EPC adds 80V eGaN FET to AEC Q101-qualified product family for high-resolution LiDAR

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 announced AEC Q101 qualification of the 80V EPC2214 eGaN FET, which is designed for light detection & ranging (LiDAR) systems in the automotive industry and other harsh environments.

eGaN technology has been in mass production for over nine years, accumulating billions of hours of field experience in automotive applications, such as LiDAR and radar for autonomous cars, 48V – 12V DC-DC converters used in data-center computers, ultra-high-fidelity infotainment systems, and high-intensity headlamps for trucks, notes EPC. The new device has completed rigorous automotive AEC Q101 qualification testing and will be followed with several more discrete transistors and integrated circuits designed for the harsh automotive environment.

As an 80V, 20mΩ, eGaN FET with a 47A pulsed current rating in a 1.8mm2 footprint, the EPC2214 is suited to use for firing the lasers in LiDAR systems because the FET can be triggered to create high current with extremely short pulse widths. The short pulse width leads to higher resolution, and the higher pulse current allows the LiDAR system to discern objects at greater distances. These two characteristics, along with their small size and low cost, make eGaN FETs suuitable for radar and ultrasonic sensors in addition to LiDAR in demanding automotive applications, says EPC.

To complete AEC Q101 testing, the eGaN FETs underwent rigorous environmental and bias-stress testingncluding humidity testing with bias (H3TRB), high-temperature reverse bias (HTRB), high-temperature gate bias (HTGB), temperature cycling (TC), as well as several other tests. EPC says that its wafer-level chip-scale (WLCS) packaging passed all the same testing standards created for conventional packaged parts, demonstrating that the superior performance of chip-scale packaging does not compromise ruggedness or reliability. The eGaN devices are produced in facilities certified to the Automotive Quality Management System Standard IATF 16949.

“This new automotive product is the most recent in what will be a constant stream of EPC transistors and integrated circuits designed to enable autonomous driving and improve fuel economy and safety,” says CEO & co-founder Alex Lidow. “Our eGaN technology is faster, smaller, more efficient, lower cost and more reliable than the aging silicon power MOSFET used in today’s vehicles,” he adds.

Priced at $0.72 each in 2500-unit/reel quantities, the EPC2214 eGaN FET is available for immediate delivery from distributor Digi-Key Corp.

See related items:

EPC launches 100V eGaN power transistor for 48V DC-DC motor drives and LiDAR applications

Tags: EPC E-mode GaN FETs GaN-on-Si Power electronics

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