DC to DC Power Supplies (Converters)
APEI and GaN Systems Demonstrate High Efficiency DC-DC Boost Converter with Ultra-High Speed Gallium Nitride Switch
Fayetteville, AR - Arkansas Power Electronics International (APEI), Inc. and GaN Systems Inc. today announced the test results for a gallium nitride power switch based DC-DC boost converter. The converter demonstrated at APEI, Inc. exploited the ultra-high switching capability of GaN Systems' high power switch to achieve a 1 MHz switching capability. In addition, the boost converter was able to demonstrate over 98.5% efficiency at 5 kW output power. Testing demonstrated turn-on and turn-off transitions of only 8.25 ns and 3.72 ns, respectively.
The converter will be on display this week March 17-21 2013 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) held at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. Both APEI and GaN Systems will have booths showcasing the power package and converter technologies. The co-development of the gallium nitride power switch and boost converter were funded in part by Sustainable Development Technology Canada with the goal of demonstrating the efficiency, performance and reliability of gallium nitride power devices for hybrid and electric vehicles (HEVs and EVs). Other key applications for gallium nitride power devices include high efficiency power supplies, solar inverters and industrial motor drives.
Gallium nitride power switches offer increased system performance advantages over traditional power semiconductor devices when used in power conversion systems. "Wide bandgap semiconductor technology, such as gallium nitride, enables increased power density for modern power electronic systems," said Dr. Ty McNutt, Director of Business Development at APEI, "and we are excited to be developing novel power packages and high performance systems around these ultra-high speed devices."
As new gallium nitride devices become available at increasing power levels, demonstration in high-power systems is paramount to customer acceptance. "The ultra-high switching frequency that gallium nitride enables is one key to reducing the size and weight of power electronic systems," said Girvan Patterson, CEO of GaN Systems, "and these test results demonstrate first-hand the system-level benefits enabled by this exciting technology."
About GaN Systems Inc - www.gansystems.com
GaN Systems is the first place systems designers go to realize all of the benefits of gallium nitride in their power conversion and control applications. To overcome silicon's limitations in switching speed, temperature, voltage, and current, the Company develops the most complete range of gallium nitride power switching solutions for a variety of markets. Its unique Island Technology™ addresses today's cost, performance, and manufacturability-related challenges of gallium nitride resulting in devices that are approximately four times smaller and four times more efficient than traditional design approaches. The Company also leverages existing multi-sourced manufacturing processes due to its transportable, fabless model, and through additional innovations, makes it easy to incorporate gallium nitride into any design. GaN Systems is run by a seasoned semiconductor team with decades of industry experience and a track record of repeated success. The Company stands to do more for gallium nitride adoption in power conversion than any other.
About Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc - www.apei.net
Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. is a developer of state-of-the-art technology for power electronics systems, electronic motor drives, and power electronics packaging. The company specializes in high density high power electronics solutions and products based on new and emerging materials, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC).
About Sustainable Development Technology Canada - www.sdtc.ca
Sustainable Development Technology Canada is a foundation created by the Government of Canada that operates a $550 million fund to support the development and demonstration of clean technologies — solutions that address issues of clean air, climate change, clean water, and clean soil to deliver environmental, economic and health benefits to Canadians.
For more information regarding this press release please contact:
Ty McNutt
Director of Business Development,
APEI
Tel: +1 (479) 443-5759
tmcnutt@apei.net
Tracy Jones
Corporate Communications
GaN Systems
+1 (613) 686-1996 ext. 149 (office)
tjones@gansystems.com
