High-power-density GaN FETs boast direct drive functionality and 8 V switching thresholds

Did ipXchange manage a week without talking about GaN at PCIM? In another interesting take on this technology, we talk with Dima from VisIC about their Direct Drive D-mode GaN (D³GaN) devices. 

As Dima explains, direct drive allows users to toggle the GaN gate directly at the die level, resulting in lower switching energy and faster switching times than competing technologies – the device can be driven using off-the-shelf 15 V MOSFET drivers. Additionally, d-mode GaN provides much better reliability, both in terms of gate performance and the device itself. It also provides larger margins for threshold voltage – 8 V instead of the typical 3 V – which makes it easier to drive the gate and puts less constraints on power designers looking to use these devices.  

As with most GaN power components, there are many possible applications where VisIC sees their solution being used, but a key market they are trying to target is automotive with their 650 V, 8 mΩ and 22 mΩ FETs, of which VisIC produces half-bridge evaluation boards for both. We tried to get a few more specifications out of Dima, but it looks like VisIC are keeping technical details of their innovation close to the chest. They certainly would not be the first GaN manufacturer to do this! 

You can learn more here where we’ve written up the publicly available specifications for both the aforementioned evaluation boards and the devices they are build around. As always, if you’d like to try either for use in a commercial application, fill out the forms on the board pages, and ipXchange will put you in touch to discuss your project.