雜談GaN技術

增強型 GaN 功率器件（eGaN® FETs 和 ICs）為用戶提供了區分其最終產品的途徑。這項新技術在支持我們的設備和電子設備的隨處可見的電源供應和輸送電路中顯著提高了效率。

本文最初於2018年5月16日星期三發表在Compound Semiconductor網站上。了解更多有關eGaN技術和EPC GaN汽車應用解決方案的內容，請參閱汽車應用。

本文章最初於2018年5月發表在Bodo's Power Systems網站。了解更多關於eGaN技術以及EPC GaN在汽車領域的解決方案。

There are many reasons to increase frequency of power conversion.  Fundamentally, these reasons boil down to size/weight reduction, and cost reduction.  There are several components in the design of a power system that must perform efficiently at the targeted increased switching frequencies.  These include power switches, power switch drivers, controllers, magnetics, and capacitors. Taken collectively, these components represent the high frequency power conversion ecosystem.  Without any of these elements, the benefits of increased frequency cannot be fully realized.

Come see the world’s smallest, most efficient, and lowest cost DC-DC converters!  eGaN technology makes this, and much more possible and will be on full display at this year’s American Power Engineering Conference, APEC, where power engineers from around the world gather to see and learn about the latest innovations and products available in the world of power electronics.

EPC GaN experts will be presenting a half-day educational seminar on the state of GaN technology and its application to leading-edge power electronics. In addition, EPC will deliver six technical sessions, as well as demonstrate eGaN applications in our booth and customer suite.

We are quite excited about this year’s CES being held in Las Vegas from January 9th through the 12th.  Our excitement is grounded in the fact that we will be showing the power of GaN technology in two locations – within the AirFuel™ Alliance booth at the Sands Hotel and in our hospitality suite at the Venetian hotel!

Did you see that car? The one with what looks like antlers on the top? Most people would be hard-pressed to miss a self-driving car navigating about public roads. Most autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars as they are also known, are outfitted with a myriad of sensors, cameras, and even lasers that serve a critical function – providing information about the vehicle’s surroundings. These sensors and cameras are one means of identifying pedestrians, bicycle riders, lane lines, street signs, lights, traffic cones, and other visual details that are important for safe driving.

Written by Michael de Rooij and Alana Nakata - Efficient Power Conversion

Published in: PCIM Europe 2017; International Exhibition and Conference for Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management; Proceedings of

eGaN FETs, which are available in non-traditional chip scale packages (CSP) as land grid array (LGA) and/or ball grid array (BGA) formats, have repeatedly demonstrated higher power density and higher efficiency performance than equivalent MOSFETs across various applications ^{[1, 2]}. Those improvements are contingent upon proper layout practices documented extensively in ^{[1, 3]} that minimize unwanted parasitic elements. Over the seven years since eGaN FETs were first launched into the market there have been a total of 127 device failures out of a total of more than 17 billion hours in actual use in the field, 75 of which were a result of poor assembly technique or poor printed circuit board (PCB) design practices ^[4]. Designers are becoming more familiar with the PCB design rules that affect manufacturability and are less forgiving compared to MOSFETs due to their relatively smaller sizes. This paper will cover the various guidelines for PCB design that maximize the performance of eGaN FETs and reliability yet still rely on existing PCB manufacturing capabilities.

I don’t know about you, but in my house the number of mobile devices seems to multiply overnight, along with the ways they are used.  On any given night, you may find me on a GoToMeeting conference on my laptop, my husband on a video Skype chat from his phone with his dad in Florida, my oldest son turning in an assignment on Google Classroom from his laptop, my younger son streaming videos on his tablet, and my second grader recording and posting a music.ly on her phablet.  And when we travel, these devices come with us so they need to be small and lightweight enough to come along for ride! 

This all translates into ever-increasing power demands for computing and telecom systems and the conflicting desire for small, lightweight form factors, and extended battery life. To meet these demands, point-of-load (POL) DC-DC converters (the power engines) need to be designed to be small sized and as efficient as possible. These demands translate to ever faster switching frequencies of the transistors used in the power conversion running these devices. Notebook PCs, tablets, and phablets are especially sensitive to this need as our dependency on these devices and the demands we make on them continues to grow. 

I have yet to meet someone who likes power cords.

Take for example Keith. In figure 1 is a photo of all the power-related accessories Keith lugs around in his backpack to make certain he will be able to run his phone, tablet, and computer wherever he goes. What Keith and others may not realize is that the technology is available that can eliminate every one of these cords – today! So, why is it taking so long for wireless power solutions to become a household technology?

Certainly, wireless charging is not a new topic having been talked about for quite a while. But now, with a recently developed innovative approach to the design of transmission and receiver antennae (coils), ubiquitous wireless power is ready to be incorporated into our daily lives throughout furniture, walls, and floors to efficiently and economically power all the gadgets we need for our electronic lives.