News: Microelectronics
21 October 2021
GaN Systems’ transistors used in 240W AC charger in Dell’s new 15” gaming laptop
GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (a fabless developer of gallium nitride-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications) says that its transistors are being used in the 240W AC charger in the new Alienware X15 R1, which is Dell’s thinnest 15” high-performance gaming laptop (featuring an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11800H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 video card, 16GB DDR4, 3200MHz memory, and 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD).
Since elegant computers are often accompanied by clunky power charger, Dell has now addressed this issue with Alienware’s first small form factor power charger, which is said to be smaller and lighter than all previous models on the market (about half the size and 25% lighter). In fact, the new Dell Alienware 240W charger is nearly the same size as the old 90W chargers, but with 2.7x more power in the same volume.
Picture: Smaller, lighter and more efficient Dell Alienware charger enabled by GaN Systems’ transistors. Top charger: new-generation GaN 240W. Bottom charger: Previous-generation silicon 240W.
A recent teardown report finds that, compared with a Dell 90W charger (LA90PM130), the new 240W charger (LA240PM200) uses GaN Systems’ power transistors to provide significant improvements in power, with an output of 240W in a 152mm x 78mm x 23mm case, which is a similar size to Dell’s 90W power charger.
The report reveals how designers took advantage of the properties of GaN Systems’ power transistors. Fast switching of GaN transistors is the key technical advance that leads to major improvements in the charger design. First, the high-frequency switching of GaN leads to smaller components like capacitors, inductors and transformers. Second, the fast switching of GaN results in lower power loss, so less heat is generated. Combined, these two benefits allow designers to make the charger much smaller and lighter.
The 240W power charger supports the PD2.0 fast-charge protocol and has two voltage levels of 5V/1.5A and 20V/3.25A. The charger uses GaN Systems’ GS-065-030-2-L, 650V, 30A, 50mΩ, enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN transistor. Enclosed in a small, thermally efficient 8mm x 8mm PDFN package, the transistor can be switched at high frequency for maximum efficiency and power density. This combination of performance and cost-effectiveness makes it suitable for consumer electronics applications.
“In many cases, like in data centers, factories, renewable solar energy systems and electric vehicles (EVs), the consumer doesn’t always know that using GaN means using fewer materials and less energy,” notes GaN Systems’ CEO Jim Witham. “But with computer and phone chargers, we can all see the benefit immediately. Lighter backpacks, briefcases, purses, along with smaller chargers that fit in tight spaces, are all welcomed benefits,” he adds. “More importantly, given that GaN chargers are more efficient than legacy silicon transistor-based chargers, we are doing our part in conserving resources, increasing sustainability, and making the world a better place.”
GaN Systems adds 8mm x 8mm PDFN-packaged 650V GaN power transistors
