GaN Systems offers its devices for $1m Little Box Challenge

Succeeding in this challenge will be revolutionary, and ultimately enable the wider use of solar panels and batteries in homes, businesses and cars, more efficient distributed electrical grids, power in remote areas where there is none and other major innovations in power electronics across applications ranging from laptops, tables and phones through to wind turbines and data centre power supplies.

Instigators of the Little Box Challenge, IEEE and Google, felt that wide bandgap semiconductors, such as GaN and SiC which allow higher power densities, would be useful to contestants and invited device manufacturers to submit a linked webpage describing their technology. GaN Systems is one of 11 such manufacturers now listed and linked to the Little Box Challenge website.

The Little Box Challenge is currently in progress – teams have already registered to take part and have until 22nd July 2015 to submit a technical approach and testing application. Up to 18 finalists will be invited to bring their inverters for testing in October next year at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the winner will be announced in January 2016.

Girvan Patterson, President, GaN Systems, said: “Our technology is made for this contest. The power market has been preparing for higher density, higher efficiency and faster switching frequencies - we have not only brought the power of GaN to the market, we have enhanced its inherent qualities with our proprietary Island Technology die, our near chipscale GaNPX packaging and Drive Assist on-chip drivers that simplify circuit design. Together, our three core IPs reduce resistance, improve thermal performance and virtually eliminate inductance, to push GaN technology to its limits.”

John Roberts, Chief Technical Officer, GaN Systems, added: “We are making our GS66508P product readily available to all Little Box contestants. This 34A, 41mΩ GaN E-MODE switch is suitable for the challenge - our products have a twenty times lower figure of merit, one eighth the gate charge, one third the on resistance, zero reverse recovery charge, better thermals, smaller packaging and lower inductance compared to silicon MOSFETs. Pushing the limits of frequency to reduce the size of a solution still means managing the heat - and our GS66508P does that job. We are also offering plenty of support in the form of data sheets, PSPICE models, packaging information and a dedicated e-mail contact.”