31 January 2014

GaN Systems presents paper on SPICE models for high-power GaN devices in automotive applications

At the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2014) in Fort Worth, TX, USA (16-20 March), GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a fabless provider of gallium nitride (GaN)-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications, is presenting a technical paper that describes the application of SPICE models developed for very high-power GaN devices and integrated GaN drive circuits in automotive applications.

At present, the drive-train power requirements of most hybrid vehicles (HVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) are met by using silicon insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) devices, but it is expected that GaN will take over as the technology of choice for this market in the near future, says the firm, as GaN power transistors provide greatly enhanced performance in these applications, due to lower on-resistance and minimal switching losses compared with silicon-based semiconductors.

GaN Systems’ presentation describes the use of thermally augmented SPICE models that were developed to enable large area GaN devices to be simulated in conjunction with an integrated GaN driver, demonstrating how GaN devices can be used in the very wide temperature ranges and high electrical noise environments found in automotive applications. The presentation will be given by chief technical officer John Roberts, who co-authored the paper with colleague Hughes Lafontaine.

At the exhibition running alongside the conference, in booth 240 GaN Systems’ is showcasing its range of GaN power switching solutions for power conversion applications featuring its proprietary Island Technology. GaN Systems claims that its high-power devices overcome the limitations of existing silicon-based semiconductors and bring significantly better performance and efficiency to power conversion applications for alternative energy and power supply applications in addition to electric and hybrid vehicles.

Tags: GaN Systems Power electronics

Visit: www.gansystems.com