14 November 2014

EPC launches monolithic GaN half-bridge enabling 48V to 12V system efficiency at 20A output over 97%

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA, which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) for power management applications, has introduced the EPC2105, an 80V enhancement-mode monolithic GaN transistor half bridge.

By integrating two eGaN power FETs into a single device, interconnect inductances and the interstitial space needed on the PCB are eliminated. This increases both efficiency (especially at higher frequencies) and power density, while reducing assembly costs to the end-user’s power conversion system. The EPC2105 is suitable for high-frequency DC-DC conversion and enables efficient single-stage conversion from 48V directly to 1V system loads.

Each device within the EPC2105 half-bridge component has a voltage rating of 80V. The upper FET has a typical RDS(on) of 10mΩ, and the lower FET has a typical RDS(on) of 2.3mΩ. The high-side FET is about a quarter the size of the low-side device to optimize efficient DC-DC conversion in buck converters with a high VIN/VOUT ratio. The EPC2105 comes in a chip-scale package for improved switching speed and thermal performance, and is only 6.05mm x 2.3mm for increased power density.

The EPC9041 development board is 2” x 1.5” and contains one EPC2105 integrated half-bridge component using the Texas Instruments LM5113 gate driver, supply and bypass capacitors. The board has been laid out for optimal switching performance and there are various probe points to facilitate simple waveform measurement and efficiency calculation.

The EPC2105 monolithic half-bridge price for 1000 units is $7.17 each. The EPC9041 development boards are priced at $137.75 each. Both are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key.

Tags: EPC E-mode GaN FETs

Visit: www.digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/eGaNFETs/EPC2105.aspx

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards/EPC9041.aspx