VisIC’s Direct Drive D-Mode gallium nitride (D3GaN) devices integrate a high-density lateral GaN power FET into a normally-off product with low RDS(On) (8 mΩ) and highly efficient, ultra-fast switching performance. Direct drive allows the user to toggle the GaN gate with low switching energy while removing the design and performance issues of pre-driving the gate using a MOSFET; the GaN die is driven directly using an off-the-shelf 15 V MOSFET driver. The e-mode drive architecture also provides larger margins for threshold voltage for easier gate driving with less constraints for power supply designers. The typical threshold voltage is 8 V, and the QG and ID for this device are 110 nC and 180 A respectively. The device is also capable of operating with pulse currents of up to 380 A.
The D3GaN device comes in a fully isolated 21 x 23 x 3 mm SMD package, specified at 3.5 kV isolation, with top cooling and a Kelvin connection. Safety features are integrated for system startup and shutdown but do not affect the switching performance of the device during operation. These devices are suitable for applications that include solar inverters, AC-DC power supplies, AC motors, battery chargers, laser drivers, and automotive.
VisIC produces a half-bridge evaluation platform for testing these 8 mΩ devices in a paired configuration with up to 500 V switching voltage (at up to 300 kHz) and 18 kW output power, depending on the cooling solution used. Separate PWM signals can be used to control the high and low side of the circuit, and an optional current sense function is available for double pulse energy measurements. Additionally, there are holes in the PCB for switch case temperature measurements using a thermal camera.
If you would like to evaluate VisIC’s technology for use in a commercial project, whether using this board or a reference design, fill out the form below, and ipXchange will put you in touch to discuss your requirements. This technology is also available at the die/wafer level if required for your application, so please specify if this is desired when filling out the form.