EPC23101 eGaN ICs. Such a board is a three-phase inverter capable of up to 1.5 kW operation; when powered with a 48 VDC supply voltage, it can deliver 20 ARMS per phase without a heatsink and with a heatsink it can provide continuously 25 ARMS per phase with peak operation up to 35 ARMS (for time intervals smaller than 30 seconds).
Due to the ever-increasing demand for highly efficient and compact motor drive applications, EPC has designed the EPC9167 and EPC9167HC boards eGaN FET-based to provide a reference design to achieve maximum performance for the e-bike inverters.
Due to the ever-increasing demand for highly efficient and compact motor drive applications, EPC has designed the EPC9145 board eGaN FET-based to provide a reference design to achieve maximum performance in the field of motor drive inverters.
Brushless DC (BLDC) motors are popular and finding increasing application in robotics, e-mobility, and drones. Such applications have special requirements such as lightweight, small size, low torque ripple, and precision control. To address these needs, inverters powering the motors need to operate at higher frequency, but require advanced techniques to reduce the resultant higher power loss.
AC/DC
EPC recently introduced the EPC9171[1], a GaN FET based USB power supply meeting the USB PD3.1 standard. With a universal input and 48 V output it can deliver up to 240 W and achieve 92% peak efficiency under both 120 VACRMS and 230 VACRMS input and 72 °C temperature rise (around the rectifier FETs).
The expansion of applications such as cloud computing, wearables, machine learning, autonomous driving, and IoT drive us towards an even more data-intensive world, increasing demands on data centers and power consumption [1, 2]. The importance of efficiency, power density, and cost of the AC to DC switching power supply is driving innovative solutions that eGaN FETs can solve to yield ultra-high efficiency power factor correction (PFC) front-end rectifier solutions that are the focus of this how-to-application note.
設計
eGaN FET-based power conversion systems offer higher efficiency, increased power density, and lower overall system cost than Si-based alternatives. These advantageous characteristics have spurred the presence of an ever increasing ecosystem of power electronics components such as gate drivers, controllers, and passive components that specifically enhance eGaN FET performance.
eGaN FETs are capable of switching much faster than Si MOSFETs, requiring more careful consideration of PCB layout design to minimize parasitic inductances. Parasitic inductances cause higher overshoot voltages and slower switching transitions. This application note reviews the key steps to design an optimal power stage layout with eGaN FETs, to avoid these unwanted effects and maximize the converter performance.
EPC’s wafer level chip-scale packaging such as the Land Grid Array (LGA) and Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages shown in figure 1, has enabled a new level of performance in power conversion. Many of these parts use a fine pitch down to 400 μm which means a proper PCB footprint design is essential for consistent and reliable assembly of the GaN device. Here are the guidelines of designing a correct footprint for any EPC part working from the datasheet.
EPC公司的創新封裝－晶片級、基板柵格陣列（LGA）及球柵陣列（BGA）封裝（如圖1所示）推動功率轉換實現更高的性能。要發揮氮化鎵技術的高效性能，必需使用合適的組裝技術。以下是如何手工組裝這些場效應電晶體或積體電路的指南。
eGaN FETs and ICs enable very high-density power converter design, owing to their compact size, ultra-fast switching, and low on-resistance. The limiting factor for output power in most high-density converters is junction temperature, which prompts the need for more effective thermal design. The chip-scale packaging of eGaN also offers six-sided cooling, with effective heat extraction from the bottom, top, and sides of the die. This application note presents a high-performance thermal solution to extend the output current capability of eGaN-based converters.
隨著基於eGaN FET的轉換器的電路性能不斷提高，對電路性能的測量的要求也在提升。 本文比較各種測量技術及對應用中的高性能氮化鎵場效應電晶體的性能進行評估。