Power Integrations unveils 2,200V GaN technology for high-voltage EV and grid systems

Power Integrations has rated its PowiGaN gallium nitride (GaN) technology at up to 2,200 V, a level the company says exceeds any other commercially available GaN. Power Integrations is aiming the technology at the main power path in high-voltage data centers, EVs, renewable energy and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) infrastructure as those systems shift to higher-voltage bus architectures for greater power density.

GaN switches offer higher efficiency and higher switching frequencies than silicon transistors, and a higher switching frequency lets the passive components shrink and power density rise. Power Integrations says alternatives such as lower-frequency silicon carbide (SiC) and arrays of stacked, lower-voltage GaN devices require compromises on power density, complexity and reliability.

“Our 2,200 V PowiGaN technology provides substantial voltage margin for emerging high-voltage power systems while enabling the high switching frequencies required to maximize power density,” said Jennifer Lloyd, President and CEO at Power Integrations. “Emerging applications include future EV battery and auxiliary power systems operating at increasingly higher output voltages. This extends the reach of GaN into voltage ranges traditionally served by SiC, enabling a high-frequency alternative for applications such as solar, HVDC and advanced industrial power conversion.”

PowiGaN ICs rated at 1,700 V are already being designed into single-stage auxiliary power applications for data centers, and 1,250 V parts offer a simpler alternative to stacked solutions in the main power path of 800 VDC data centers, an architecture the company details in a white paper. The new 2,200 V rating extends that to higher bus architectures still, which Power Integrations says will reach EVs, photovoltaic inverters and battery-energy storage systems.

“GaN’s voltage ceiling has kept it out of the main power path, ceding that ground to SiC. A 2,200 V rating changes this, giving margin for single-stage topologies and future-proofing emerging 1,500 V data center and EV designs. We expect the power GaN device market to reach $3.5 billion by 2031, and extending GaN into these higher-voltage applications is an important part of that growth,” said Roy Dagher, Technology and Market Analyst for Compound Semiconductors at Yole Group.

Source: Power Integrations