Jump to content
Create New...
  • David
    David

    transphorm 1,200 Volt GaN Power Transistor at ISPSD 2022 Demonstrate 99% Efficiency Power Switching

      May 23rd to 25th, 2022 transphorm Demonstrated their 1200 Volt GaN Power Transistor at the International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD) in Vancouver, Canada. What is a GaN Power Transistor and how will it affect the Electric Vehicle Industry?

    Energy transition is the ultimate challenge in electric vehicles (EVs) and technological advances are reducing costs while offering greater efficiency as demanded by consumers. Driving the market is the entire powertrain made up of power-dense batteries, electric motors and wide-bandgap semiconductor solutions.

    GaN or Gallium Nitride is a wide-bandgap material with outstanding intrinsic characteristics that can offer system level advantages with better performance. Lower weight, higher power density for increased range is what GaN can deliver due to operating with a higher efficiency at a higher frequency providing a reduction in passive components while increasing power density. The advantage of allowing larger breakdown voltages and greater thermal stability at higher temperatures along with greatly increasing the efficiency of power-conversion stages is what GaN offers as a replacement for silicon in high-efficiency voltage converts, power MOSFETS, Schottky Diodes, etc. this is what transphorm has to offer to the fast-charger market and the EV products looking for energy efficiency, smaller dimensions, lower weight and lower overall cost.

    Current MOSFETs and superjunction MOSFETs cover the industry in voltages up to 650 V, transphorm GaN runs up to 1,200 V with 99% efficiency that can help drive down recharging times and deliver onboard better power transition between the components and engines.

    Per transphorm press release, their GaN device offers the broadest range of power options from 45W to 10K+ kW and has been tested to voltages greater than 1,400 Volts.

    In working with the Illinois Institute of Technology, the transphorm team has demonstrated a major breakthrough for their GaN performance of a 1,200-volt device node with high efficiency 800-volt switching.

    transphorm has proven that their GaN is moving pwer electronics beyond the limitations of silicon in achieveing 99% efficiency with 40% more power density and 20% lower system costs.

    While one could easily say BIG DEAL, GaN will not only affect the Auto Industry but the whole electronic industry as it is used from cell phones to computers, to various household electronics, home solar grids and yes your auto delivering on higher energy efficiency.

    For those wanting to learn more about various applications that this new technology can be used in, check out the larger video library here: Videos - Transphorm (transphormusa.com)

    The SuperGaN technology has the following benefits:

    • Increased Performance: Gen IV provides a flatter and higher efficiency curve with an improved Figure of Merit (RON*QOSS) of approximately 10 percent.
    • Easier Designability: Gen IV offers increased simplicity of design-in by removing the need for a switching node snubber at high operation currents.
    • Enhanced Inrush Current Capability (di/dt):Gen IV removes the switching current limits for the built-in freewheeling diode function in half bridges.
    • Reduced Device Cost: Gen IV’s design innovations and patented technology simplify device assembly, too. The resulting cost adjustments continue to bring Transphorm’s GaN closer to Silicon transistor pricing.
    • Proven Robustness/Reliability: Gen IV’s 35 mΩ FET offers the same gate robustness of +/- 20 Vmax and noise immunity of 4 V that is currently delivered by Transphorm’s Gen III devices.

    This allows GaN to offer improvements and greater efficiency in the following markets:

    • Infrastructure and IT Power Supplies
    • Consumer and Computing adapters, gaming power supplies
    • Broad Industrial chargers and UPS
    • Automotive electric vehicles, charging, etc.
    • 5G mobile adapters and RF material

    More details on specific areas can be had here: GaN Technology - Transphorm (transphormusa.com)

    With transphorm recent break through competition is heating up as Texas Instrument has also announced a new family of GaN transistors aimed at the auto industry meant to decrease board space, increase power efficiency in auto electrical systems.

    These devices are special why?

    The GaN products can reduce the EV onboard chargers and DC to DC converts by as much as 50% compared to current existing silicon based solutions. The goal here is in saving board space and increasing energy efficiency, engineers will achieve extended battery range, increased system reliability and lower design costs.

    According to Texas Instrument, GaN integration can eliminate more than 10 components typically required for discrete solutions in existing EVs and other solutions.

    This is the biggest area of improvements GaN has to offer to the EV market, cost and driving range. Today's EVs have many individual components that drive up costs and yet by integration of these components into the powertrain you drive efficiency in reducing that cost down. This would cover bulky items such as inductors, transformers and over all PCB size into the powertrain reducing power losses and simplify thermal management. GaN technology can help extend driving range by operating at higher efficiency and conserving thermal energy requiring fewer cooling components and lower costs.

    Driving standards is the SAE International that has a full detailed site for those interested in this technology: Gallium Nitride future of EV chips (sae.org)

    An interesting point that the SAE points out at the link above: 

    • Traction inverter: While an EV’s propulsion system (traction inverter plus electric motor) is five times more energy efficient than IC engines, with lower maintenance costs and longer lifespan, the upfront cost has on average been 2.5 times higher. Technology innovation in materials, magnetics and electronics is creating new-generation motors that are more energy efficient (less power loss through heat), compact and lighter in weight. GaN power semiconductors are key to the evolution of traction inverters capable of delivering more than a 70% power increase compared to inverters using traditional IGBTs.

    One area that some that follow the EV world has seen has been Tesla getting farther and farther on a battery charge. This came as the SAE points out at the link above in a Tesla S with 75 kWh battery getting a 6 to 10% range increase by replacing the conventional  Si IGBT traction inverter with GaN-based inverter.

    transphorm as does their competitors and the SAE all state that the EV market will expand with enhanced power-electronic performance via implementation of GaN transistors, creating system efficiencies and increased power densities required to achieve demanding vehicle size and range targets.

    End result is we should see a wide range of EVs covering subcompact to full size at all price points eventually as the industry changes from ICE to EV.

    https://www.transphormusa.com/en/news/1200v_gan_ispsd/

    ISPSD 2022 | Vancouver, Canada

    TI Turns to GaN FETs to Cut Board Space and Boost Power Density in EVs - News (allaboutcircuits.com)

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Posts

    • @David The first 8 minutes explains what the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is all about.  The first 8 minutes should give you an idea how much engineering goes into the RS model over and beyond not only over the regular GT3, but ANY road legal track ready sports car.   When somebody says the Corvette E-Ray is better than the Porsche 911, well...if you do pay attention to what and how the 911 GT3 RS is, then you'll realize quite quickly that the journalism is, like I said, lazy...   On a side note, the guy said that the GT3 RS made a Nurburgring time of 6 minutes 49 seconds.   The C8 Z06's time at the Nurburgring has not been set just yet. A set back on the course happened last year.  BMW and Tesla crashed and their cars.   Chevy is said to be back though.  It is also said that the time for the C8 Z06 will BE under 7 minutes  100%.   Some say it will be around the 6 minute 50 second mark.    Not too bad either way... 1.  The Porsche 911 lives on the Nurburgring.  It is its home playground.  Porsche spends and ENORMOUS amount of time and money to set records there.   2.  The C7 Z06 didnt set an official time there either because of set backs on the track involving other cars and accidents.  Yeah...the C8 too...   But, the Corvette does not live there and the Corvette also has other playgrounds that it needs to play in.  Like drag strips.   3.  Corvette is a jack of all trades sports car. The 911 is a precision machine and the Nurburgring is where it operates.  The Corvette operates at all kinds of racing digs.   Drag racing, street light to street light and at the Nurburgring.  For the C8 Z06 to get close to the 911 GT3 RS's time at the Nurburgring in its heavy GT luxury body is a testament of how good the Corvette engineers really are.  But it still remains that the GT3 RS is still a scalpel.  The E-Ray might be a great Corvette, but it all depends of what kind of comparison we want and what kind of 911 we want to talk about.  Anyway...enjoy Jay Lenos garage.   This episode is a great way to understand what the GT3 RS is without any fanboyism and without any positive or negative bias.  The narrative is as truthful as it could be.    
    • Todays Dodge Last Call is going on now.  
    • Interesting review. Cannot complain about their negative being the only interior color is black or black and grey. Seems it the Georgia factory is where the GV70 EV is produced. Sadly only a 236 mile range. Genesis Electrified GV70 first drive review: a killer high-end EV with one flaw (msn.com)
  • Who's Online (See full list)

×
×
  • Create New...

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search