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SuperGaN 650 V FET with on-res of 15 milli-ohms for EV

Date: 04/12/2020
Power-conversion efficiency is important factor when converting DC to DC of different voltages and to control the power output fed to motor in electric vehicles and battery chargers. Semiconductor switch designers are continuously improving switching losses all the way from Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) to Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor ( (IGBT) MOSFET. And today they getting away from silicon to compound semiconductor materials. Gallium nitride and silicon carbide-based FETs are less power dissipating, low heat producing, and can operate at high frequencies.

Pure silicon MOSFETs are being replaced by gallium nitride and silicon Carbide FETs in some of the efficiency and performance driven power electronics applications. Except for the cost advantage silicon MOSFETs are pushed behind for high-efficiency power conversion applications.

Riding on this trend, GaN device maker Transphorm is sampling its first Gen V device under its proprietary SuperGaN brand. Targeting the electrical vehicle market, the new TP65H015G5WS features very low packaged on-resistance and delivers a 25% lower power loss over Silicon Carbide (SiC) in a standard TO-247-3 package. Transphorm claims its SuperGaN technology performs better than Silicon Carbide.

Automotive supplier Marelli invested $4 million in Transphorm as a strategic partner and has committed to an additional $1 million equity investment in Q1 2021.

Dr. Joachim Fetzer, CEO, Electric Powertrain Marelli, commented, “Transphorm’s demonstration of achieving 10 kilowatts of power from a discrete packaged GaN device in a bridge configuration is further validation of the exciting promise of GaN for electric vehicle converters and inverters. As part of our previously announced partnership, we will continue to evaluate Transphorm’s industry-leading GaN devices and work together in support of a multi-year EV systems product roadmap.”

“We continue to innovate Transphorm’s SuperGaN FET technology, now offering the world’s lowest on-resistance in a standard TO-247-3 package in the market, targeted for electric vehicles and other higher power conversion applications. This allows customers to drive into double digit kilowatts with a single device, continuing to demonstrate GaN’s ability to provide higher performance, lower system cost and higher power density,” said Primit Parikh, COO and Co-founder, Transphorm. “Our Gen V GaN platform is creating new design opportunities for power levels that previously required paralleling, while still offering the greater than 99% efficiency.”

The sampled SuperGaN Gen V FET, a 15 milli ohms 650 V device can support power driving capability of higher than 10 kilo watts making it a choice as a switching device for power inverters and converters of electric vehicles and solar power.

Transphorm is also offering TP65H015G5WS for use in die level module solutions where multiple devices can be connected in parallel for higher power. The Company anticipates its Gen V FET device to receive JEDEC qualification in mid-2021 with AEC-Q101 qualification expected thereafter.