氮化鎵(GaN)元件是一種非常堅硬和在機械方面非常穩定的寬帶隙半導體材料，用于生產功率元件、射頻元件和發光二極體 (LED)。其開關頻率遠高於矽元件，使電力電子設計人員能够利用氮化鎵元件創建更小、更高效、性能更高的系統，這是以前採用矽技術難以實現。

可持續能源是當今全球的重要需求。發展中經濟體努力建設能源基礎設施以支持工業和為偏遠村莊供電。與此同時，工業化經濟體正在努力平衡對更大供電需求的相互衝突和減少對環境的影響。氮化鎵(GaN) 積體電路為設計人員提供具備更高功率密度、更高效和可使能新應用優勢的功率元件。隨著全球能源成本的上升，氮化鎵元件的普及急劇加快也就不足為奇了。

許多電源系統中使用的基本構建塊是半橋，它由兩個串聯的功率FET及其各自的閘極驅動器組成。雖然離散式FET和閘極驅動器可以在板上實現這個相同的功能，但通常使用半橋模組比較有利和有許多好處，包括使用單個預先通過認證的元件、更短的交付周期和具有更高的性能。有50多年歷史的電源模組供應商Sensitron（sensitron.com）使用了EPC的eGaN FET，使它的新產品更具吸引力。Sensitron與EPC合作使用新型EPC2050 GaN FET開發出350 V半橋模組SPG025N035P1B，這個半橋智慧功率模組專為商業、工業和航空航天應用而設計，額定電流為20 A，可用於控制5 kW以上的功率。如圖1所示，通過從Si和SiC元件升級至採用氮化镓元件，封裝尺寸顯著減小。

早在2015年，Venture Beat就發表了一篇關於氮化鎵晶片取代矽的文章。在那篇文章中，我斷言氮化鎵基功率半導體的廣泛普及是可能的，因為GaN FET將比矽具有更高的性能和更低的成本。 然而，人們仍然普遍誤解氮化鎵元件還沒有達到那個里程碑……這是一個錯誤的迷思。在這篇部落格文章中，我將試圖打破這個神話，並提醒大家，本次討論僅限於額定電壓低于400 V的元件的應用領域，因為這是EPC 的重點產品。

This GaN Talk blog discusses the advantages of using GaN-based inverters instead of silicon-based inverters for motor drive designs to operate smoother while reducing size and weight. These advantages are critical for motor drives used in typical applications such as warehousing & logistical robots, servo drives, e-bikes & e-scooters,  collaborative and low voltage robots and medical robotics, industrial drones, and automotive motors.

Omdia forecasts that worldwide shipments of warehousing and logistics robots will grow rapidly over the next 5 years from 194,000 units in 2018 to 938,000 units annually by 2022, with the rate of growth slowing after 2021 as many major players will have adopted robotic systems by then.  Worldwide revenue for this category will increase from $8.3 billion in 2018 to $30.8 billion in 2022, providing significant opportunities for established participants and emerging players.

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is doubling the performance distance between the aging silicon power MOSFET and eGaN® transistors with 200 V ratings.  The new fifth-generation devices are about half the size of the prior generation.  This performance boost comes from two main design differences, as shown in figure 1.  On the left is a cross-section of the fourth generation 200 V enhancement-mode GaN-on-Si process.  The cross-section on the right is the fifth-generation structure with reduced distance between gate and source electrodes and an added thick metal layer. These improvements, plus many others not shown, have doubled the performance of the new-generation FETs.