GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a fabless producer of gallium nitride (GaN)-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications, is exhibiting at the Electronica 2014 trade fair in Munich, Germany (11-14 November) for the first time, showcasing what is claimed to be the most comprehensive range of gallium nitride devices on the global market, with current ratings from 8A to 250A.
Founded just seven years ago, GaN Systems has developed a range of gallium nitride high-power transistors based on its unique Island Technology intellectual property. The power switching semiconductors incorporate the superior switching speed, temperature, voltage and current performance of the wide-bandgap semiconductor gallium nitride into a unique structure that maximizes wafer yields and produces highly efficient transistors up to four times smaller and at lower cost than tradition design approaches, it is claimed.
The fast switching and dense current-carrying capability of Island Technology devices is further enhanced by GaN Systems’ compact, near-chip-scale GaNPX packaging, which has no wire bonds, minimizing inductance and thermal resistance and increasing reliability.
The third technological innovation is Drive Assist - on-chip drivers that simplify circuit design, remove Miller driving issues and improve switching speed.
The new GaN devices offer what are claimed to be significant advantages over traditional silicon MOSFETs and IGBTs and usher in smaller, lighter and more efficient power electronics for industrial, consumer and automotive applications such as data-center power supplies, notebook travel adapters, air-conditioning motors and electric vehicle (EV) battery chargers and traction electronics.
“Power system engineers around the world concur that the availability of GaN transistors may be the single most important advance since the IGBT became available in the 1990s,” says CEO Jim Witham. “The ability to decrease power losses by 50-90% or to reduce the size and weight of a system up to one quarter of its original size will alter the way power systems are designed and used… We have brought the broadest GaN product offering to the global marketplace with unique technology that enables it to be incorporated easily into the next generation of power electronics,” he adds.
“2014 has been one of the most exciting and significant years since the company’s inception. Our global distribution agreement with Mouser Electronics now delivers GaN Systems’ products directly into the hands of electronics design engineers, we have added to our headcount worldwide and made significant appointments at VP level in Europe and Asia, and we have presented technical papers or exhibited at major conferences worldwide,” Witham continues. “Earlier this year we moved our HQ into new, expanded premises in Kanata (Ottawa’s high-tech district) so we could increase our laboratory space tenfold, ensuring our R&D facility incorporates state-of-the-art custom facilities and the dedicated power and cooling systems needed to fully explore higher-power applications and accelerate new product development and testing.”
