Clearing Up Confusion About GaN Power Transistors (Part 1): Marketer, Scientist Or Engineer--”Who Should You Believe?

by Carl Blake, Transphorm, Goleta, Calif, How2Power Today, Mar 15 2016

Focus:
This two-part article series is a response to questions raised by experienced power circuit designers who were confused by the apparently contradictory information that has been published about gallium nitride (GaN) power devices, especially data on device reliability. This article is not a detailed review of the literature, but rather an attempt to offer some guidance to design engineers that may help them separate fact from fiction as it applies to their design needs. Here in part 1, the author explains the importance of boundary conditions in evaluating published research on GaN and how the assumed (often unstated) boundary conditions vary depending on whether the source is an academic institution, a government laboratory, or a company in industry. Specific sources of confusion are discussed and illustrated with examples from the literature. The author also discusses how boundary conditions for testing GaN devices have evolved as the technology has evolved.

What you’ll learn:

• How to interpret published research on GaN device reliability and relate it to real-world power designs

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