New half-bridge daughter cards feature GaN FET drivers

These cards are the industry’s first to provide programmable overcurrent protection with adjustable thresholds and programmable source current for adjustable turn-on slew rate.  

“GaN transistors have established themselves as a fundamental building block in power electronics. The introduction of Renesas’ low-side GaN FET driver with its best-in-class features and performance are a confirmation that GaN transistors have become the preferred tool of choice for power design engineers,” said Paul Wiener, Vice President of Strategic Marketing at GaN Systems.

“Renesas is committed to the development of innovative power products that support GaN transistors,” said Philip Chesley, Vice President of the Industrial and Communications Business Unit at Renesas. “One example is our new RAA226110 low-side GaN FET driver, which provides all of the features customers are looking for in a high-performance driver.”

These power stage designs can be utilised in a wide range of applications from enterprise 1U power supplies (up to 5kW), high-power density bridgeless totem pole PFCs, PV inverters, energy storage systems, motor drives, and automotive DC/DC converters and onboard chargers.

Design flexibility, simplicity, and unique features define the evaluation board. It operates with a GaN Systems' motherboard for easy setup and plug-and-play operation. The evaluation card also features integrated V_GS regulation at 2MHz f_SW and one-of-a-kind functions such as programmable over current protection with adjustable thresholds of 40mV/80mV/120mV and differential current sensing as well as programmable source current for adjustable turn-on slew rate (0.3A, 0.75A, or 2A).