Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA, which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) for power management applications, has introduced the EPC9115, a demonstration design for a 12V, 42A output with an input range of 48V to 60V.
The demonstration board features enhancement-mode (eGaN) power transistors – the EPC2020 (60V) and EPC2021 (80V) – along with the LM5113 half-bridge driver and UCC27611 low-side driver from Texas Instruments. The power stage is a conventional hard-switched 300kHz isolated buck converter.
The complete converter fits within a standard eighth-brick envelope, but the EPC9115 demonstration board is deliberately oversized to allow connections for bench evaluation. The design provides various probe points to facilitate simple waveform measurement and efficiency calculation.
The EPC9115 uses a full-bridge primary power stage, a 4:1 transformer, and a center-tapped output stage with active re-set snubbers. Control is provided by a Microchip dsPIC controller, and basic voltage-mode control is implemented. Operating at 300kHz, the EPC9115 switching frequency is 50-100% higher than similar commercial units.
"With the introduction of the EPC9115, the industry has the performance of a 500W DC-DC converter in the footprint of an industry-standard eighth brick," says CEO & co-founder Alex Lidow. "This unprecedented power density is made possible with eGaN FETs."
EPC9115 demonstration boards are priced at $812.50 each and are available from Digi-Key.
