EPC Corp. release new high performance GaN power transistors

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announces the introduction of six new-generation power transistor products and corresponding development boards. Ranging from 30 V to 200 V, these products provide significant reduction in RDS(on) greatly increasing their output current capability in applications such as high power density DC-DC converters, Point-of-Load (POL) converters, synchronous rectification in DC/DC and AC/DC converters, motor drives, LED lighting, and industrial automation.

The new family of eGaN FETs cuts on-resistance, (RDS(on)), in half, enabling high current, high power density applications.Improved Figure of Merit (FOM)
The latest generation of eGaN FETs cuts the hard-switching FOM in half compared with the previous generation for improved switching performance in high frequency power conversion applications.

Extended Voltage Range:
Extending the performance benefits of GaN to 30 V enables higher power DC-DC converters, Point-of-Load (POL) converters, synchronous rectifiers for isolated power supplies, PCs, and servers.Better Thermal Performance
Increased temperature capabilities and improved die layout improve the thermal and electrical performance of the Gen 4 family of devices allowing for higher power operation under all conditions.

Demonstrated Power Conversion Efficiency Improvements:

To demonstrate the improved performance of these new eGaN FETs, two buck converters were built. The EPC9018combines the 30 V EPC2023 FET as the synchronous rectifier with the 40 V EPC2015 as the control switch of a 12 V – 1.2 V DC-DC point of load (POL) converter.

The 12 V to 1.2 V, 40 A POL converter operating at switching frequency of 1 MHz achieved efficiencies above 91.5% and demonstrated the superior in-circuit performance of the latest generation of eGaN power devices compared to the state-of-the-art Si MOSFET modules.

The EPC9019, a 48 V – 12 V converter, uses the 80 V, EPC2021 as the synchronous rectifier switch with the 100 VEPC2001 as the control switch. The results of this 48 V to 12 V, 30 A non-isolated DC-DC intermediate bus converter operating at a switching frequency of 300 kHz achieved efficiencies above 98%, again significantly outperforming a comparable converter using state-of-the-art silicon power MOSFETs.

Price and Availability:

Pricing for the EPC2019 – 24 power transistors at 1K units starts at $3.14 each and are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key at http://digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion.page?lang=en

Development Boards

Pricing for corresponding development boards start at $104.40 each and are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key at http://digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion.page?lang=en

Additional Information

Design Information and Support for eGaN FETs:

Download EPC eGaN FET datasheets at http://epc-co.com/epc/Products.aspxDownload development board Quick Start Guides: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards.aspxApplication Note: Fourth Generation eGaN FETs Widen the Performance Gap with the Aging MOSFET athttp://bit.ly/EPCAN017Watch short video presentation of Fourth Generation products: http://epc-co.com/epc/DesignSupport/TrainingVideos/Generation4eGaNFETs.aspx