Rad-hard GaN transistor meets spaceborne performance

The 60V, 580mΩ, 4A pulsed, rad-hard eGaN FET is supplied in an industry standard UB package. It has higher breakdown strength, faster switching speed and lower on-resistance than rad-hard silicon-based devices, claims the company.

It has lower resistance and gate charge for faster switching frequencies, higher power densities, higher efficiencies and compact, lightweight circuitry.

The GaN transistor is designed for power supplies in satellites and space mission equipment and ion thrusters for satellite orientation and positioning. It can also be used in lidar systems for robotics and autonomous navigation and rendezvous docking. Other applications are motor drives for robotics, instrumentation and reaction wheels, and interplanetary propulsion of low-mass robotic vehicles. The GaN device can also be used as a gate driver interface between CMOS or TTL control circuits and power devices in a rad-hard environment.

Total dose rating is greater than 1Mrad and single event effect (SEE) immunity for LET of 85MeV/(mg/cm2).

The transistor is also offered in a chip-scale package.

Bel Lazar, CEO of EPC Space, believes: “GaN technology enables a new generation of power conversion and motor drives in space. We are excited about this technology’s ability to provide mission-critical components for the space and other high-reliability markets”.