News Article
Digi-Key to globally distribute EPC's GaN power devices
Gallium nitride specialist EPC has signed an exclusive agreement with electronics distributor Digi-Key
Digi-Key Corporation has announced new inventory of GaN power management products, available for immediate shipment as part of a distribution agreement with EPC.
Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is an innovator in GaN based power management devices.
Digi-Key says EPC was the first to introduce enhancement-mode Gallium-Nitride-on-Silicon (eGaN) FETs as power MOSFET replacements.
Applications of eGaN FETs include point-of-load converters, Power over Ethernet (PoE), server and computer DC-DC converters, LED lighting, cell phones, RF transmission, solar micro-inverters, and class-D audio amplifiers.
“Gallium Nitride shows tremendous promise within the semiconductor space, as the power density benefits over silicon provide a unique opportunity for designers,” says Mark Zack, vice president, global semiconductor product at Digi-Key.
He adds, “For the past three years, Digi-Key has partnered with EPC as the exclusive distributor of their GaN power management products. Through this joint venture, both companies are well positioned to continue to provide innovative GaN power management solutions and we are excited for the future of this exclusive partnership.”
New eGaN products are being released frequently, from the EPC2016 and EPC2018 power transistors, to the EPC9017 development board. Also, EPC has released the EPC800x family of high-speed, high performance products that are blurring the line between Power and RF Transistors.
For designers interested in evaluating the new EPC800x family of devices, EPC has released the EPC9027 development board, which features the EPC8007 device and the LM5113 gate driver IC in a half bridge configuration. In addition, EPC will be participating in a Google Hangout with Digi-Key on October 11 where they will be discussing their newest additions.
“Digi-Key makes it easy for engineers to develop state of the art power conversion systems with our enhancement-mode GaN transistors as replacements for their less-efficient silicon transistors. Their ability to support our customers from prototype to production has been invaluable as the adoption rate of our pioneering technology continues to grow,” says Alex Lidow, EPC’s co-founder and CEO.
“Digi-Key’s innovative marketing capabilities reinforce our efforts and have helped establish EPC as a market and knowledge leader for GaN. We are excited about our latest joint initiative - a live Google Hangout where we will be discussing the evolution of semiconductor materials,” concludes Lidow.