News: Microelectronics
19 October 2021
EPC launches 50W, 12V to 60V eGaN FET-based synchronous boost converter
Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA – which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications – has announced the availability of the EPC9162, a bi-directional buck or reverse-boost converter. This demonstration board features the 100V EPC2052 for the synchronous converter and the EPC2038 in the synchronous bootstrap FET circuit.
The EPC9162 is by default programmed as a boost converter operating at 12V input to 60V/50W output. However, the board can also be operated as a buck converter at 48V input to 12V/60W output. The fast switching speed of eGaN FETs significantly reduces switching losses for higher-efficiency operation, says the firm. To make it simple for a power supply designer to easily replicate this design, all supporting materials for this board including schematic, bills of materials, and Gerber files are available on the EPC website.
The peak efficiency from 12V to 60V/0.85A is 95.3% and the light load efficiency is 86% with only a 40°C temperature rise despite the small size of the eGaN FETs.
“In applications where light-load efficiency is critical, such as LED backlighting for laptops and monitors, the low switching losses of eGaN FETs provide high efficiency with very low temperature rise to prevent equipment overheating,” says CEO Alex Lidow. “The synchronous boost topology is a simple, low-cost solution for power system designers.”
The EPC9162 demonstration board is priced at $284.20 each and is available for immediate delivery from distributor Digi-Key Corp.
EPC launches 100V eGaN power transistor for 48V DC-DC motor drives and LiDAR applications
