GaN FET power stage is an industry first

13th March 2015

Siobhan O'Gorman

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Datasheet

An 80V, 10A integrated GaN FET power stage prototype, claimed to be the industry’s first, has been released by Texas Instruments. The LMG5200 consists of a high-frequency driver and two GaN FETs in a half-bridge configuration. The GaN FET power stage will help accelerate market adoption of next-gen GaN power-conversion solutions that provide increased power density and efficiency in space-constrained, high-frequency industrial and telecomms applications.

Typically, designers who use GaN FETs that switch at high frequencies must be careful with board layout to avoid ringing and EMI. TI’s LMG5200 dual 80V power stage prototype significantly eases this issue while increasing power-stage efficiency by reducing packaging parasitic inductances in the critical gate-drive loop. The power stage features advanced multichip packaging technology and is optimised to support power-conversion topologies with frequencies up to 5MHz.

The easy-to-use 6x8mm QFN package requires no underfill, which significantly simplifies manufacturing. The reduced footprint solidifies the value of GaN technology and will help increase adoption of GaN power designs in many new applications, ranging from high-frequency wireless charging applications to 48V telecomms and industrial designs.

“One of the biggest barriers to GaN-based power design has been the uncertainties around driving GaN FETs and the resulting parasitics due to packaging and design layout,” said Steve Lambouses, Vice President High-Voltage Power Solutions Business, TI. “We help power designers realise the full power potential of GaN technology by offering them a complete, reliable power-conversion ecosystem of optimised integrated modules, drivers and high-frequency controllers in advanced, easy-to-design packaging.”

In addition to ordering the available LMG5200 evaluation module (EVM), designers can get started faster using PSpice and TINA-TI models for the LMG5200 to simulate the performance and switching frequency advantages of this technology.

The LMG5200 is priced at $50 each with a maximum purchase of 10 units. The LMG5200 EVM is available for $299.

The power stage will be highlighted as part of a 48V digital power demonstration at the APEC, which takes place from 16^thto 18^th March, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company will be located at booth 1001.