News

23 February 2010

 

IR claims first commercial GaN-based integrated power stage devices

Power management device maker International Rectifier Corp (IR) of El Segundo, CA, USA has introduced what it claims is the industry’s first family of commercial integrated power stage products using gallium nitride (GaN)-based power device technology. The iP2010 and iP2011 family of devices is designed for multiphase and point-of-load (POL) applications including servers, routers, switches and general-purpose POL DC-DC converters.

Using IR’s GaNpowIR GaN-based power device technology platform (launched in September 2008), the iP2010 and iP2011 integrate an ultra-fast PowIRtune driver IC matched to a multi-switch monolithic GaN-based power device. They are mounted in a flip-chip package platform to deliver higher efficiency and more than double the switching frequency of state-of-the-art silicon-based integrated power stage devices.

IR claims that GaNpowIR can provide improvements in key application-specific figures of merit (FOM) of up to a factor of ten compared to state-of-the-art silicon-based technology platforms, boosting performance and cutting energy consumption in end applications in market segments such as computing and communications, automotive and appliances. GaNpowIR is the result of five years of R&D by IR based on its proprietary GaN-on-silicon epitaxial technology. The high-throughput, 150mm GaN-on-Si epitaxy, together with subsequent device fabrication processes that are fully compatible with IR’s cost-effective silicon manufacturing facilities, offers a commercially viable manufacturing platform for GaN-based power devices, the firm adds.

“The introduction of this family of GaN-based power devices for DC-DC applications heralds a new era in high-frequency, high-density, highly efficient power conversion solutions,” says Goran Stojcic, executive director for IR’s POL Products, Enterprise Power business unit.

“With a switching capability up to 5MHz, the iP201x family enables designers to dramatically reduce the value and size of output capacitors and inductors where space is at premium,” says POL product manager John Lambert. “The devices can also be configured to operate at a lower switching frequency for applications that require the highest possible efficiencies.”

Operating up to up to 3MHz, the iP2010 has an input voltage range of 7–13.2V and output voltage range of 0.6–5.5V with an output current up to 30A. Operating up to 5MHz, the pin-compatible iP2011 has the same input and output voltage ranges but is optimized for an output current up to 20A. Offering multiple current-rating devices in a common footprint provides flexibility for meeting different requirements in terms of current level, performance and cost, says IR.

Available in a 7.7mm x 6.5mm LGA package with a small footprint, both devices are optimized for very low power loss, feature highly efficient dual-sided cooling, and are RoHS compliant.

Complete datasheets, demo boards and samples are available to qualified customers. Pricing begins at $9 each and $60 each for the iP2010TRPbF and iP2011TRPbF, respectively, in 2500-unit quantities.

See related items:

New SiC and GaN power devices pave the way to a $160m market by 2013

International Rectifier launches GaN-on-Si power device technology

Search: International Rectifier GaN GaN power devices

Visit: www.irf.com/product-info/ganpowir