News: Microelectronics
28 July 2021
EPC Space launches cost-effective 60V rad-hard GaN power device
EPC Space LLC of Haverhill, MA, USA has introduced the EPC7014UB, a 60V radiation-hardened gallium nitride (GaN) transistor that is said to be lower in cost and a more efficient solution than the nearest comparable radiation-hardened (RH) silicon MOSFET. Utilizing GaN technology, the EPC7014UB outperforms RH silicon-based devices as it offers higher breakdown strength, faster switching speed, and lower on-resistance than other RH power devices, adds the firm.
Lower resistance and gate charge enable faster power supply switching frequencies, resulting in higher power densities, higher efficiencies, and more compact and lighter-weight circuitry for critical spaceborne missions.
The EPC7014UB is a 60V, 580mΩ, 4APulsed, rad-hard eGaN FET in an industry-standard UB package. It has a total dose rating greater than 1Mrad and SEE immunity for LET of 85MeV/(mg/cm2). The devices are also offered in a chip-scale package from EPC.
Applications benefiting from this performance include power supplies for satellites and space mission equipment, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) for robotics and autonomous navigation and rendezvous docking, motor drives for robotics, instrumentation and reaction wheels, and ion thrusters for satellite orientation and positioning, as well as interplanetary propulsion of low-mass robotic vehicles. Additionally, the EPC7014UB can be used as a gate driver interface between CMOS or TTL control circuits and power devices in a radiation-hardened environment.
“GaN technology enables a new generation of power conversion and motor drives in space operating at higher frequencies, higher efficiencies, lower cost and greater power densities than achievable with rad-hard silicon,” notes EPC Space’s CEO Bel Lazar. “We are excited about this technology’s ability to provide mission-critical components for the space and other high-reliability markets”.
Space-level-grade pricing (in 500-unit quantities) starts at $160/each.
EPC Space launches rad-hard eGaN power transistor die on ceramic adaptors
