600V GaN fets have built-in drivers for easy use from 100W to 10kW

The 50 and 70mΩ devices are intended for applications from 100W up to 10kW.

While GaN transistor have the potential to increase the efficiency and shrink the size of power supplies, their high speed and somewhat fussy characteristics mean that they need careful driving if clean operation is to be obtained.

“TI’s family of GaN FET devices provides a smart alternative to traditional cascade and stand-alone GaN FETs by integrating unique functional and protection features to simplify design, enable greater system reliability and optimise the performance of high-voltage power supplies,” said the firm. “With integrated <100ns current limiting and over-temperature detection, the devices protect against unintended shoot-through events and prevent thermal runaway, while system interface signals enable a self-monitoring capability.”

The devices are LMG3410R050, LMG3410R070 (latched over-current protection) and LMG3411R070 (cycle-by-cycle over-current). According to the firm, each device is capable 1MHz switching and slewing up to 100V/ns.

Slew-rate is user adjustable from that 100V/ns down to 25V/ns, according to component distributor Mouser, which is stocking the device. It added that propagation delay is 20ns and 150V/ns slew rate immunity is provided, as well as over-voltage lockout protection on all supply rails.

Packaging is 8 x 8mm QFN, and there are evaluation modules: LMG3410EVM-018, LMG3410-HB-EVM and LMG3411EVM-029.

Applications are foreseen in ac-dc power supplies, robotics, renewable energy, grid infrastructure, telecoms and personal electronics.

At Electronica, TI will have a 10kW cloud-enabled grid link demonstration in Hall C4 (Booth 131).

Developed with Siemens, it uses a LMG3410R050, is 99% efficient, and offers “up to 30% reduction in power component size compared to a traditional silicon design”, claimed TI.