IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - June 2015 - 49

Multisourced GaN
Transphorm, Inc. released engineering samples of its 600-V
GaN field-effect transistor (FET) TPH3205WS in a TO-247
package. The maker claims that it is the first 600-V GaN
transistor in an industry-standard plastic package to offer
63-mX on-resistance and 34-A ratings. To reduce electromagnetic interference, including switching losses, the
device utilizes the company's Quiet Tab source-tab connection design. With this new addition to its EZ-GaN product
portfolio, the company can now support photovoltaic
inverter designs with power levels ranging from a few hundred watts (microinverters) to several kilowatts (residential
central inverters), said Transphorm.
Using the new GaN transistor TPH3205WS, the manufacturer demonstrated 2.4-kW, bridgeless totem-pole powerfactor correction (PFC), exhibiting near 99% PFC efficiency
FIG 1 In this 3-kW single-phase inverter board, four 600-V GaN
at 100-kHz operation. According to the maker, the totemtransistors (TPH3205WS) are configured as a full-bridge switch
pole PFC, when combined with a GaN-based dc-dc converoperating at 100 kHz. An output power of 1,500 W is achieved
without forced-air cooling, and more than 3 kW is achieved
sion stage, enables a greatly simplified 80 PLUS titanium
with forced air. (Photo courtesy of Transphorm, Inc.)
power supply design, providing power densities unachievable with silicon (Si)-based designs. In addition, TransNTP8G206N), are being offered in an optimized TO-220
phorm also exhibited a TPH3205WS-based 3-kW inverter
package with typical on-resistances of 150 and 290 mX,
operating at 100 kHz with a peak efficiency of 98.8%, and
respectively. In addition, a two-stage evaluation board,
over 99% at 50 kHz (Figure 1). In this design, four 600-V GaN
labeled TDPS250E2D2 (ON Semiconductor equivalent:
high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), TPH3205WS
NCP1397GANGEVB) was displayed as a complete 250-W
devices, are configured as a full-bridge switch operating
reference design. The supplier said that its GaN HEMT
at 100 kHz and higher to generate a 100-240-V sinusoitransistors are in mass production at the Fujitsu Semidal ac output from a dc bus. An output power of 1,500 W
conductor Group's CMOS-compatible 150-mm wafer fab in
is achieved without forced-air cooling, and more than 3,000
Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan, which is a
W is achieved with forced air.
large-scale automotive-qualified facilConcurrently, in partnership with
ity. Meanwhile, efforts are under way
ON Semiconductor, Transphorm
Transphorm also
to introduce a 900-V GaN HEMT next
also announced the availability of
announced the
year and a 200-V version in 2017.
two cobranded 600-V GaN cascode
With the acquisition of Internationtransistors and a 240-W reference
availability of two
al Rectifier's (IR) GaN-on-Si platform
design that utilizes them. Last year,
cobranded 600-V GaN
and Panasonic's dual sourcing deal, Inthe partners displayed an evaluation
fineon Technologies displayed 600-V
board using the 600-V GaN cascodes
cascode transistors
GaN HEMTs in both cascode and enin TO-220 packages. "At this year's
and a 240-W reference
hancement-mode configurations. The
show, we're excited to announce comenhancement-mode GaN transistors
plete GaN-specific reference designs
design that utilizes
are housed in Infineon's dual small
with ON Semiconductor," said Primit
them.
outline (DSO) package while the
Parikh, president and cofounder of
cascode devices are assembled in a
Transphorm. "With our partner, ON
6 # 8 mm QFN package. While the
Semiconductor, we are providing
cascode structure comes from IR, the normally-off 600-V
complete reference design platforms and tools that enGaN-on-Si transistor technology is the result of a co-develable designers to take advantage of GaN's benefits while
opment with Panasonic, which includes a license to their
greatly accelerating their design cycles and reducing time
normally-off GaN device structure and a dual sourcing
to market," added Parikh. In addition, the manufacturer
deal inked in March. As a result of this strategic partnersaid that it has completed extended-life tests on its 600-V
ship with Panasonic, the two partners intend to offer 600-V
GaN-on-Si HEMTs, under both voltage and temperature
GaN transistors based on Panasonic's enhancement-mode
stress conditions, achieving 100 million predicted lifetimes.
GaN-on-Si transistor device structure integrated into InfiFor easy integration with users' existing circuit board
neon's SMD packages. The first result of this partnership
manufacturing capabilities, Transphorm's two new GaN
is a 70-mX enhancement-mode GaN (eGaN) in a DSO-20
products, TPH3202PS (ON Semiconductor equivalent: NTpackage with lead-frame construction.
P8G202N) and TPH3206PS (ON Semiconductor equivalent:

June 2015

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