Automotive Qualified GaN FETs for Vehicle Electronics and Advanced Autonomy from EPC

­Efficient Power Conversion Corporation expands the selection of automotive, off-the-shelf gallium nitride transistors with the introduction of 80 V, 6 mΩ EPC2204A that delivers 125 A pulsed current in a 2.5 mm x 1.5 mm footprint and the 80 V, 3.2 mΩ EPC2218A that delivers 231 A pulsed current is a 3.5 mm x 1.95 mm footprint, offering designers significantly smaller and more efficient devices than silicon MOSFETs for automotive DC-DC for 48V-12V conversion, infotainment, and lidar for autonomous driving.

The EPC2204A and EPC2218A are ideal for applications with demanding requirements for high power density including 48 V – 12 V bidirectional converters for mild hybrid cars, 24 V – 48 V DC-DC in cars and trucks, and for infotainment, lighting, and ADAS applications.

Lower gate charges (QGD), and zero reverse recovery losses allow high-frequency operation of 1 MHz and beyond. Combined with high efficiency in a super tiny footprint, these factors enable state-of-the-art power density. 

As an example, for 2 kW – 4 kW 48 V-12 V converters, GaN devices allow five times the frequency of silicon MOSFET solutions.  Also, with a quarter of the inductance, inductor size and losses are reduced allowing 40% higher current per phase and up to half of the phases for lower system cost and half of the size. Despite the smaller size, efficiency increases up to 98%, greater than 2% higher than MOSFET solutions.

For lower power DC-DC, such as those used for infotainment applications in the vehicle, GaN allows for operations at 2 MHz and above to avoid interference and enable the smallest solution size.

The fast-switching speed of GaN, with sub nanosecond transitions and the capability to generate high current pulses in less than 3 ns, allows for longer range and higher resolution in lidar for autonomous driving, parking, and collision avoidance.

“The EPC2204A and EPC2218A make the ideal switches for automotive lidar and 48 V DC-DC. These 80 V devices improve performance and cost for highly efficiency vehicle electrification and advanced autonomy applications”, according to Alex Lidow, EPC’s co-founder and CEO. “EPC is committed to the automotive market with devices ranging from 15 V – 100 V shipping in volume, and many more are planned for release.”

Price and Availability

The EPC2204A is priced at $1.55/ea at 1Ku and the EPC2218A is priced at $3.01/ea at 1Ku.

Designers interested in replacing their silicon MOSFETs with a GaN solution can use the EPC GaN Power Bench’s cross-reference tool to find a suggested replacement based on their unique operating conditions. The cross-reference tool can be found here.