News: Microelectronics
21 March 2022
GaN Systems showcasing smallest GaN chargers at APEC
In booth #1324 at the 37th annual Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2022) in Houston, Texas (20-24 March), GaN Systems Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (a fabless developer of gallium nitride-based power switching semiconductors for power conversion and control applications) together with power conversion R&D company Rompower Energy Systems Inc of Tucson, AZ, USA are displaying what are claimed to be industry firsts - the smallest 65W and 100W GaN chargers offering the highest efficiency and best power density:
- 65W AC-DC charger, with cased dimensions of 30.5mm x35.0mm x 46.6mm; highest efficiency at >94.5% @115Vac and >95% @230Vac; and highest power density at >22W/in3.
- 100W AC-DC charger, with cased dimensions of 44.0mm x35.0mm x 67.0mm; highest efficiency at >94.5% @115Vac and >94.5% @230Vac; and highest power density at >20W/in3.
“The technology advances in these chargers meet the newest demands in fast-charging applications where charger solutions must be small, cost-effective, and thermally efficient,” says Rompower’s founder & CEO Ionel (Dan) Jitaru.
Strong growth in demand for chargers is being driven by the consumer electronics industry from smartphones, PCs (desktops, notebooks and workstations), and other personal devices. In 2021 worldwide sales grew by 6% in smartphones to 1.4 billion units and by 15% in PC shipments to 341 million units, with revenues surpassing US$250bn.
GaN transistors allow chargers to operate more efficiently, resulting in significantly less power loss and heat. This enables the system components to be smaller and closer together, resulting in smaller, sleeker chargers with more power than larger models. The GaN Systems transistors can be switched at high frequency for maximum efficiency and power density, making them suitable for charging applications.
“GaN is revolutionizing the consumer and industrial charger markets by reducing size up to 4x while delivering on consumers’ insatiable need for fast-charging,” says GaN Systems’ CEO Jim Witham. “We are proud to partner with industry leaders from Dell to Harman to Samsung, leading the charge for GaN in consumer markets. Today’s collaboration with Rompower is the latest milestone on that journey.”
At APEC 2022, Rompower presented a seminar ‘GaN impact on the AC-DC Power Adapters’ highlighting GaN versus silicon for AC-DC adapter applications. Also, in booth 1324, GaN Systems is showcasing Rompower’s 65W and 100W GaN chargers and an array of GaN chargers for smartphone and laptop charging, up to 4x smaller than conventional chargers ranging from 45W to 240W.
