Rad-hard GaN power transistors

23rd November 2020

EPC Space

Caroline Hayes

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GaN transistors have been designed for critical applications in the high reliability or commercial satellite space environments. The family of 40 to 300V radiation hardened (rad-hard) GaN transistors are by EPC Space and range from 4.0 to 30A.

The company claims itsenhanced GaN (eGaN) technology produces devices that are smaller, have lower resistance, and have many times superior switching performance compared to silicon solutions.

Typical applications are power supplies for satellites and mission equipment, light detection and ranging (lidar) for robotics and autonomous navigation and rendezvous docking, motor drives for robotics and instrumentation and ion thrusters for satellite orientation and positioning. They are also suitable for use in low mass robotic vehicles for interplanetary propulsion.

The GaN devices slso offer superior radiation hardness under heavy ions (SEE) and gamma radiation (TID), says the company. Single event effect (SEE) immunity is guaranteed at the wafer level.

The eGaN devices are manufactured in the company’s AS9100D-certified facility.

EPC Space is led by a management team headed by CEO, Bel Lazar, who is also COO of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC), Max Zafrani, CTO, who’s CV includes as the Senior Director of Engineering for the Product Development of Radiation Hardened MOSFETs, before starting Freebird Semicondcutor, EPC Space’s predecessor and Jim Brandt, principal product engineer, who was involved in new product development in the hi-rel divisions of International Rectifier and Microsemi.