Integrated GaN Power Stages Enable High-Performance 48-V To 12-V Power Converters
by Ron Vinsant, uPI Semiconductor, Mountain View, Calif., How2Power Today, Sep 15 2021
Focus:
The author’s company, uPI, is introducing a family of integrated GaN power stages that
combine two 100-V GaN FETs in a half-bridge configuration with a dual-channel driver and
protection features. These devices simplify the development of GaN-based designs by
eliminating the difficulties associated with driving enhancement-mode GaN FETs. In this
article, the application of a uPI GaN power stage (the uP9802Q) is demonstrated in a 48-V
to 12-V, 180-W synchronous buck converter with experimental results shown. This design
example showcases the efficiency, thermal and switching performance made possible by the
GaN device, while discussing elements of the design, like cooling and inductor choice,
that affect converter performance. A low-cost technique for measuring the GaN device’s
fast switching transitions is also described.
What you’ll learn:
- How to simplify design and improve performance of a 48-V to 12-V buck converter using a GaN power stage
- How to measure a GaN transistor’s switching waveforms using a low-cost technique
- How to design a highly efficient, 48-V to 12-V, 180-W synchronous buck converter
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