Navitas announces first integrated GaN Power ICs
Navitas Semiconductor, a Californian start-up, has announced its first GaN power chips, using its proprietary AllGaN monolithically-integrated 650V platform.
According to the company, the combination of GaN power FETs with GaN logic and drive circuits enables ten to 100 times higher switching frequency than existing silicon circuits, making power electronics smaller, lighter and lower cost.
"GaN has tremendous potential to displace silicon in the power electronics market given its inherent high-speed, high-efficiency capabilities as a power FET," says Dan Kinzer, Navitas CTO and COO. "Previously, that potential was limited by the lack of equally high performance circuits to drive the GaN FETs quickly and cost effectively. Navitas has solved this remaining challenge to unlock the full potential of the power GaN market.
"With monolithic integration of GaN drive and logic circuits with GaN power FETs, the industry now has a path to cost-effective, easy-to-use, high-frequency power system designs."
CEO Gene Sheridan added: "The last time power electronics experienced a dramatic improvement in density, efficiency and cost was in the late 70s when silicon MOSFETs replaced bipolar transistors, enabling a transition from linear regulators to switching regulators. A ten times improvement in density, time times reduction in power losses and three times lower cost resulted a short time thereafter. A similar market disruption is about to occur in which GaN power ICs will enable low-frequency, silicon-based power systems to be replaced by high-frequency GaN with dramatic improvements in density, efficiency and cost."
Navitas will introduce the AllGaN platform and GaN Power ICs in a keynote titled 'Breaking Speed Limits with GaN Power ICs' at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) on Monday 21st March.
