GaN promises to revamp consumer design

According to Frédéric Dupont, president and CEO, Exagan, GaN-based devices are small and reliable and, when designed into electronic products, can pave the way for fast chargers that comply with the USB power delivery (PD) 3.0 type C standard and many design opportunities.

High power density GaN-on-silicon semiconductors can be specifies to create fast, efficient and smaller 45- to 65W chargers. Envisioning a world without cumbersome chargers, Dupont explained that USB type C ports can serve as universal connections, simultaneously transferring electrical power, data and video. The number of devices with at least one USB type C port is forecasted to grow rapidly from 300 million units in 2016 to nearly five billion by 2021 (IHS Markit research).

“In the near future, users will be able to quickly charge their smart phones, tablets, laptops and other devices simply by plugging a standard USB cable into a small, generic mobile charger,” said Dupont. The company uses 200mm GaN-on-silicon wafers for cost-efficient, high-volume manufacturing to accelerate the adoption of Gan-based devices in chargers. The company is sampling its fast, energy-efficient devices to key customers while ramping up production to begin volume shipments of G-FET and G-Drive products.